

Today it serves as an art museum and a popular event space. It had proved so popular with the local citizenry and visitors, however, that the structure was rebuilt with concrete in the late 1920s. Intended as a temporary structure for the exposition, the first Nashville Parthenon was constructed of insubstantial materials, which eventually rendered it hazardous. Built in 1897 as part of the city's centennial celebration, this imposing edifice is a full-size replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. While we were in the park, we decided to visit the Parthenon, a Nashville landmark. Our day began with some letterboxing around the city-on the Vanderbilt campus, behind the oldest bar in Nashville, in Centennial Park. Though we hoped to hear some blues in that capital of country music, YouTube previews of the night’s performers at Nashville blues clubs left us less than enthusiastic, so we wound up the day in our room munching on a big salad from groceries we had picked up earlier in the day. Then it was on to Nashville, where we checked in to a new Residence Inn near Vanderbilt.
#Truex bluex chicago full#
Near Franklin, KY, we left the interstate to get a closer look at some rapeseed fields in full bloom-an ocean of yellow blossoms. In various places, we found her tributes to Carole Lombard and Red Skelton (both Indiana natives) and Abraham Lincoln, favorite son of Kentucky.Ībraham Lincoln memorial in Louisville riverside park Since we were approaching Cheekee Monkey’s home territory, we were looking especially for boxes she had planted. Traveling down I-65, we again paused intermittently to search for a letterbox here and there. When they hit the pits, we left, just as a couple of other NASCAR testers roared onto the track. We hung around a few minutes, watching as they blurred past. Much to our surprise, the security guard at the gate invited us in, even if we didn’t plan to visit the Hall of Fame, and advised us where we could park and walk over to some nearby grandstands, What he did not mention but we soon discovered was that Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex were zooming around the track at competition speed, testing some new racing tires for Goodyear. Not that we were interested in a tour, we just wanted the “been there, seen that” threshold of familiarity. We’ve been to the city numerous times and never made it to the famous car racing mecca. When we left the hotel in Indianapolis, we decided it was time for us to check out the Indy Motor Speedway before leaving town. Tuesday, April 28-Indianapolis, IN, to Nashville, TN We made plans to follow I-65 due south into Nashville the next day. A popular draw on the local blues circuit, Deer offered up some nice mellow blues. After a bit of relaxing in our room, we returned to the Slippery Noodle to hear Gene Deer playing solo on his acoustic guitar. With numerous vegetarian options, we easily found enough food to call it dinner. By the time we returned to the Residence Inn, the staff had rolled out appetizers and beverages for a complimentary evening reception. There were at least that many more, but we limited our search to the boxes with meaningful ties to the departed. In three and a half hours, we found twenty letterboxes hidden in this peaceful oasis. We appreciate our past and hope for the future.” We liked it very much. Nearby was a marker with this inscription: “Please share communion with nature at this table. It was a black granite "picnic table" with benches. Near the crown we saw something we’ve never seen before-even in all the hundreds of cemeteries we’ve visited all around the world looking for letterboxes. More than 200,000 have been interred there, yet space remains to fill burial needs for another 200 years.Īt the crest of the cemetery-the “crown”-is the highest hill in the county, offering a panoramic view of the city. Founded in 1863, the cemetery sprawls over 555 acres traversed by 25 miles of roads. Our motivation was finding letterboxes, but even the noxers (non-letterboxers) rate it in the top ten Indianapolis attractions, according to Trip Advisor.Įnsconced on the National Register of Historic Places, Crown Hill is the burial site of President Benjamin Harrison, poet James Whitcomb Riley, industrialist Eli Lilly and numerous other notables. Crown Hill Cemetery dominated our afternoon agenda.

CHASING THE BLUES, CHAPTER 30: Indianapolis, IN, to Nashville, TNĪfter our self-guided tour of the Indiana statehouse-another story for another post-we walked back to the Residence Inn just before noon and put together some lunch from our supplies on hand and leftovers from the night before.
