Month: February 2017

You have to go. Line up a babysitter, or take the kiddos. Plan a date, or meet up with a friend. In a city where new restaurants open continuously, there is a small, greasy spoon diner that has stood the test of time for over 75 years. Elliston Place Soda Shop boldly claims to have the best burger in town, and considering myself a connoisseur of good cheeseburgers, they were an easy selection for a recent birthday dinner with a dear friend.

The historic character of the diner has been well preserved, and gives a welcoming invitation to all hungry customers to enjoy their Southern cuisine with a sense of nostalgia for the olden days. Mini jukeboxes at every booth, red vinyl-topped bar stools, and old-timey milkshake makers all lend to creating a delightful ambiance of yesteryear. The Soda Shop announced its closing back in 2011, due to rising rent prices, but the local public poured out their support, causing the landlord to renegotiate the lease which kept the doors of this Nashville landmark open.

No other restaurant in Nashville has been open longer in its original location. This charming eatery is on the national register of historic places and was mentioned in the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. There is a full breakfast and soda fountain menu, and different meat and three options are offered Monday through Friday. But the burgers are a menu staple, and every delicious bite is worth every delicious calorie.

For me, Nashville is the perfect balance of big (enough) city, and of small town USA. We have our notable skyline with its impressive skyscrapers and then we have rolling hills, with their equally impressive landscapes, just on the outskirts of the metropolis. Depending on how your mood strikes, you can take in the bustling sights and sounds of Broadway, or you can retreat to one of the quainter and quieter sides of Music City. Among my favorites are Leiper’s Fork, downtown Franklin, Bell Buckle and Nolensville.

Nolensville has more recently become a hot spot for the real estate market, but for those of us happily settled in homes within the city limits, it makes a for a perfect weekend morning day trip. I’ve driven through Nolensville before, since it’s the most scenic (though maybe not the most direct) route to Arrington Vineyards. But on a warm September day last fall, I made Nolensville the final stop destination. Although I had previously discovered the amazing tastes for sale at The Amish Feed Mill (a container of their cranberry chicken salad with a bag of their freshly baked dinner rolls is a perfect to-go picnic to take to Arrington), on that day I met a friend there for the Saturday morning breakfast (served every Saturday from 8-10:30am) and just enjoyed good conversation in the ambiance of the old country market. In a world where shiny and new is often the assumed preference, I love the beauty that is evident in the rustic wood floors and mismatched dining tables and chairs. And although I confess I’m partial to a tried and true biscuit recipe we’ve made in our family for years, I still loved their biscuits with homemade jam, sausage and gravy, thick-cut bacon and scrambled eggs (yes, I ate it all :)). If that standard fare for breakfast were good for you, I would eat it every morning of my life. So when I’m at places like The Feed Mill (or Loveless Café), I set aside my typical health conscious choices and just eat like a true Southerner.

After eating more than I should have, we headed over to the Nolensville Farmer’s Market. I regretted being so full once I watched my friend pick out a box of pastries for her family from the The Bekahry tent. Hearing the baker share about making the oversized cinnamon rolls (with generous coverings of icing), the muffins, donuts and her chorizo, egg & hot pepper Jack Cheese Kolaches, will likely get me to drive back down south one Saturday morning on an empty stomach. After we made some healthier purchases from produce vendors of nearby farms, I headed over to explore my friend’s recommendations for some of the little gift shops set up in restored homes along the main street. The Tanner House, Shabby Lane and The Painted Dragonfly (all within walking distance of each other) each tempted me with adorable home décor, word art, boutique clothing and just delightfully different gift ideas.

I’m sure the locals and newly-established home owners in Nolensville could share other highlights and options of things to see and do there, but part of the fun is to know just enough to go and then discover more. 🙂

The Grand Ole Opry House—for years it really wasn’t even on my radar; I considered it a must see for tourists and a “maybe one day…” for locals. When I finally went there on a date for the first time a couple years ago, I was honestly astonished at how much I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the musical broadcast. I knew I loved country and bluegrass music, so maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but the entertainment of the radio production side, the genuine joy of each performer, and maybe the enthusiasm of the largely out-of-towners audience, made for nothing short of a delightful evening.

Concerts are, in their simplest form, a performance. But the Opry has a way of elevating the performances and the air time transmission to its radio listeners into a celebration of the power of music to lift both soul and spirit to the joyful place I believe God intended His gift of music to do. My roots in loving country music started back in my earliest years listening to Elvis and Patsy Cline in my grandmother’s farmhouse, and seeing her contented smile and the twinkle in her eye as she hummed along with her favorite songs. (A while back I asked my five year-old nephew if he liked country music, and he promptly and matter-of-factly replied, “no, I like city music” : )) Obviously an appreciation of Nashville’s best known genre of music is a likely prerequisite to a fully enjoyable experience at the Opry, but I can’t help but wonder if even the self-proclaimed prefer-ers of “city music,” couldn’t help but find themselves smiling and tapping their toes to the rhythmic timing throughout the radiocast.

I recently took the backstage tour of the beautiful Grand Ole Opry House building; it was originally constructed in 1974 to give a permanent home to the show that had been growing increasingly famous at the Ryman Auditorium since 1943 (although the Opry’s inception as a barn dance program goes all the way back to 1925). There is a circle of wood taken from the Ryman that is now on the Opry House stage as the place of honor to stand and share your voice and song. Even after the building suffered extensive damage under 4 feet of water in the flood of 2010, the wood circle was restored and replaced to its original spot in center stage—although not visible to the audience, it symbolizes a revered place in the spotlight for each guest or newly-inducted artist who has been invited to officially join as an Opry House member.

The tour, the stories, the framed photos of singers of years gone by… they all serve to grow your appreciation for the roots of music that is “down to earth” (to quote George D. Hay who founded the original Opry radio program). All the artists are people just like you and me; but they were given a talent and an opportunity to share their musical gift with the world–and I for one, am a truly grateful and happy recipient. 🙂