TK1 Blog Tracy – On The Loose In Nashville
T-Time – On the Loose in Nashville
Two women…in a car…no responsibilities…FREEDOM for 5 days…headed to Nashville. Sound like a dream? Sound like fun? Let me tell you…it was a blast! Our adventure began on July 19th and it was a ton of fun before it even started. You know how you have certain friends that you share special moments with…you know the ones that I’m talking about…the ones that know your deepest darkest secrets and yet continue to be your friend? The ones that like to help plot adventures and get into trouble with you? Well I have a few but Kelly ranks at the top of the list. We’ve been planning this trip since last November…just girl time away from our plain Jane lives here in Michigan.
Our hotel was in Brentwood which is a few minutes south of Nashville. If possible, I would recommend staying outside of Nashville. The Brentwood area is home to artists like Lee Ann Womack, Luke Bryan, Dolly Parton, Joe Don Rooney and Ronnie Dunn. And you never know who you’re going to run into especially if you’re with Kris or Tony. Speaking of which, I had made plans to meet up with the guys at some point during our visit to their fair city. Because of schedules, we met Kris the first night we were in town, in fact, within an hour and a half after we arrived, we were sitting down to dinner with him. We had so much fun visiting with him that the time just flew by! We were honored that he offered to share his music with us. We got to hear three songs AND with Bradley Gaskin doing an acoustical version of them, all I can say is WOW!! And our time with Tony… well, it was just as great! We met with him on Friday evening in Nashville at a little bar called Losers. BTW, Losers is a hangout for people in the business so you never know who you’re going to see in there or what you’re going to hear these people talking about. Kelly and I arrived really early because we weren’t sure how long it would take to get there and if you follow me on Twitter, you would’ve seen my little comments every once in a while about Kelly’s navigation skills and GPS. There’s a ‘behind the scenes” story about us finding Judge Bean’s BBQ where Kris had patiently waited for us so we wanted to make sure that the same thing didn’t happen with Tony. I think we kept Tony and Kris entertained with our antics while in town. Tony is VERY animated when he’s telling a story. We loved it! What you hear on the radio is a small portion of who these guys are. They are truly awesome and so down to earth that you feel like you’ve known them forever! But I think this blog is supposed to be about Nashville isn’t it? Haha
If you’ve read the blogs by the other TK1 Bloggers that have gone to Nashville, they’ve really covered it all. Downtown is exciting with lots of music and street performers. We did stop in several of the bars downtown like the Silver Dollar and saw the trolley that’s in Jerrod Niemann’s video. Timing is everything if you want to get into some of the small bars because space is limited. If you go downtown and can’t find something to purchase, there’s something wrong. It has it all! We went to the usual tourist things, Grand Old Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Definitely go to them, you will 
enjoy it! The other thing that we did was our girlie shopping at Opry Mills Mall. In the Brentwood area we found Percy Warner Park. It’s a beautiful drive-thru park or if you prefer, walk or bike. We also went to Arrington Vineyards for a wine tasting event. This winery was founded by Kix Brooks and is in a very beautiful area. Tony told us about Oscar’s Taco Shop which is a little dive in Franklin that he claimed has the best authentic Mexican food. We tried it and agree! Tried to get into the Blue Bird Café but the line was too long. One thing that I will say is this, there is so much more to the area than “just” Nashville.
This trip really wasn’t about doing “touristy” things, it was about building relationships. Kelly and I deepened our friendship through all the crazy things we did and conversations we had while traveling…quiet times back at the hotel and laughing again about stories that were shared. And it was about creating a deeper connection to some great guys that I’ve come to respect not only for their humor but their work ethic and caring. Those are the special moments that make it an unforgettable trip. Friends, whether they’re near or far, are why those “special” times are so precious. Thanks for letting me share a small portion my memories.
Tracy
Tags: Blogs, Country Music, Country Radio, Nashville, TK1, Tony & Kris, Tony and Kris, TRACY GAMBOE
