Day 5: Pardon Me Boy, Is That The Chattanooga Choo Choo?

After leaving the Parthenon, we hit the road and drove southeast to Chattanooga. We'd never been there before, but our friend, Oscar had recommended it, and it was relatively convenient to both Nashville and home.

I was most excited about our accommodations: Oscar had also suggest the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel which has been converted from an actual historic train station. What's even better is that you can even sleep in actual historic railroad cars. The main building has regular hotel rooms, but there was no way I was missing out on staying in an historic sleeper car, even if it wasn't moving. I've been wanting to do a long train ride with sleeper cars for years, so that and my love for historic hotels made for the perfect combination. We'd planned to stay two days, so that we could take in the other sights, like Lookout Mountain, Rock City, and the Moon Pie factory.

Our only mistake was timing. It started snowing on the way to Chattanooga and was already a few inches deep when we finally made it that night. What's more, while the train cars were well heated, they weren't all that well insulated, so you had to stay in the center of the car to stay warm. Marsha and Madison took the big bed, which was in the center, while I got the smaller bed next to the wall.

Since it was so cold out, they opted to stay in the train car and watch a Project Runway marathon while I braved the cold to go out and explore and get something to eat.

They "rail yard" has some cool little shops, most of which were closed due to the hour and the time of year. We weren't exactly there during peak tourist season. My hope was to complete the experience and eat in a dining car (another item long on my wish list), but no such luck. Both of the dining cars were closed. Luckily, the Station House restaurant was open (and not surprising, mostly empty), which is famous for its singing wait staff who take turns taking the stage.

Afterwards I braved the cold again to explore more of the hotel, especially the lobby which was the original station and just amazing. I definitely wanted to explore more the next morning when most everything was open, especially the model train museum.

Since it was so cold out, we opted to cut our trip short and come back when it was warmer. We did manage to explore the shops, the rail yard, and most everything else the next morning.

The model train museum was amazing! It reminded us of Durango, but was much bigger. It runs the length of two long rooms and there's just no way to take it all in. Some of it re-creates parts of Chattanooga itself, and you can easily get lost in all of the little details. Just incredible.

Our last stop before hitting the road was brunch. We'd found a little spot just around the corner, The Bluegrass Grill, thankfully within walking distance. There was a bit of a wait (also thankfully, it had warmed up some and stopped snowing), but it was well worth it. The blueberry pancakes easily made my top three list (the other two are The Okd Fashioned in Madison, WI, and Linda Jeans in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard). 

So Oscar was right. We can't wait to go back to both Chattanooga (and the Bluegrass Grill). When it's warmer.

Day 4: The Parthenon

Our final stop in Nashville was the Parthenon, which is both an historic building and an art museum. The Parthenon had been on our list for some time and we finally made it. I'd been there once before on a Father's Day trip with my Dad, but it was closed the day we went, so we'd only toured the outside. This was our first time going inside.

It's a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. It was originally built in 1897 (along with a host of other buildings) for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Nashville was known as the "Athens of the South," which is why they copied the real Athens' most famous structure. Madison remembered reading that it was used in filming Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Like most structures built for grand expos, the buildings (including the Parthenon) were only meant to be temporary. So everything else was torn down, except for one other building, which was moved to nearby Franklin. After a few decades, though the Parthenon was looking rather shabby. By 1925, it was in such bad shape that the city either had to tear it down or restore it to a permanent structure. Luckily, they decided to restore it.

I really wanted to learn more about the building and was not disappointed. Despite the giant doors on the main level (which were open, but covered with glass), you enter through a tiny set of doors into the basement level. The front halls tell the history of the building with a fantastic collection of photos of the Expo. In addition to the Parthenon, the other major attraction was a giant see-saw. There weren't too many photos of it, but there were plenty of photos taken from it, which provided an excellent aerial view of the expo grounds.

The back part of the basement is a small art museum. The collection of paintings were anonymously donated to the city by James M. Cowan on the condition that they not reveal his identity until after he had died.

Upstairs you enter the replica itself, which is divided into two rooms. The smaller room contains pieces of marble statues and the enormous bronze (and glass-covered) doors that look out onto Centennial Park.

The larger room, however, contains the main attraction: a giant, 42-foot high statue of Athena surrounded by columns. This reproduction (again) wasn't added until 1990, and is the "largest indoor sculpture in the western world." She is fully painted and her clothing and more are covered in gold leaf. It's quite a sight to behold and was the perfect ending to our trip to Nashville.

Day 3.2: The Hermitage

We'd wanted to do a couple of historic sites while we were in Nashville, such as Belle Meade Plantation and The Hermitage, but ended up only having time for one (and we had to rush that one a bit).

The Hermitage was the estate of President Andrew Jackson, aka "Old Hickory." On our way there, Madison recounted a story she'd learned in history class where Jackson had gotten into a duel with a man, Charles Dickinson, who'd insulted his wife, Rachel. Jackson took the bullet and then killed Dickinson.

Our first stop was the Vistor's Center, which we actually skipped since it was open later than the house. When we arrived, there was a tour guide telling the exact same story of the duel that Madison had told us in the car.

The house was very nice and roomy. Like most historic homes, they wouldn't let us take pictures inside. Also, the original house was much smaller and had been remodeled a couple of times during Jackson's lifetime. From there the tour led back outside to the outer buildings, such as the kitchen, food storage, and more.

Just past the house was one of the slaves' quarters. But further back was a one-story building that had actually housed slaves, still standing, the he'd given to his slaves. Jackson had converted it from a two-story log cabin where he and his family had lived while the main house was being built.

Much of the estate had been a cotton farm; hence the need for slaves. While Jackson seemed to treat his slaves well, he didn't have any problem with slavery itself. Unlike Washington and Jefferson, who'd clearly struggled with it. That was the first thing that gave us mixed feelings about him.

The property us still quite large. To the back is a small stream and an old well that was a favorite spot of Rachel. We could certainly understand. It was quite peaceful there and the wooded trails made you want to explore.

Jackson and Rachel are both buried near the house, in a small graveyard in the garden that she loved. She died several years before him; though, they're both buried together under a domed monument.

Our last stop was the Visitor's Center, where we got to learn more about the man himself. On the one hand, there was much to be admired and with which to sympathize. His whole family had died by the time he was thirteen. He managed to educate himself, become a lawyer, a devoted husband, and eventually President of the United States. Born a common man, he remained a champion of the poor man.

But he had no regards for the rights of women, Native Americans, or African Americans. He had no problem at all with slavery and, as President, violated the treaty with Native Americans and put them on the infamous Trail of Tears.

They tried to put a positive spin on it, saying that while what he did was wrong, his ideals for poor, white men were right when applied to others. It was a reach, but I couldn't blame them for trying. 

As I said, it all added up to a lot of mixed feelings.

Day 3.1: ICE, Ice Baby!

We'd wanted to do at least one of the many Christmas events at The Gaylord, but since it was New Year's already, most of them had already ended.

The one that intrigued us the most was ICE. We weren't sure what it was, but still wanted to do it. All we really knew was that it was themed to the Rankin-Bass Frosty the Snowman Christmas special. And since this was the very last day, it was our only chance.

We got there 30 minutes before it opened and there was already a bit of a line. It was a bit chilly outside, so between that and the line, we contemplated not waiting. However, we figured they'd open the box office soon enough, so we stuck it out. It was a really good thing we did.

Since we were in the first group, as soon as they opened, the line went quickly and we went straight in. They ushered us right into a little pre-show room with short video explaining just what ICE is and how it got started. This was the first time we really understood what it was. And boy was it incredible! We couldn't wait to see what was behind those curtains.

The pre-show video was all about the annual ice festival in Harbin, China. Every year, artisans carve giant blocks of ice from the Songhua River and create ginormous ice carvings and building-sized sculptures. It was so amazing that we immediately realized that the Gaylord version we were about to see couldn't possibly be as spectacular (but it was close enough).

The Gaylord actually brings artisans from Harbin every year to create their sculptures, which was pretty impressive. Each year has a different theme, from the Grinch, Shrek, and so on. The room, which is divided by curtains to create a maze, is chilled to just eight degrees to keep the sculptures just right. I really wanted to know what happens when it's over. Do they just turn on the heat and let it all melt? That's something I'd love to see.

Went from there to another room where they gave us giant, blue parkas to put on. They were so thick they made you look like a penguin. Finally, we pushed our way through a thick curtained doorway into the exhibit. You could feel the cold the closer you got.

Eight degrees inside! That's bloody cold, I tell you! We were really glad we had the parkas. Luckily, Marsha and I both had our gloves. Unfortunately, Madison had left hers in the car. Either way, we had a hard time taking pictures. With them on, it was hard to work the camera. With them off, your fingers quickly freeze up.

The first section was all themed to Frosty the Snowman. The sculptures were perfect, and walked you through the entire story. They looked exactly like the characters from the cartoon. And Frosty was a perfect match for the ice. And with the songs from the show, it was like walking back into your childhood.

In the middle of the Frosty section was one of the signature pieces -- a giant ice slide. It was a lot of fun, but tough to go down. We thought we'd zip on down, but everyone got stuck and had to keep kicking off to make it to the bottom. Probably needed more of an angle. The exhibit was also billed as having four ice slides, but it was really one ice slide with four chutes side by side. 

The next section was themed to NYC, with a big apple, the Statue of Liberty, and a near life-sized cartoon-style yellow cab. The cab was the highlight with everyone hopping inside to take pictures. 

The final section was a nativity built with clear ice, so that it had a crystal look. With the blue lighting and the music, it was a great way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and end the exhibit.

We spent about thirty minutes walking through the whole thing, and were ready to get out when we did. Even with the parkas, the chill starts to seep in after a while. When we made it to the gift shop area (of course), we were ready to start warming up. We bought a few Christmas ornaments and hot chocolate (big seller). Unfortunately, the hot chocolate was really, really hot and hard to drink. By the time it had cooled down, we'd warmed up enough that we didn't need it as much.

When we went outside, we were even more glad we'd waited. The line was all the way down the sidewalk, so our 30 minute wait had been the shortest of the day. We'd have been idiots to leave. It was definitely an incredible experience, and unlike anything we'd ever done before.