Yes/No Detroit on the Road: Grand Ole Opry + Nashville, aka "right place, right time"
*Disclosure: I received an All-Access Pass for Nashville that I used on Grand Ole Opry tickets. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.
Last week, I went to Nashville for Yelp Elite spring break, or the trip that my friend and I jokingly called "right place, right time." We bought Grand Ole Opry tickets for that Saturday, because Friday we had a Yelp party, and the schedule wasn't finalized yet - and one of the headliners ended up being Carrie Underwood. The Fault in Our Stars was having an event in Nashville the day we arrived, too, and I was able to get last-minute media passes - you can read about that here.
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| Ansel Elgort and John Green, at TFIOS q&a |
This was my first Yelp Elite spring break - it was hosted in Vegas in 2012 and New Orleans in 2013 - and I had a great time. Activities ranged from a hot chicken and waffles "drunch" (beer, hence the "drunch" part), to a Segway tour, which ended up being one of our favorite activities, to a "Spring Break Y'all" party. My favorite activities, however, ended up being the UYE's (Unofficial Yelp Events), where I got to meet Yelpers from all over the country; my friend and I have a lot of new Vegas and Phoenix friends now.
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| Me, a Vegas Yelper, 2 Phoenix Yelpers, and Travis, at the Gaylord Opryland resort |
The two highlights of our trip, though, were definitely the Segway tour and the Grand Ole Opry concert. Neither me nor my friend Travis had ever rode a Segway before, and it definitely took some getting used to - he has a picture on his phone of me looking extremely scared during training, ha. As soon as we were let out into the "wilds" of Nashville, though, we were able to learn through experience, and we were soon riding like pros.
That was Saturday morning, and on Saturday night we headed to the Opry. There were a few acts performing that night, and each group or person performed about three songs.
This little guy in the pic above is only 11 years old, and is a fantastic fiddler and singer - I play violin and was amazed as how good he was. His name is Carson Peters, and he appears with the Fiddlin' Carson Peters Band.
And speaking of fiddlers ... Charlie Daniels was not one to scoff at either:
He was fiddling so fast that I could see the hairs coming off of his bow! His violin (black/brown-ish colored) was also white with rosin (what you use on the bow to keep it usable).
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| credit: John Partipilo/The Tennessean |
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| credit: John Partipilo/The Tennessean |
In general, I'm not a huge country music fan, but it was pretty cool to see and hear a voice that I had heard on the radio before. She was the 2005 American Idol winner, although I never really watched Idol, and she has an amazing voice.
One unique thing about the Opry is that although it's an auditorium-like setting, instead of sitting in chairs you sit in long pews, almost like church, except that they're very plush and comfortable.
My friend and I had a great time at the Opry, and I would definitely go again if ever back in Nashville. We also checked out Opry Mills (big mall next door) afterwards as well as the Gaylord Opryland hotel, which reminded me of Vegas meets Disney World meets New Orleans - it was huge and gorgeous. It had about five or six different lobby-esque areas, and they reminded me of the Mirage hotel in Vegas; very lush and rainforest-like.
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| Gaylord Opryland hotel and resort |
Overall, I had an awesome time in Nashville - it truly earns its nickname of "Music City," as music could be found everywhere, from the downtown honkytonks to the off-the-beaten-path bars to the Grand Ole Opry itself.
