http://www.RealAdventures.com/vacations/185053_articles-tennessee.htm Check out some of the recently updated travel & vacation listings on RealAdventures. Be inspired, go explore! en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:45:51 GMT Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:45:51 GMT http://www.RealAdventures.com http://www.RealAdventures.com/vacations/185053_articles-tennessee.htm 100 100 http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1026028_Gaylord-Opryland-offers-guests-a-unique-vacation http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1026028_Gaylord-Opryland-offers-guests-a-unique-vacation Articles Tennessee Mon, 02 Aug 2004 00:08:00 Gaylord Operyland offers guests a unique vacation with plenty of sights to see, but the highlight of the place is the country music. - From $99 - $995
Gaylord Operyland offers guests a unique vacation with plenty of sights to see, but the highlight of the place is the country music.







Gaylord Opryland offers guests a unique vacation

Enjoy country music at its birthplace

By Arvin Steinberg



I have traveled the world, but I have never seen anything like it.

Imagine entering a lovely hotel lobby with marble floors, elegant colorful carpets, and massive white pillars.


Then, after registering you leave the lobby and step into a huge spectacular tropical garden. A fourstory cascading waterfall is at one side. There are 8,200 tropical ornamental plants here. There is also a revolving lounge and a seafood restaurant. Wherever you walk you are surrounded by an array of brilliant colors and aromas. Six floors of guestrooms with balconies overlook this wonderful tropical garden. The sunlight is bright. At first you think you are outside, but then you see a glass ceiling high above. This astonishing area is the Cascades atrium of the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville.


But this is only the beginning of this amazing resort. There are two other magnificent atriums here. Just step on an escalator, and it will take you to a skywalk above the Garden Conservatory. Here, a massive atrium under a high glass ceiling featuring a collection of 10,000 tropical plants is a feast for your senses. The beauty of the place is astounding. You can go below and explore the waterfalls, fountains, secluded park benches, and winding pathways in the luscious gardens. Although this area is a great getaway from everything (also a perfect setting for a small romantic wedding), there are some excellent restaurants in the midst of all of the gardens. Volares Italian Restaurant serves up some great pizzas and pastas. Guestrooms with balconies also surround this unusually interesting cornucopia of colors.

.
The third atrium, know as the Delta, is a spectacular indoor garden with a subtropical feeling. Here there are 370 trees and palms &8211 between 20 and 40feet tall and thousands of smaller plants. Guestroom balconies also surround this atrium and the glassdomed ceiling at one point rises to a height of 15 stories. A huge waterfall flows into an indoor river. You can ride a flat boat on this quartermile Delta River while a guide narrates the journey describing everything from the fish and other marine life in the river to the host of amenities the Delta offers. There is an island in the middle complete with shops, restaurants, meeting rooms, and even a food court. Guests often gather around a fountain of dancing waters that spout up at different heights and seem to be moving in concert with music. It reaches a crescendo when a geyser of water jets skyward 85 feet into the air. And remember, everything is indoors.


Sound fantastic? And these are not small atriums with everything crammed inside. They are immense. A staff of 20 fulltime interior horticulturists maintain these picturesque plants and gardens. The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville has 2881 guestrooms. It is the largest nongaming inhotel facility in the world.

Another area of Gaylord Opryland is The Magnolia. Here you can browse in unique shops or enjoy some great restaurants. The restaurants in this area include Rachel's, that features a grand buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Findley's Irish Pub, and Rusty's Sports Bar & Grill. The entire resort is low key and informal. Even at the award winning Old Hickory Steakhouse in the Delta atrium no ties or jackets are required.

The convention center at Gaylord Opryland draws thousands of visitors. There are five grand ballrooms here with some 600,000 square feet of flexible space, and the murals in the lobby of the Tennessee Ballroom are outstanding. I didn't attend a convention, but I loved the &8220Rockwell's America Celebrating the Art of Norman Rockwell&8221 exhibition that was located in the convention center. This is the largest Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post exhibition ever created. It is a unique interactive exhibition where Norman Rockwell's most famous Saturday Evening Post art are brought to life in theatrical settings and with live characters.

The Norman Rockwell exhibit that will run for four months, is just one example of the high quality attractions you will find at Gaylord Opryland. Another is to cruise on the General Jackson Showboat. It is 300 feet long with four decks including a twostory Victorian Theater making it the largest showboat in the world. I took the threehour dinner cruise down the Cumberland River. The Peking Acrobats show far exceeded my expectations. This show that will also run for four months is a worldclass performance of amazing feats of balance, precision and dexterity.

The centerpiece of the Gaylord Opryland entertainment resort is the renowned Grand Ole Opry House. This is a 4,400seat auditorium that you can reach in a few minutes by shuttle bus from the hotel. If you would like a little exercise after dinner, it's only a short walk from the hotel.

The Grand Ole Opry, which originates here, is the longest running live radio show in the world. It began in November 1925. In March 1974 it moved from the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville to its present location.

I went to a Saturday night show, and what a show it was. The house was packed. I heard wellknown performers such as Porter Wagoner, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Steve Wariner, as well as several rising stars, one of whom was Anita Cochran who gave a strong performance.

This is a live radio show, so as each artist finished, he or she was followed
by a commercial, during which those on stage and the audience talked among themselves until the sign came up that we were back on the air.

The show ran for more than three hours. It was the highlight of my visit to Nashville. Although I was never really into country music, that has changed. When I returned to my home in Fort Lauderdale, the first thing I did was purchase a country music CD.

In addition to all of the above, there is still lots more to do and see in Nashville. Probably the best way to do this is to take the Grand Ole Nashville bus tour from the hotel. This is an interesting threehour narrated tour. It takes you to a selfguided tour of the historic Ryman Auditorium, the former home of the Grand Ole Opry, and also to Music Row where most of America's recording studios are located. You can also see the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Parthenon, a fullscale replica of the Parthenon in Athens. The bus tour will also show you the homes of top country stars including Ronnie Milsap, Martina McBride, and Earl Scruggs.

Being a sports nut, I also visited the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. It is located in downtown Nashville at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, home of the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators. The exhibits at the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame & Museum cover college and professional sports as well as the Olympics.

Tennessee has a longstanding tradition of accomplishment in the Olympics. There is an impressive exhibit commemorating Wilma Rudolf of Clarksville, Tennessee. This remarkable athlete overcame childhood pneumonia, scarlet fever, and polio requiring leg braces to become a legend in track. She was a triplegold medal winner and set world track records at the Rome Olympics in 1960. Later Wilma Rudolf used her fame to advance civil rights in Tennessee.
















.







Details & Reservations: Gaylord Opryland offers guests a unique vacation
RealAdventures | Tennessee Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1025056_Chattanooga-is-Top-Family-Destination http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1025056_Chattanooga-is-Top-Family-Destination Articles Tennessee Wed, 14 Jan 2004 00:01:00 Chattanooga is a top family destination with lots of activities for children including rides on historical trains the Tennessee Aquarium, Tenessee Valley Railroad, Creative Discovery Museum, International Tow Truck Museum, Lookout Mountain and Rock -
Chattanooga is a top family destination with lots of activities for children including rides on historical trains the Tennessee Aquarium, Tenessee Valley Railroad, Creative Discovery Museum, International Tow Truck Museum, Lookout Mountain and Rock


Chattanooga is Top Family Destination

Trains and attractions aimed at kids

By Phyllis Steinberg



My first visit to Chattanooga, Tennessee, was with a group of friends. It was a fun getaway to just hang out with my long time buddies, but it would have been even more fun if I took my threeyear old grandson.
He loves trains. He, like dozens of his friends, is crazy about Thomas The Train. Not only does he have the dozens of trains that belong to the Thomas The Train family, but he has all the train videos and books that tell tall tales about Thomas and his adventures.
Well, Chattanooga goes one step further in this train mania. It has the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a magnificently restored train station, now a Holiday Inn property, but different from any Holiday Inn anywhere.
It is located at Chattanooga&8217s Terminal Station built in 1909 and served as the heart of bustling railway activity until trains were replaced by faster modes of transportation. The last train stopped on August 11, 1970. Doors and windows were boarded up, but the station was saved by the wrecking ball by a group of locals who recognized that the railroad still had a bright future.
More than $4 million was spent to renovate the property and the hotel was welcomed into the Holiday Inn family. The Chattanooga Choo Choo is now a magnificently restored structure for everyone who visits Chattanooga to enjoy. There are many shops featuring train memorabilia, actual train cars where guests can dine and there are sleeper cars that are beautifully restored where guests can spend the night. Four dozen restored passenger cars decorated in the Victorian style can accommodate up to four guests in a car.
The 24acre complex also has a 3,000 square foot, automated 174 foot long Model Railroad Museum with 320 structures and 3,000 feet of track, a 1930&8217s style caf specializing in gourmet espressos and desserts and a station house restaurant with performing waitresses and waiters.
The term &8220hands on&8221 takes on an adventurous new meaning after riding the Tennessee Valley Railroad , where the largest operating historic railroad in the South takes passengers aboard a faithfully restored, authentic steam or diesel passenger train at ChoChoo city. The train runs summer weekends between Chattanooga Choo Choo and Grand Junction Station. The ride takes about three and a half hours.
As if the restored train station wasn&8217t enough, my grandson would have loved jumping on the free electric shuttle bus in Chattanooga, which has a station next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo and convenient stations all around downtown Chattanooga to visit area attractions.
My grandson would have been amazed when the electric shuttle stopped at the Tennessee Aquarium. It opened in 1992 and is the first and largest freshwater aquarium in the world. The height of a 12story building, the 130,000 square foot building holds 400,000 gallons of water and more than 9,000 animals that swim, fly and crawl from alligator snapping turtles, 80 pound catfish and red piranhas to sharks and green moray eels. The Aquarium also has an IMAX 3d Theater and Environmental Learning Lab.
The Creative Discovery Museum, a multistory museum designed for children to have fun and learn is another fun stop on the electric shuttle.
Many kids are fascinated with trucks and my grandson is no exception. Well, many people may not know this but the Ernest W. Holmes Company manufactured the first &8220wrecker&8221 in Chattanooga in 1916. And truck enthusiasts, car buffs and kids of all ages would enjoy a visit to the world&8217s only tow truck museum in downtown Chattanooga, another stop on the electric shuttle. The official name of the museum is the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame Museum. The museum houses antique towing equipment, photos, memorabilia and a host of products and services honoring the history of an industry paralleling that of the automobile. It&8217s not a large museum, but worth a visit.
The downtown area also has an outlet mall featuring stores such as Ralph Lauren, Coach and Bass for adults who like to shop.
Also in the downtown area are many kidfriendly restaurants. One of my favorites was Sticky Fingers, a chicken and rib eatery with lots of delicious sauces and wonderful desserts.
Further afield is Lookout Mountain, where you can see seven states from legendary Lovers Leap. It has two interesting destinations for adults and children. There is Rock City with its beautiful gardens and unique rock formations and Ruby Falls, an underground waterfall. A guided tour will take you in the caves at Ruby Falls and highlight unique formations. The Incline Railway, the world&8217s steepest passenger railway, over 2,000 feet above sea level, is a unique way to see Lookout Mountain and its breathtaking, panoramic view. The Incline&8217s free observation deck is the highest overlook on Lookout Mountain.
The newest hotel in the city is The Chattanoogan, the best place for Sunday brunch, with all the trimmings, including a makeyourown ice cream bar and dozens of entrees and delicious desserts. The Chattanoogan also has a spa which features the &8220Riverport&8221 Stone Massage,&8221 which combines the use of hot stones from river and lava beds to relieve aching muscles and total relaxation. Local stones from the Tennessee River are used during the treatment. I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at the Chattanoogan spa, which also has steam and sauna rooms, an indoor pool and exercise facilities.
The Chattanoogan is located in the middle of downtown Chattanooga and is walking distance to the Outlet Mall and electric trolley stop. It is an upscale urban resort with 202 rooms, and is a welcome addition to the city with its 25,000 square feet of hightech meeting space.
Chattanooga also has several art museums and upscale restaurants in the Bluff View Art District. I especially enjoyed a visit to the Renaissance Commons in the Bluff View Art District where I learned how to bake bread from scratch from Chef Rob Alexander, the district&8217s head baker and pastry chef. The beautiful Renaissance Commons is the site for weddings and other special occasions for locals, but it also prepares some of the creative cuisine for Bluff View Arts District restaurants.
U.S. Airways provides service to Chattanooga.
For more information about Chattanooga, call 8003223344 or www.chattanoogafun.com

Photos by Phyllis Steinberg

Details & Reservations: Chattanooga is Top Family Destination
RealAdventures | Tennessee Articles

]]> http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1024429_My-Home-Away-from-Home http://www.RealAdventures.com/listings/1024429_My-Home-Away-from-Home Articles Tennessee Thu, 08 Jan 2004 00:01:00 Littleknown travel secrets for the Great Southern lakes region of Tennessee. -
Littleknown travel secrets for the Great Southern lakes region of Tennessee.


by Linda DonsonShearer

Growing up in the innocent years of the 1950s and &821660s and being one member of a family of educators and professional people, summertime was always great fun for us. We believed in gathering knowledge &8211 we believed in traveling. So, we traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada to see and learn about the world &8211 but we always included at least two weeks staying on a lake in the Adirondack Mountains. This repeated habit formed the basis for my recreational needs &8211 the need for water &8211 for relaxation and entertainment. Now, I can&8217t imagine vacationing, much less living, without being near water. This value is a constant in my life.

Three summers ago, my husband and I bought a speedboat to use on a vacation we were taking to the Adirondacks (good excuse). When we returned home to Ohio, we tried to use our boat on the lakes around Cincinnati and Indianapolis. It didn&8217t work for us. It seemed more trouble than it was worth and the lakes of the Midwest are disappointedly small and overcrowded. Selling the boat was out of the question, so the search was on to find an alternative lake for our boating pleasure.

Everyone talks about the &8220J&8221 effect that is happening lately. This term refers to those snowbirds from the North who think they want to retire to Florida only to eventually backtrack to the Carolinas or Tennessee. My husband and I participated in the &8220B&8221 effect. We skipped going to Florida altogether and made a beeline for Tennessee. For starters, we bought a lakefront lot on one of the Southern Great Lakes, as they are sometimes called.

The bestkept secret in Tennessee is Watts Bar Lake, the king of the Southern Great Lakes (and here I am, blabbing the news to everyone). I just can&8217t contain my excitement over finding such a wonderful place. Tennessee is there waiting for you, too, if you can bring yourself to get past your old false misconceptions. True, life seems somehow simpler, and some people and places are quaint because they can&8217t or don&8217t want to keep up with NYC. How refreshing! I&8217m personally fed up with crowds and traffic jams and rudeness and fearing for my safety.

On Watts Bar Lake, it&8217s never crowded because the lake is just too big. The majority of lakefront is owned and managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, so it still looks like wilderness. When you do pass someone in a boat, they actually wave at you. Isn&8217t that a hoot? Lakefront property values are still fairly reasonable, although that is changing quickly. Apparently, someone else besides me also blabbed.

Bottomline, if you are a water lover and a crowd hater and enjoy rare birds like bald eagles and ospreys and nature and good fishing and water sports and friendly people, you need to check this area out. It&8217s not far from the Smokies, Knoxville and Chattanooga. There&8217s plenty to do, or you can just do nothing. I like that part the best!

My husband and I built a cedar home of our own design on the lake. We call it &8220Cheronac&8221 in honor of his Cherokee heritage and my love of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. For now, we are there every weekend, driving to and from Cincinnati. Someday, we hope to call it our only home.
Details & Reservations: My Home Away from Home
RealAdventures | Tennessee Articles

]]>