Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Weekend in Music City

This past weekend the boy was attending a conference in Nashville so I decided to tag along.
Welcome to Tennessee
Yes, this is from the Tennessee welcome center, which does mean we drove to Tennessee. Driving about 10 hours each way in a weekend isn't something I'd recommend, but we made it.
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We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland hotel, which I've been describing as mix of Disneyland and a Vegas casino. (It's always where the Grand Ole Opry is currently held.) The view above is the main hotel lobby, which looks amazing by itself, but even more so when you realize that the other half of the room has these two waterfalls.
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Since the boy was busy, I was off on my own most of the trip. And part of me is a little embarrassed to admit I didn't do much sightseeing in Nashville itself. But what did I do?
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Of course I explored the hotel. This is in the Delta section of the hotel which is where our room was and is made to look like Mississippi river. Yes, that is a boat which you could pay to ride around this lobby. And here's another picture which better gives you the Southern/Mississippi River type feel with a Plantation replica.
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I layed out at the pool.
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Which was a first for 2012! Thankfully we had pretty awesome weather while we were here.
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I read a ton! This is 2 of the 3 magazines I brought all of which I finished. I also finished both Wither and Fever (pictured here - reviews to come!) and also started a third book.
Blogger Meet-Up
I had a blogger meet-up with Sarah of Sarah in the City.
I watched a fountain show.
Shrek's House
I visited Shrek's house. (Although Shrek wasn't actually there. But I'm sure at times he is. They also had places decorated to visit both the characters from Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda.)
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I happened to walk by a wedding in progress, and loved a ton of their little details, like the fact they were married on St. Patrick's Day and the bridesmaids wore green. I also loved her escort cards, but I don't have a picture of them.
Souvenirs
I shopped for souvenirs. Funny enough the only thin I purchased that's actually from Tennessee is the kiwi jam, but it all looked fun to me.

As you've probably noticed almost all of these pictures are in the hotel itself. Yes, there are probably people out there who'd say it was a waste to visit a city and not really do anything. But to be honest what I really want to do was take time to unplug and have a restful weekend, and I think this met that goal.

Have you ever taken a trip somewhere to wind up barely leaving the hotel?

6 comments:

  1. Totally jealous that you've already read Fever. Can't wait to read it.
    Sometimes I like those types of trips. They can be mellow and relaxing.

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  2. Sounds like you had a nice, relaxing trip! We are always full throttle when we go on vacation... which isn't a vacation at all really. Anyway, hope you enjoyed Wither and Fever!

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  3. I think a restful weekend like that sounds wonderful! I stayed at the Gaylord Texan resort in the Dallas area and it looked very similar!!

    I am glad you had a great get away. 10 hours of driving each way sounds, well, like alot of driving, but I guess it gave you an opportunity to spend quality time with the boy with not many interruptions/distractions!

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  4. Next time you're in Nashvegas let me know and I'll treat you to a cup of coffee :)

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  5. Glad you had a good time! I am not a fan of the Opryland Hotel. Its over priced and doesnt give you a feel for the awesomeness that is Nashville. Its sort of in a crummy area, not near the city. But they are smart in that when you are there, you dont want to leave. Why explore the city when everything you could want is there! But I definitely wouldnt say you wasted a trip. The Orpyland hotel is definitely a site to see. You will just have to come back to get a good feel for TN and Nashville :)

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  6. Nashville is such a fun town! The hotel is insane! Next time you're in town hit up the country music hall of fame!

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