Looking For Help From My Readers!
Jun 22nd, 2008 by kenopoly
Hi everyone! I wanted to post something a little unusual today. I know it may not be the place to do so but I wanted to solicit advice from anyone who would be willing to give it!
My wife and I are busy planning a trip to see my son in August. He is in Cherry Point, North Carolina and we are going to spend a week with him starting August 18! My two daughters are also going to accompany us. Not being blessed with lots of money (who is?) I am trying to be as frugal as I can. Flying is definitely out because for 4 people that would be way too expensive. We have opted with driving the 1260 miles to Cherry Point! Of course, that is not going to be done in one day. My wife originally had a route planned through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina! I believe she did it through MapQuest. I searched for a route through Google Maps and came up with a more favorable route that goes through Arkansas, Tennessee and into North Carolina.
The new route makes the best halfway point to be Nashville, Tennessee. I like the idea of arriving in Nashville and spending a night there! If we leave early that morning we could arrive in Nashville around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. That would give us plenty of time to explore before bedding down that night! Of course, being as I do very little traveling, I have no idea what to expect in Nashville. As with any city, I am sure that there are some parts that are safer than others and some parts you just don’t want to end up in. So, I have to reach out to those who would be willing to help.
I am looking for advice on the following:
- A good hotel, at a decent price, in a decent part of town!
- Ideas for things to do! (I thought of the Grand Old Opry but that is too high and would take up the majority of our time there!) Perhaps we could just walk along the streets and see the sites! I also noticed that there is a county fair going on at that time but really have no idea what to expect from it!
- Ideas for places to visit and take some photos to document our trip. This does not have to be in Nashville only. Perhaps there is something along our route that would be worth stopping for. (Hey, maybe I DO want to see the world’s largest ball of twine!)
I respect the intelligence of my fellow bloggers and I have to confess that I haven’t paid enough attention to locations of everyone so I figure this would be the best way to ask.
Anyone interested in helping a fellow blogger keep the peace in the family?
I’d probably go with either the Opryland (now Opry Mills) area or the airport area. (I noticed there is a LaQuinta in the airport area that is rated fairly high and seems to be more reasonably priced.) Brentwood and Franklin are also nice areas but a little further south. There are several other areas scattered thoughout Nashville that would be quite safe, but I think you’ll find high concentrations of hotels in the two areas mentioned.
My top pick would have been the Grand Ole Opry, but you’ve said that is out of the budget. There is quite a bit to do at Opry Mills which is the former site of Opryland. It’s a “shoppertainment” area.
You’ll want to see what acts might be in town (especially at that fair). Some of them are very affordable.
You might want a photo-op at the Parthenon replica. That’s usually a popular place. There is a nice little spot in the downtown area where you can also get some great photos. There are some parking spots there.
Lori,
Thank you so much for the info. I know I may sound cheap but until the last week or so we were just planning on driving straight through without stopping anywhere. Money is pretty tight right now and we did a poor job of planning for something we have known about for at least 6 months. Oh well, we all live and learn.
I will take your advice to heart and perhaps it will be just what I needed!
Thanks again.