The Music City

The Rig's average speed increased slightly & we did not make nearly as many stops after the robbery.  However, we decided to end the first leg of our trip on a high note & spent the afternoon in Nashville, TN driving through the ritzy Belle Meade neighborhood, taking in the country music scene & eating till we cried.

The Nashville Parthenon in Centennial Park - It's a full scale replica of The Parthenon in Greece
The Parthenon was impressive, but not impressive enough for us to leave
the Rig to be robbed again, so we snapped this photo & quickly moved along

The Elvis Guitar outside of the Historic RCA Studio B on Music Row in Nashville, TN
Apparently Dolly Parton ran her car into the Home of 1,000 Hits
on her way to a recording years ago...we looked, but couldn't find any structural damage

Babbitt walking through the Artists Entrance of the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN
We were a little turned off when we saw the steep tour price, but it ended up being more than worth it

The O'Babbitt's at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN
We also drove past the Ryman Auditorium, which is the most famous, former home of the Grand Ole
Opry, but opted for the Backstage Pass Tour at the current home of the longest-running radio broadcast

Babbitt on country's most famous stage
Our tour guide encouraged us to sing You Are My Sunshine onstage...it wasn't pretty

The O'Babbitt's standing inside the six-foot dark, oak wood circle cut from the Ryman Auditorium
The circle reminds musicians who step inside that they take part in something larger than themselves

Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville, TN
The chicken comes in mild, hot & extra hot...Babbitt has never had a problem with spicy food
before, so he tried the extra hot & it was so hot that we had to eat our lunch in the Rig to save face