SINCE I fell in love with country music, I’ve dreamed of visiting Nashville, writes Johanna Payton.
Taking up line dancing in 2008 did nothing to bring me to my senses, but I wasn’t sure if my partner, Matthew, and son Eliott, five, could be talked into holidaying there.
By negotiating an extended stop-over in New York en route (and selling Tennessee to Eliott as ‘cowboy world’) I eventually got my way. We were stunned by the sheer scale of The Gaylord hotel at Opryland.
Three huge, glass-ceilinged atriums house 2,881 guest rooms, nine acres of indoor gardens, the ‘Delta’ river (complete with boat ride) and a host of bars and eateries.
After dipping in one of three pools, and de-stressing in the outdoor hot tub, we devoured delicious burgers in the Jack Daniel’s Saloon.
Once we’d adjusted to the sensation of being trapped in a log flume (numerous indoor waterfalls give the resort a whiff of the theme park) we reckoned that The Gaylord is an attractive, fun and luxurious resort for families.
We struggled to fish Eliott out of the hotel swimming pools (and to prize Matthew away from the guitar he hired), but Nashville offers much more than your average sunshine holiday. The Adventure Science Center has a state of the art planetarium, and Nashville Zoo at Grassmere is predominantly aimed at family groups.
At Nashville Shores, a water park built around the J. Percy Priest lake, you can hurtle down a six-lane water slide, take a banana boat ride, bounce on a water trampoline or try kayaking. We all loved Cooter’s, a Dukes of Hazzard museum run by Ben Jones – aka Cooter. Remember him? No, me either, but entrance is free and posing next to the General Lee is a must.
For killer iced coffee, smoothies and milkshakes, we visited Mike’s Ice Cream on Broadway. Eliott loved Mike’s strawberry ice cream with a vengeance. It would have been a crime not to try out Nashville’s traditional offerings and whether or not you like country music, the heritage of Music City is fun for a whole family to explore.
If, like my family, you love popular culture, The Ryman Auditorium and Country Music Hall of Fame are far more interesting than your bog standard museum or monument. Where else could you get up close to Elvis Presley’s gold-plated car, or record your own country CD? The General Jackson showboat takes you on a cruise down the Cumberland River.
You’re treated to a superb live show while you digest prime rib of beef and strawberry shortcake (not to mention the Lynchburg Lemonades).
Kids’ meals are provided and you can take an afternoon cruise if your brood isn’t up to late nights. The Wildhorse Saloon is a tourist trap, but it’s one of the few downtown bars permitting under-21s after dark.
It’s also one of the only Nashville haunts where you can line dance. Aimed squarely at the uninitiated, dances are easy and Eliott was encouraged to join in.
He loved being the centre of attention and the live music and fried pickles (a local delicacy) kept Matthew out of trouble. We left Nashville carrying a few extra pounds (I blame the pulled pork) and brilliant memories.
It isn’t all a rose garden; Opryland is a good 20 minutes drive out of town; the gigantic mall that replaced Opryland’s former theme park is devoid of atmosphere (although Dave and Busters was a big hit with the boys); and the exciting-looking honkytonks aren’t appropriate for younger holidaymakers in the evening (although they are welcomed during the day).
But Nashville is a surprisingly small and friendly city with saddlebags of character. For a family holiday that is sunny, funny and more than a little unusual, you could do a whole lot worse than scootin’ your boots in the direction of Music City.
Factbox:
Johanna and family travelled with Continental Airlines which offers return flights to Nashville International (via Newark Liberty International, New Jersey) from around £350 per person including all taxes and charges.
They stayed at The Gaylord, Opryland which currently has rooms from $189.00 per night based on two adults and two children sharing.
In addition to the room rate there is a $15 + tax per day, per room, resort fee which covers Wi-fi access, daily bottled water and a newspaper delivered to your room each morning. More information.
About Johanna:
Johanna Payton is an author and freelance writer with human interest and parenting features published in magazines and newspapers including The Times, Grazia, LOOK, The Daily Express, The Guardian, Practical Parenting, Woman’s Own, Take a Break and Maternity & Infant.
She specialises in family travel and her work has taken Johanna and her boys everywhere from the Hard Day's Night Hotel in Liverpool, to a windmill in the centre of Lincoln; and from a pirate ship in the North Sea to a castle in the depths of Devon.
For more information visit www.johannapayton.co.uk
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