Entry #79 – TENNESSEE – PART #1 – October 5 – 15, 2021

Our stay at Midway RV Park – the FamCamp on the Naval Support base just north of Memphis was a confirmed reservation situation. It wasn’t site specific but all the sites are about the same so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

We found the park with no issues & spoke to the very attentive host as we pulled in. She did let us know the bathhouse was closed indefinitely as the base maintenance people prepared to move the structure out & replace it with a new one. We are self contained but do like to use a camp bathhouse for morning “constitutionals”. Just .. dang it!

The base was all about HR – & very nice.

On our first day in Memphis we went to “The Pyramid” which was a site to see! We had never heard of this thing & were quite taken with the site as we drove through Memphis on our way to the campground the day before. The Pyramid was originally built as a sports arena but the structure was plagued with problems & it was closed permanently. At some point, the structure was purchased by the owner of Bass ProShops & a 10 year reconstruction began. It had to be stabilized to prevent damage from any possible earthquakes, some sort of air pressure issue had to be addressed so people wouldn’t be sucked in as if in a vacuum when they entered & then the whole making it into a beautiful retail store with a large hotel inside & venues throughout that made it into the best redneck Disney destination in the country. Seriously, this place is WAY out there when it comes to incorporating retail & entertainment into a viable, money making location.

Here’s a good look at the structure at the entrance – note the clear glass balcony at the top visitors can go out on if they so desire. Nope! We sure did NOT go up on the 20+ story glass elevator to then walk out into the air. This won’t happen unless we are heavily under the influence.

I thought the whole idea of “valet” parking at a sporting goods store was a hoot.

I LOVE strange art & this metal fish just inside the entrance definitely caught my attention.

One could partake in a little target practice, if so desired.

The 20+ story glass elevator was available to whisk you to the top where the glass balcony was located as well as a fancy restaurant.

This shows some of the hotel inside the pyramid & individual rooms to the side, each sporting a screened in porch overlooking the retail space below.

Wahlberg’s was the restaurant option on the main floor that also had a really cool bowling alley off to the side.

Perry & I played a game+ & discovered our abilities in the sport sucked as bad as the last time we played – some 20+ years ago. It was still fun & we laughed at our non-talents.

A couple full size mermaids flanked the bar entrance.

And then there were alligator footprints in the concrete floors.

My sis-in-law is a redhead so I took this picture for her.

The fish dangling over the bar were neat.

While seated in the dinning room of Wahlberg’s we enjoyed the circular fish aquarium & named the strange, long nosed fish below “Pinocchio”.

A mote / river flowed throughout the main level with fish swimming through it. Some of the fish were HUGE. And there were ducks & a bunch of live alligators in other areas – still the same river but roped off so the gators couldn’t eat small children passing by. It was crazy cool!

Perry had a rest on a very comfortable porch rocker while I shopped in the General Store area.

I thought this table was so cool with it’s roller feet.

And the fan / light in the General Store was cool, too.

In the hunting / guns section of the store on the second level, this antler roof was pretty impressive.

Here’s a view of the General Store within the store from the upper level.

Perry thought this ginormous duck gun was amazing. One shot could get all the ducks on the pond at one time!

As we drove out of the parking area at the end of our four hour shopping expedition, we spotted this 6 ft tall tile egg. Just a cool thing to see. What did we buy? A post card for Lily! We are such big spenders!

As if Day #1 wasn’t exhausting, we headed into Day #2 for additional foot punishment. Off we went to take in all that was Elvis …

Graceland – Elvis’ home in Memphis – is such a part of Americana. It was a must see while in Memphis!

Doing the tourist attractions on weekdays definitely keeps us out of the crowds. We parked just a couple rows away from the main entrance into the pearly gates leading to the ticket booth. We were not expecting the price ($75 each). Yet we forked over the money to immerse ourselves in the whole Elvis experience – our one & only time there.

The Pearly Gates … actually across the street from Graceland but we were eventually bussed over there in a fancy tour limo.

Tickets purchased, we headed into a short movie in a spacious theater. That movie prepared us for some of the sites we would see & made them easier to understand.

Here’s a couple wall murals at the entrance.

And then there was Graceland – Elvis’ home for over 20 years. It was very modest in size compared to what stars live in today. The rooms were not all that big & the decor was frozen in time. We were given I-Pads & headphones we used as we walked through the house, grounds & other buildings. It was just as it was the day Elvis died.

The “must have” pictures in front of Graceland.

Some wild colors & really long furniture! And LOTS of TVs – Elvis loved to watch the news & movies.

There were a few bars throughout the house because Elvis entertained family & friends all the time.

The Jungle Room was so much smaller than I had imagined!

Stables & horses & golf carts were used in abundance. Elvis LOVED to play!

In one of the outbuildings are lots of personal memorabilia, including Elvis keys to Graceland.

Elvis was a big supporter of law enforcement & collected badges near & far.

I think I counted 3 pianos on the property. This one was in the fitness building.

Each day, fans stream by Elvis’ grave. Many leave tokens or flowers in remembrance. The piles of gifts are cleared each night & new gifts replace them as the next day wears on.

On Elvis left is his grandmother’s grave.

And this is a very special grave marker for Elvis twin brother who died at birth. His actual grave is elsewhere.

Lastly, Elvis’ grandson now has an above ground tomb just across the Memory Garden pond at Elvis head. My heart broke for Elvis’ only child Lisa Marie when she lost her son.

We hopped back on the bus & crossed the street to the Museum. It was HUGE! Room after room of exhibits!

Elvis loved cars & motorized anything! He owned & used many at a single span of time. And he was known to spontaneously buy a Cadillac for a stranger if the mood stuck him. Here are a good number of the vehicles we saw in the exhibit.

A pink Cadillac, similar to others he bought people on a whim.

This was his last car purchase before he died.

And a motor boat named after his mother.

Perry’s first motorcycle was just like this one!

Another exhibit hall was filled with Elvis Gold Records, Movie Posters & countless awards.

Another car Elvis drove while filming a movie.

Least we forget, Elvis was drafted & served in the Army for a short period of time. While stationed in Germany, he met Priscilla, a 14 year old school girl who was the daughter of an Army Officer. Her family allowed her to move to Memphis with Elvis when he completed his tour of duty. They didn’t marry until Pricilla was 18 & then had their only child just 9 months later. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

This great truck was outside one of the exhibition halls. I do not think it had a tie into the celebrity but it was cool all the same.

Then there was the airplanes. One was a small executive jet but this one was used for pleasure or if a larger group had to fly to concerts & stuff. The exterior was in perfect condition, covered in heavy plastic to keep it pristine.

At the end of our “All Things ELVIS” day, I found myself all up in the feels.

And finally, a beautiful painting of “The King”.

On Day #3 we went to the Memphis Zoo. What a beautiful place! And, because it was a weekday, the crowds were not crazy busy!

The entrance was interesting with it’s odd cutouts of animals.

This plaque pretty much explained the How, Why & When the zoo came about.

All the animals (well, most of them) were cooperative to the clicking cameras. I loved the look on this big guy’s face.

This was the only leopard in the exhibit that I saw. I think she was lonely – or irritated – because she was pacing back & forth.

The two cheetahs were busy walking about keeping an eye on all the visitors.

A whole family of meerkats was very photogenic.

And then the lone meerkat keeping an eye our for weirdness from the people.

These bonobo (there were four) were young & so much fun to watch. Lots of picking at one another, wrestling & swinging about the ropes & hoops.

And then there was the Giant Pandas, the star of the zoo’s exhibits. But the two big pandas were too busy sleeping. <sigh>

I can’t remember the name of this species of monkey. But … that face! Made me laugh!

These deer came from Japan. The original heard was completely wiped out in their native land by a flood. So a couple of countries that had moved a few to their zoos, reintroduced them back into their native habitat & the heard has repopulated.

I loved watching this big guy reach up & get his feed.

This pretty lady was kneeling in the mud pit, rubbing all that brown goo all over herself – spa day!

Then she got up & did a rather long dance & sway as she dried off. Or, she could have been flirting with the male elephant that was literally ignoring her & her gyrations.

The seals were in a playful mood, performing at a high rate of speed.

I loved the statuary with stories along the trails through the zoo.

We found a few totem poles here & there, too.

The two old folks enjoying a walk across the waterfall bridge.

My personal favorite was the grizzlies. They were really enjoying a swim & watching those that were watching them.

A woman near us had a super squeaky voice which the bears were fascinated with. I don’t think she realized that the one on the left was staring & didn’t take his eyes off of her until she left the area.

A pair of very large white wolves were busy walking about. They looked like large dogs to me.

I can’t remember what these guys were but there was a bunch of them.

The porcupine was content with his dinner plate.

There were a slew of giraffe in the zoo. Several were in an area where children could feed them while others were in a more natural enclosure. So very pretty!

These guys (can’t remember what they were) had beautiful makings!

The one that was in the sun kept his back to us most of the time. I took his picture like that because we thought it was so cool how the antlers wrapped into each other.

The zoo was just starting to decorate for Halloween. Impressive decor! I bet it’s a fun place all of October!

The sign below made me laugh. And we just may see this place later, alligator!

The base we were staying at was just north of Memphis in the city of Millington. It had a great Farmers Market on Saturday – which we missed. But I thought I’d share the photo of it because, well, there are actual torpedos as part of the entrance area. Pretty cool!

We moved east to Nashville next. The interstate highways that flow through & connect with one another there are hellacious! At one point we were traveling on an eight lane highway (going north – the traffic going south had another 6 lanes). I white knuckled that mess while Perry navigated the bus behind me. It was INSANE! But we made it without incident & arrived at a great campground just north of the city.

Check in was a breeze & Perry was escorted to our campsite by golf cart. The owner even directed him to the most level ground where he’d have an easy time getting out at the end of our stay.

This proved to be one of our all time favorite campgrounds – so far. It was full hook-up & had level sites. The spaces were a bit tight but the layout was not rows of campers but rather random & that made it more interesting. The folks who own & operate the place could not have been nicer. They offered a full breakfast menu & then dinner each night (one choice that changed each day). If you didn’t want to cook, it was a good alternative & very affordable. To top it off, there was live music on the patio each night. People brought their lawn chairs & enjoyed the music. One night, Blind Joe, a past American Idol contestant who lives in the area, was the performer. The nightly cost for our stay was about average but the extras made this place great.

The pups are always glad when we get settled in for a few days. And they love treats under the table when we have breakfast. Here’s Sugar keeping a watch for handouts.

We were only staying in Nashville for a couple days so we got an early start into the VERY busy city & a visit to The Country Music Hall of Fame.

The lobby was huge & the colorful mural over the ticket area was so very pretty.

The exhibits were fantastic! Here’s a bunch but there were soooo many more. It took a few hours to make our way through the whole place.

Minnie Pearl was the first female performer who made it into the Country Music Hall of Fame. I found her corniness so endearing when I was growing up but I didn’t know her whole story until this trip. She was a philanthropist in a HUGE way! Her real name was Sarah Colley & she was a major contributor to Breast Cancer research & prevention, a disease she survived twice in her life. She was also a huge influence & mentor to a long list of famous female performers over the years.

And still more great displays …

Elvis had a BUNCH of gold records on the HUGE display walls.

This is just ONE wall of the gold & platinum records.

There was a song titled “Willie, Waylon & Me” so Perry posed as the “Me” part.

A whiskey still – we had to have a picture of this for further research.

HUGE wall murals were displayed all over this massive museum.

Country music folks appeared to have a thing for armadillos – even naming a bar after one.

There were gold Grammy Awards EVERYWHERE. I only took a picture of one.

And another fancy award we found in abundance.

This group was not one I was familiar with – The Flying Burrito Brothers. Definitely from the Peace, Love & Pot Days. One was sporting the suit below in the picture. My goodness! Take a look at the lapels on that thing!

Barbara Mandrell was a favorite of mine even though I wasn’t really into country music.

This is the car from Smokey & The Bandit.

Then there was Elvis’ Gold Plated Cadillac. Really, over the top. A TV & phone were operational in the back seat.

This car was my favorite. Owned by Webb Pierce, a regular performer at The Grand Ole Opry. He may have been a little “flamboyant” as he drove around in that convertible!

And even more exhibits …

Window washers were hanging out all over the place! Gave me the hebbies!

This wall & the one below were part of the outside structure of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

This HUGE statue is in front of The Nashville Symphony on an adjacent corner.

Across the street fro the museum is the Walk of Fame – sort of like the stars of celebrities in California. It was so neat to walk amongst “The Stars”.

We wandered around for just a bit & snapped a couple pictures of other buildings, too.

This is Music City Center which housed loads of conference rooms & spaces.

And then a distillery in the center of the city. Actually, there were LOTS of distilleries in downtown Nashville!

We rode out to The Grand Ole Opry on our way back to the campground but we were too tired to do anything more than take a picture from the car. Oh well!

The next day we got into the city early again to hop on the Old Town Trolly! This company is known for it’s fantastic narrated tours & we have enjoyed them in both Savannah & Charleston. The Nashville folks did not disappoint! The drivers know there stuff & readily share the history & stories along the way, pointing out so many important sites. We loved it so much we rode the route three times in one day! Each driver shared different information so we sure didn’t get bored!

This is the skyline of Nashville as we arrived in the city center. The “Batman” looking building on the left is actually the ATT building. Eye catching!

I took this picture as we rode the trolly to show the vast differences in structures. Such contrast!

This was originally The Silver Dollar Bar. There are still silver dollars visible in the floor of the retail space housed there now.

I thought the tall building was a church but it’s actually the side of the “Batman” building – ATT.

The Parthenon was a replica of the original structure in Greece. It was a stunning site to see & was open for tours.

The Musicians Hall of Fame used to serve as an event venue. Roller Derby was played there. And many musicians performed within it’s walls, including Michael Jackson – it was his ONLY performance in Nashville.

I forgot who this statue was of but it was made with the empty stool to the right. Aspiring musicians are encouraged to sit up there & play at any time. Thought that was a great idea although we never saw anyone sitting there during all of our passes by.

Vanderbilt University is HUGE in Nashville. The entire campus & buildings are stunning! Of course, it’s also one of the most expensive universities to attend – $70-$80K per year.

This gigantic art piece was – ummm – interesting. Nudes in the center of the city. It was (probably still is) controversial when first installed. People would go to it in the middle of the night & dress the statues with clothes or togas or at least put diapers on them. But the city workers would have to remove their attire the next day. During 2020, someone didn’t dress them but put rolls of toilet paper in all of their hands. The sculpture is in the center of a round-about. I can’t remember what the actual name of it is but the tour guide said it’s frequently referred to as “The Round-A-Butt”.

Then there were the fantastic signs, murals & the like throughout Nashville. Here are a few …

Piggly Wiggly started the whole grocery store experience when they opened their doors to patrons who selected their own items from the shelves. Before that, people would hand the clerk their list to gather their things together. So Piggly Wiggly was the inventor of spontaneous consumerism.

This was a mural of one of the most important women’s rights leaders in history.

The Capital building with it’s 142 steps to the top. Oh my!

And we were being watched from above while visiting the most wonderful Farmers Markets I’ve ever been to.

This is a landmark in one of the BIG parks.

Right along the road that leads to the Farmers Market is a granite wall filled with quips of history from the earth’s formation to modern times.

In one indentation of the wall is this fountain – natural water spout that was formed there millions of years ago.

Nashville is loaded with history & displays it everywhere.

And even more sites around the city …

I thought this restaurant was pretty neat with it’s multi levels.

An over the interstate bridge for pedestrian traffic was nice.

The train tracks run through the area referred to as “The Gulch”.

Marathon Autos were made at this factory – before Ford came to be. Only 8 of the cars are still in existence & 4 of them are inside the restaurant across the street. This building is now a distillery with part of it operated as an antique store belonging to “The American Pickers” TV people.

There were streets full of music recording studios – most are converted from historic homes. The city allows the inside of the structures to be changed but not the exteriors. And the signage is demure. This place was the studio of Waylon Jennings. There were soooo many & this is the only one that looked decent in my pictures.

News Channel 5 has been in downtown Nashville for many years. It’s where Oprah Winfrey got her start in broadcasting. The building was also the place the “HeeHaw” show was recorded.

We ended our day in Nashville by having dinner at this restaurant. It was right on Music Row where the nightlife was starting to kick up at notch – think LOUD music! But people were having a great time.

There were many different Party Buses riding around town & there was, perhaps, a lot of drinking going on.

This picture & the one below show the massive amount of people on Music Row at 5 in the afternoon. I can only imagine how crowded that got as the evening wore on.

While riding the tour bus we saw some strange stuff. One rather large man had his shirt off & was posing in the reflection of a mirrored window at one of the office buildings. He did that for an extended period of time & seemed to be quite taken with his fitness progress. But can you imagine what the people on the other side of that glass were thinking? Made me giggle. Another person we observed at length while stopped on the bus was a woman with a whiskey bottle tipped up straight, finishing off her choice of beverage. She had the sweetest smile once she finished the last slurp. And then there was this – the picture below. This was a “rolling” entrepreneurs. Lots of interesting people in Nashville!

We were TIRED at the end of our second day in Nashville. But it was so fun & there was so much to see! We decided it needs to remain on our Bucket List for a future visit.

The next morning we got on the road going north into Kentucky!

Not All Who Wander are lost!