Nashville Parthenon Trip

Once again Nashville lived up to all of our expectations. Mason loved the Parthenon and we saw some new sites but we didn't make it to Belle Meade or the concert this time. However, we did discover a new restaurant, Cock of theWalk.

Traveling with our 5 year old son is always a challenge, a rewarding challenge but a challenge none-the-less. On our way to the Parthenon we peaked his interest by relating the structure to one of his favorite movies, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief". When we arrived at Centennial Park and he finally saw the building his reaction was exactly what we needed to get us through the next 12 hours. His eyes lit wide and bright, he started bouncing in his booster seat and squealed like a 12 year old girl at a Jonas Brother's concert.

The admission was $16 for the three of us, which included the art gallery and the Greek statues on the upper level. Since Heather and I had already seen the art gallery, and we felt it a little early to introduce Mason to bare breasted art, we decided to skip directly to the upper level. Upon clearing the top of the staircase to the upper level the giant sculpture of Athena immediately grabbed Mason's attention. Although bringing one of his favorite movies to life mesmerized him his astonishment only lasted as long as his attention span and then the typical five year old impatient temper tantrums began, "I want", "but, you never", "give me". At that point we decided that spending over $40 on Belle Meade would be a waste of our time and money.

We had planned on visiting the Opry Mills Mall for a meal at the Aquarium restaurant, unfortunately we didn't check the web before leaving. Due to floods Opry Mills and all of it's stores were closed for renovations. Beaten but not finished we decided to try a restaurant we'd seen many times but never tried, The Cock of the Walk. We weren't disappointed. Like a step back into the old south we found rustic log cabin architecture, cow boy hats, old south trivia, tin cups and plates, and a giant rocking chair. We both had the fried catfish meal which came with incredible coleslaw, hush puppies, and pickled onions. If you ever get the chance to go I highly recommended the catfish dinner. The food was good, the atmosphere was great, and for under $12 per catfish dinner it didn't break the bank either.

We also got some great pictures of the capitol building and, any history buffs dream, Bi-Centennial Park, (not to be confused with Centennial Park).

If you have any trip ideas, notable sites or fun things to do in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois or Indiana please leave a comment.

Nashville TN. Parthenon and Belle Meade Plantation

Nashville Tn. is one of our favorite places to visit. Whether it's a family fun day with the kids or nightlife with adults only there's plenty to do in the Country Music Capital of the world. Since Heather's working half a day and we're going to have Mason with us this trip will be limited but there's just so much we love about Nashville this could turn into an overnighter.

First on the agenda is the Belle Meade Plantation. Located at 5025 Hardin Pike, Belle Meade Plantation is one of the most historic sites of Nashville that we've never had the pleasure of seeing. Belle Meade represents over 100 years of southern history and pride.  It includes a winery, a gift shop, Martha's Restaurant, and various tours. Their website isn't the greatest but Belle Meade did make Lindsay Ferrier of Suburban Turmoil's "50 things to do with kids in Nashville before they grow up".

After the plantation we'll be taking Mason to the Parthenon in Centennial Park, 2600 West End Avenue. If you have kids you've probably already heard of this place from the book or movie, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief". The Parthenon at Centennial Park is a replica of the Parthenon in Athens and includes an art gallery, sculptures and art of Greek Mythology, and a giant sculpture of Athena. Unfortunately there is no three headed Hydra so you can leave your flying shoes and magical swords at home for this trip. Later in the evening Centennial Park is featuring a free concert which we hope to attend as well.

I'll be reporting back soon on this trip as well as recent trips to Huber's Winery, French Lick IN., and Indiana's German Town of Jasper.



Safe travels to all.

Day trip traveling Kentucky, Inidana, Illinois

My wife and I are long time residents of Western Kentucky who share a traveling bone and a bone dry wallet. After considerable waring between our wallet and our traveling bone, and with a badly beaten wallet, we intervened and negotiated a cease fire with terms amenable to each. Our wallet, now in recovery, breathes easier with the understanding that he'll only have to suffer through one vacation each summer and our traveling bone has learned the joy of day tripping.

Day tripping as defined by the purposes of this blog is the travel for leisure purposes to any destination that can be made round trip by car in a single day. Furthermore in order to qualify as day tripping the drive time must allow for at least 3-4 hours of entertainment, sight seeing, or exploring in between the trip to and the trip from or en-route to and from the destination. The trip may or may not involve hotel accommodation but an overnight stay should not be necessitated by the distance of the trip.

The purpose of this blog is to inform, educate, and motivate you, the reader, to put one foot in front of the other and see what lies beyond the edge of your own city map. We will not bore you with details of every potty break or happy meal run initiated by the nagging joy of travel with a six year old but you will find tips for travel with children from time to time. We will not devote a great deal of attention to the things common to us in our locale but we understand that our readers will come from many places throughout Western Kentucky, Southern Indiana, Southern Illinois and even parts of Tennessee. Therefore we will help you discover, and hopefully re-discover ourselves, the joys of the more unique and notable attractions that may have become "every day" to us. Our blog will feature destination blogs, tip blogs and the occasional philosophical ramblings of the author.

Destination blogs should first and foremost get you where you want to go. We'll start with the end in mind, a notable main attraction, what to do while you're in the area and what sites are along the way. Use our sample itinerary to plan your day or choose from other nearby attractions noted in the blog. Each destination blog will also include prices of attractions to help you budget your trip and places you may want to avoid whether for safety or the preservation of virtue.

Use our tip blogs to learn more about things that may make your travels in general more pleasant and safe. Learn about how to make traveling with toddlers more tolerable, how to travel with pets, and seasonal car maintenance. Like to take pictures of your travels? Learn tips on organizing photo albums, scrap books etc...

I look forward to sharing my trips with all of you. Happy travels to everyone and remember "It's a dangerous business, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." (J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring)