I'm so thrilled!!!!! We get to go to Tennessee!

My friend and I are planning a trip to Graceland and the Grand Ol' Opry!! I have been wanting to do this for sooooo long!! First week of May.

What should we do in Nashville? Memphis? What is Buell street really like? LOL!! We will have limited time in each town, maybe a free afternoon in each so I'm hoping to see something garden related! Where should we go?

Elena lives in Nashville, you should email her and get particulars. tmbolin lives in Crossville and she can probably give you some good ideas.

Nashville and Memphis are quite a long ways apart. Are you going to both?

Here I am and I am available for lunch. LOL! Come see my garden also. What is of the most interest to you? I live in eye sight of the Opryland Hotel (and the Grand Old Opry House) and the indoor conservatory is not to be missed. The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home, is usually a must for most tourists and it is in the area fairly near my home also. It has nice gardens but nothing spectacular. Cheekwood here in Nashville has nice gardens.

Sue, by the way, where do you live?

Beale street in Memphis is very interesting. I haven't been there lately however. We used to live there and my family comes from a town an hour's dirve from there. Graceland is on everyone's list but I haven't ever been there even though my sister-in-law lived just around the corner for years. I guess it is just what interests each person the most, huh?
On the internet, check out what is available to be seen in both cities that might interest you and then my DH or I should be able to advise you. He has been in and out of Memphis more than I have these last few year.

hi Sue, I can tell what *NOT* to do ...do NOT, I repeat, do NOT take the shortcut that runs behind Cades Cove.








This message was edited Feb 17, 2004 10:05 PM

Everything should be looking beautiful when you go there in May! Be sure to take pictures for us to see.

LOL! Lisa, you're a mess, girl! (But we love you to death!)Lisa is talking about a short but could have been shorter trip that she took with some of our DG folks one summer. Cades Cove is in the Great Smoky Mountains Park. It and Gatlinburg are wonderful places to visit but too far for you to go if you only have a short time. Maybe you can come to TN again one day and stay a longer time. MaryE is correct. It is beautiful here in May.

Oh, there's nothing wrong with that shortcut, Lisa - just ask your hubby! He was craning his neck to view the drop-off's right along with me!

Sue, it was beautiful, especially those narrow parts of that one-way gravel road. It was really pretty, honestly - just something flatlanders with an affinity for guard rails might not appreciate. ;)

Tennessee is beautiful - I want to visit there again sometime.

i lived about 45 mins outside of nashville for about 6 months last year
i didnt really see anything of much interest to recommend for people to go visit, though... i think maybe i'm just not a touristy kind of person, because we went to the grand ole opry and did all that kind of touristy stuff and i was completley unimpressed and bored by the whole experience
i think everyone should go to the oprymills mall though :)
i'm a big mall freak
lol
you're gonna love the fields of wild echinacea in the more rural areas, too...
well, i did atleast :)

Kim

Sorry you didn't like it miss_kitty. The Smoky Mt. National Park is one of the most visited sites in the U.S. Did you ever go to any of the places I mentioned? I think you just didn't give it a fair chance, to be honest with you. I am a world traveler and I think that TN is as pretty as it gets if you just get out and really look at it and what it has to offer. There is no other place on earth like it. When we were in Hawaii (4 times actually) the native Hawaiians kept telling us that one of their dream trips someday would be to visit TN. We found the same thing in Europe and Asia and most people where ever we have been were familiar with Nashville. Now, that is not too bad when our city is known world wide.
Opry Mills is in our area also, Sue. It is a five min. drive from me. But, honestly, it is just another mall and there are scads of them all over the country. I lived in Louisiana for 9 years (Hubby is a Louisiana native) and loved it but I don't think it is any more exciting than Nashville to be honest with you. New Orleans would be the exception to that perhaps. Different strokes for different folks, I say.

Hi everyone. :)

I'm in Seattle. (I keep forgetting to put it back on my profile)

Yes, we will be landing in Nashville for 1 whole day and then driving to Memphis. We are estimating about a 3 1/2 hour drive to Memphis. I'm so thrilled to be going! Elena, THANK YOU for your wonderful suggestions. Time permitting, I would love to meet you!!!!!!!

Lisa and GW, I've written that down. :) LOL! If I'm driving, no problem, but if I find my self as co-pilot...no way!!

The only shopping I'll do is of the plant type. My friend will probably buy everything Elvis she can find. :)

Don't be too dissapointed with Graceland. It's a prime example what happens when someone who has lived in extreme poverty all of their lives suddenly becomes wealthy.

That said, it is something that everyone who goes to Memphis should see. It's as lavish, tacky and outrageous as The King ever was. You get a glimpse at how his life actually was lived. Of course, everything is frozen in a '70's time warp, but that adds to it's charm.

Be aware that Memphis has sprawled out around what used to be suburbs and the neighborhood isn't the best. You will be fine staying on the grounds and across the street at the parking and shops. Just get off EP Boulevard for any other Memphis stops.

The Pink Palace is a great museum in Memphis and you can go down to Mud Island and take a short river cruise(30 minutes) on the Mississippi.

On your way to Memphis on I-40 you go really close to Loretta Lynn's home Hurricane Mills. There are billboards telling you the exit.

I love Nashville, but the best gardens by far are Ellen's!

Downtown Nashville is a good 'touristy' spot and caters to travelers...it's pretty safe. We go downtown every chance we get. Ernest Tubb's Record Shop and Gruhn guitars are good stops if you are into those things. There are nice places to eat and some dingy, but authentic little bars with starving musicians waiting to make it big playing for tips.
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge is one of them...had a back door that opened on to the alley by the Ryman and the stars used to go over and drink till time to go on (Hank W.Sr.)
The Ryman itself has a nice little museum and even shows every week.

On the weekends there is free entertainment downtown on the river bank also.

I'm 1 hour and 40 minutes north...would love to see ya'll!

Thanks for that info. Mel. You gave her a lot of helpful advice. I will add that downtown Nashville can be dangerous also so be careful and stay in busy areas. It is dangerous near the old railroad station after office hours and also in the area near the Lifeway building, formally the Baptist Sunday School Board. Areas near the bus station and such places can be scary and a bit dangerous according to what time it is and who is hanging around. We have lots of street people here as do most major cities. Things are well patroled in the popular busy areas but don't do any night time jogging in other areas. Over around Vanderbilt University is also an area that you don't want to linger.

WOW! Melody just gave me the sweetest compliment. Thank you Mel. I had just told her the other day that I don't ever let anyone come to my garden in the winter time as it is so dead and bad looking. The month of May I can handle. LOL! Tose of you that I have refused to let come, just try me again in the spring. LOL

Melody's explanation of Graceland is exactly the reason I have never visited the place and have never had any desire to do so. We have been by there a jillion times and haven't even slowed down. Ha! I tis one of the most popular places in TN though. Just a matter of preference!

Sue...........one thing's for sure.........you got to go have lunch with Elena. You'll love her to death!!

"eyes"

Oh, would May hurry up already? :)

Melody & Elena, Thank you, great info!!!!. Elena, I must try to see you in Nashville! I'm also curious about Cheekwood (nursery?) and The Hermitage. This day will be called, lets see how much two girls can pack into one day in Nashville! LOL!

I'm not sure what I had expected of Graceland, 70's timewarp sounds about right! I would probably be hankerin' to tour the grounds. I hope they let us do that. Thanks for the safety warnings too. I'm a kind of a 'look over my shoulder' kind of person, growing up in a big city these things were just ingrained in us as children. Washington is so different than California, you tend to feel more relaxed here.

Oh and, yes we are planning a stop to Loretta Lynn's on the way to Memphis! Melody, you are north of Memphis or Nashville?

Isn't the TN RU around then? Jo

yeah, elena i did visit gatlinburg...and the Hermitage...
and i did see lots of the things that people highly recommend and stuff.. i cant even remember any of them now
i just blame my complete lack of being impressed by any of it on the fact that i'm simply not a touristy kind of person and it takes a whole heck of a lot to impress me
i'm sure it really is a very interesting place
and i'm not knocking it at all
i much preferred living there to living here in louisiana
but i suppose that could also have to do with the fact that i've lived in louisiana my whole life
i'm just saying that it might be all you're expecting it to be, Sue
but you'll probably be thoroughly impressed and thrilled by it


Kim

Thanks Kim, I do appreciate your imput as well! I guess I've had this romantic notion of Graceland for so long I just have to see it. Not to mention Nashville! I'm a moderate Elvis fan. My friend is a HUGE Elvis fan. LOL. I'm into landmarks and history. She is into getting as close to Elvis as possible. LOL! I'm sure it will be fun. My first time in Tennessee!

This message was edited Feb 18, 2004 3:16 PM

Thanks Jo, for the reminder. My 50th High School graduating class reunion is in W. Monroe, Louisiana on the 15th and the TN Roundup is on the 22nd in Knoxville. I hadn't even looked at that and was committing to being free. DUH! Thanks goodness they don't conflict.

Miss_kitty, we moved around a lot when I was growing up and when I finally got back to my beloved TN I was determined that I never wanted to live any other place ever again. I still feel that way. I love my state, but I guess that is obvious. I have seen a lot of the world and always am thrilled to get back here. My son-in-law is from Melbourne, Australia. When his parents came to see us we took them to Gatlinburg. She was so thrilled with the shops that we never even got to the Smoky Mountains National Park just a few miles away. All folks don't enjoy the same things and obviously she was happier shopping than going to any old park. LOL

Sue, the Cheekwood gardens, house and greenhouses aren't places to purchase plants except when they have some sort of fund raising occasion. Actually they might have plants in some area for sale since they are always raising money. I haven't been there for a long time. The Opryland Hotel conservatory is a must though I would think. As for safety, you sound like you have been around a while and know to be careful. Some folks are really nieve when they visit strange to them cities and don't even think of the dangers. Most cities won't advertise that you need to be wary in a certain part of town as it isn't good for the tourist trade. I stayed downtown in one of the nicer hotels when my church had a women's retreat there a couple of years ago. That night we only went out on the streets when we had a gang as we knew that it looked safe but was deceiving. A male friend of my husband's from China came to town 3 years ago and stayed in the same area and we were horrified to find that since he couldn't sleep he had gone jogging that night in the area. (A dear friend of mine's mother was killed in that area. A very determined pickpocket knocked her down with such force that she hit her head and never came out of the coma.) Needless to say, we told him that was not safe. I think the "look over your shoulder" habit is a good one because we never know who is lurking around some corner or in some area. Better safe than sorry, as the old saying goes. Memphis has a lot of problems and poverty also so that would go for that city too.We left there years ago because things were getting bad even then. My family home is is a small town in that area but it just wasn't going in the right direction for us. I loved Memphis but wouldn't want to live there any longer if that tells you anything.

Lots of folks are shocked by Graceland because they just aren't prepared for the time warp. As Melody said, the man didn't have very good taste even then.

About Louisiana, I love it too. I didn't mean that it was not a wonderful state. It is just that my blood "sings, TN and no place else will do". My DH is one of the most died in the wool LSU fans that ever walked the earth. He never misses anything that school does. Cajun food and Spanish moss must be hiding out in his heart also because it is just part of him. LOL

Gotta get outa here and head to church. If I missed anyone I will write more later.

Thanks eyes, for the compliment. She would love you and Melody too. You two are the greatest.

Any gardener visiting Nashville, Tennessee will certainly want to visit the Cheekwood botanical gardens and museum. There are a dozen or more well-tended garden-scapes on the beautiful grounds. The 1929 neo-Georgian mansion is a study in how to blend house and gardens seamlessly. There is a pleasant restaurant on the grounds (The Pineapple Room) where you could eat a meal and break up the visit before going on to Memphis. (It's best to call for a meal reservation.) http://www.cheekwood.org/

If you rent a car at the Nashville airport, allow 40 minutes to reach Cheekwood. If you're headed to Memphis, it's in your direction. I would use Mapquest etc to plot your driving route, but coming from the airport or central Nashville, take I-40 west bound to the Charlotte Pike exit. Turn right (west) onto Charlotte Pike. Go 0.2 miles and turn left at the light onto Davidson Drive. Davidson twists and winds, but follow it four miles until it terminates at a T-junction and a light at Harding Pke. Turn right (south) onto Harding. Go 0.5 mile and make a left onto Page Road at the light. Follow Page about 2-1/2 miles and bear right onto Forrest Park where the sign indicates the direction of Cheekwood. The entrance gate is 0.2 mile on the right.

I know Seattle is garden paradise, but Cheekwood will give you a chance to see excellent gardens in a radically different climate. From what Elena says of her location, she and I must be practically neighbors. The superb wild flower garden at Cheekwood had its beginning in my Nashville neighborhood of Inglewood. Mrs. Cora Howe lived in Inglewood and featured wild flowers in her home garden for 40 years before she gave her collection of plants to Cheekwood in 1969. Its peak bloom is throughout April.

This message was edited Apr 24, 2004 3:41 PM

This message was edited Apr 24, 2004 3:43 PM

Excellent instructions drl! Inglewood is a hop, skip and a jump from me...I live near Two Rivers Baptist Church in Donelson. We must get together and trade plants soon. I think you and I are the only members at Dave's from Nashville. Terry is in Murfreesboro. I have tried to get lots of folks to join but no one from here that I have invited has joined to my knowledge.

You might want to consider going to the two roundups that I am going to post dates for. We have a wonderful time at DG Roundups and come home laden down with plants.

Knoxville, TN Roundup May 22
KY 2004 - Last weekend in Sept.
Check out the Roundup forums for more info. or email me.

Elena, thanks for those tips on the RD's. (You can call me Dave, my real name -- I'd change my ID on this sight to Dave-umpteen, but I can't figure out how). When I read your post, I thought: "must be either Inglewood or Donelson".

I didn't know about the RD's and sounds like they would be a real help. I'm just getting started on serious gardening at the Inglewood house (after 5 year in it) and I'm really hurting for cheap plants. I bought loads of bare roots at Sam's Club because they were so cheap, but that leaves out so many good ones.

Fortunately, my friend and fellow gardener and I had lots of experience from a previous garden. It seems to be like riding a bike. It's coming back, except I think I made the bed where I just put in 7 clematis vines last week acidic (lots of spaghnum moss), and last night I read that clematis prefer slightly alkaline soil. Now I'll always check the DG plant list first.

Wow! Dave, we just got through planting 6 new clematis vines this afternoon and didn't know about them not needing acidic soil. Hubby just put pine fines around them. I think i need to ck this out as I would figure that pine fines are acidic. Does anyone know the answer to that one?

I will probably have plants that I can share with you if you aren't into exotic ones. I always have lots of the fairly common perennials that multiply. I should know soon what I will have to share. I am trying to bring the garden up to some kind of decent shape right now. With all the rain we have had lately, it is not weed free by any means. We are moving a lot of things around too. Isn't it a shame that we find that things have to be relocated so many times? I guess if I would do my my plant research, I could avoid a lot of that for sure. I have only been gardening for 50 years so maybe I will learn some day. LOL

Elena, I would love any divisions or volunteers you need to unload either now or later. I'm plant poor with two large empty beds just now. I don't even have any Rudbeckia, which seems almost criminal in Tennessee. I have one thriving hellebore and would like to fill a shady area under a hackberry tree with them. Do you know the best way to propagate my one hellebore?

My seven clematis are very simple: Jackmanii's and Sweet Autumn. I like old fashioned and easy to grow. What variety did you put in?

Also, are you familiar with the plant sale that eight amateurs hold annually at 1238 Plymouth Avenue in Inglewood, Nashville? I went last Saturday. It's just paces from my house. Lots of good healthy plants and reasonable, but not giveaway prices. I bought several of the $3 Indian feathers. (It's a new plant to me. I don't know its botanical name.)
The house owner's beds were just gorgeous and perfectly weeded and tended. She had a chartreuse-leaved Trandescantia in one bed that was a knock-out with the blue flowers on the pale foliage. Alas, she said it has propogated slowly, so she had already sold the five she put into the sale. They will repeat the sale the first weekend of June. It was advertised in the Tenn. and City Paper.

Dave, You've got mail!