One Last Stop in Nashville.....

Nashville, TN     High:  60    Low:  33

We've had a little taste of Nashville...The Wildhorse Saloon,
walking the streets of Nashville at night a little bit, seeing Barbara Mandell's log cabin mansion, The Fontanel, but Eldy had just one more thing he wanted to show Sparky--- the Opryland Hotel, which is now known as Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center....Many years ago, he stayed there and remembered an atrium in the center of the hotel...He wanted to show Sparky how beautiful it was.....Now there are several atriums, the Garden Conservatory, the Delta, and the Cascades,....Ceilings of glass covering tropical gardens, fountains, waterfalls, and a man made river inside the hotel!.....When the Delta River (1/4 mile) was christened, they poured 1700 water samples from rivers around the world and every registered river in the U.S. into the water. Hundreds of rooms overlook the gardens...

WOW! This place is a destination! But you don't even have to stay here, you can just hang out. It's like a mini city....It's a little confusing to navigate around in, they say even the hotel employees get lost from time to time! Guess that's because they have added on a few times and there's no central navigation plan. You just gotta wander from section to section....Which is ok, because there is wonderful shopping here, great little places to eat, and just a wonderful tropical paradise to lose yourself in. But it's VERY warm and humid, naturally, to support all the plant life.

Sparky was entrance with the musical water fountain that changed colors and tempos constantly....

There is an amazing number of plant species inside the hotel...over 1,000 was the figure read somewhere....There were all kinds of exotic, blooming tropicals...air plants with beautiful blooms, staghorn ferns, HUGE tropical palms....

Beautiful waterfalls....

And lots of places to eat, but too expensive for our budget! But we did splurge and get a couple of slices of pizza....Rooms are pricey, too...$249-300+ a night...We'll just dream on......Or make another day visit the next time we come to Nashville!

Garden statue in the Delta Atrium

Great photo opps here.....We'll leave you with Sparky horsin' around again at the Opryland Hotel....See you later, partner!  Tomorrow we leave for Alabama....