Asides

Grand Ole Opry

Yvette Mendoza

Notable country music shines through the streets of Nashville that lead us to the Grand Ole Opry, where many iconic country artists have walked through the halls of this music venue and have done outstanding performances; we were excited to see it all.

Taking a tour allowed us to see the behind-the-scenes as well as the history embedded through the halls of the Grand Ole Opry.

Beginning in 1943, when the Grand Ole Opry would have been originally broadcasted from the Ryman Auditorium, every show was continuously sold out. Not having enough seats in the arena turned away fans, and they finally decided in 1974 to build their own venue, one that is twice as large, holding more than 440,000 country lovin’ fanatics.

Roy Acuff, the “King of Country ,” performed at almost every show. In his later life he resided on the property of the Opry. Although Roy was a frequent performer, there were many other phenomenal artists that totaled 223 members of the Opry which include, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Gene Watson (recently at the Old Town Theatre!), and Darius Rucker. 

Walking through the entrance of the auditorium, we saw country decor everywhere–including the ceiling, which had $90,000 Gibson guitars floating above us.

And backstage was more unique and different adornments. There were two massive-size portraits of Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff, and a semi-cluttered scene of music stands and microphones in one section. 

Continuing our walk through the back, we saw the mailboxes and placards for each member of the Opry. Dolly Parton had a box full of fan mail waiting to be opened.

As for the wall full of placards for each member, they were all gold plated.

Right around the corner would be the 23 dressing rooms, all having their own theme and specific photos of celebrities in each of them.

The significant rooms that were favored by the LEAP Ambassadors were Roy Acuff’s dedication room, the veterans’ room, and the glitteriest room #19 (Dolly’s chosen dressing room).

Each artist performing could choose whichever room they desire, but celebrities were mainly gathered in the “Family Room” located outside of the dressing rooms. This middle room had plenty of seating and a beautiful Archie Campbell mural to admire the Opry and Hee Haw cast that shot 13 episodes on stage. 

Topping off our tour, we became country music legends being able to walk into the infamous circle on the center stage. The Grand Ole Opry gave a true sense of Nashville music and culture. In the city of country music, we now know where to “get our honky tonk on”.

Lunch and Belle Meade

Jessica Cuevas

After having our grand debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage, where the city Nashville’s music lives, we headed over to the historic Belle Meade Mansion and Winery.

The inside of the grand carriage house has been redesigned into a nice, neat country styled kitchen and dining area where we were greeted with servers and had a wonderful three-course meal. Our appetizer was a salad that consisted of spinach leaves garnished with berries, walnuts, goat cheese, and topped off with a balsamic dressing. The entrée was a plate of chicken, green beans, red skin mashed potato, and a corn-flour pancake.

As for dessert we had Tennessee style peach cobbler.

While we waited for the rest of our tour group to finish up their meal, we ventured off into the stable right across where the horses would have been held near the carriage house.

In there, were displayed a variety of different carriages that would have been used in the 19^th century.

John Harding, husband of Selene Jackson, had The Belle Meade, a two-story federal home constructed in 1819. His son, William Giles Harding’s additions to the home transformed it into the Greek Revival styled home we saw today. Upon entering we quickly noticed many similarities and differences to General Andrew Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, such as the grand entrance hallway with a spiral staircase.

Belle Meade has hosted many important people from our history such as Davy Crockett, General Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Jackson, President Cleveland, and even Sam Houston!

Morgan’s favorite room was the Parlor room where the weddings and funerals would be held with the last event being William Harding Jr. (“little Billy’s”) funeral. Similar to the Hermitage having received many visitors and having a place for them to stay and eat, so did Belle Meade. In fact, they placed a ruby red stained glass above the front door on the first and second floors that was indicated as a symbol to let others know not only that they are wealthy but also that they could seek refuge in this home, which Yvette found extremely interesting. My favorite room was the library, specifically the hooves of the great sire Bonnie Scotland, the horse of General William Harding, being featured as ink wells as a memoir. I learned that from this sire came 11 of the 13 triple crown winners such as Sea Biscuit, Secretariat, Seattle Slew and eight others.

This home would be in the family for three generations before it would be sold to the state who would then sell it to the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee.

Once we toured the home, we played bocce, cornhole, and putt putt golf.

Despite there being a sign that read “the loser buys ice cream” we played for fun before heading to what once was the chicken coop but has since then been repurposed to be their Coop ‘N Scoop Ice Cream and Home-Made Fudge Shop. Yvette got the Strawberry flavored ice cream and Morgan had the Peach ice cream drizzled with chocolate blackberry wine sauce. As for me, I got the cookies and cream flavored ice cream on a sugar cone. 

Assembly Food Hall

Morgan Robertson

To wrap up our day we ventured to a food court style establishment, complete with live music and many different food choices. Assembly Food Hall right in the heart of Downtown Nashville, is the perfect place for people with different food interests. For example, our choices ranged from brick oven margherita pizza for Yvette, pepperoni pizza for Jessica, chicken sausage for Stephanie, crepes for Professor Yawn, and a Hawaiian poke bowl for me. 

Our wide variety allowed for some good conversation over good food, but another interesting aspect extended to the architecture of some buildings. When the city was still being established, the architects would try and emulate the designs and styles they wanted to reflect in their city. Nashville clearly wanted to present itself as a grand city with classical architecture. Many of the older churches are done in Victorian or gothic styles which gives a major contrast to the night life on fifth street. 

We were in fact lucky enough to make our way into the former train station in Nashville, now a refurbished hotel. The building represents the day-to-day bustle and travel in and out of the city. The gothic exterior quickly transforms into a grand entryway with high ceilings covered with stain glass paneling. Most Likely for decor now, there is a very prominent clock visible from almost every point in the lobby, which at one time was a crucial part in people’s travel. 

Our meal and brief train station tour gave insight of the past and today’s very lively and loud present of Nashville.

Starting the Day, Morgan Robertson

On day 2 of our Southern Legislative Conference trip, LEAP Ambassadors headed towards Martin Luther King’s Grave.

The plaza-like set up displays numerous quotes from Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr. himself. The emphasis on nonviolence is displayed on nearly every aspect of the memorial, to remind viewers of the efforts taken to ensure constitutional rights for all.  

On the left-hand side there are the six principles of nonviolence on the stone wall. In the middle of the memorial and in the middle of the reflecting pool stands the tomb for Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, each inscribed with a bible verse. Surrounding his grave was the cascading water with words from his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to the murals of MLK on the back wall, the memorial stands to show the real change that has happened. 

Along Sunset Avenue is the Ebenezer Baptist Church that MLK frequently preached at, as well as the museum dedicated to him. Across the street stands the MLK national historic park, that is complemented with an array of multicolored roses.

In need of some coffee, we stopped at the Chrome Yellow Trading Co. coffee shop before heading to Asheville. The selected coffees for this day were a little different relative to our normal choices, two vanilla bourbon lattes (hot and iced) and just a regular drip coffee. At first the flavor of the iced vanilla bourbon latte was almost too much, but after drinking it for a while it was much more enjoyable. With this group of LEAP Ambassadors, and myself more specifically, coffee has become a recurring topic of conversation. Usually discussing the flavor, method in which it is brewed, and the strength of the coffee we continue learning more about each other’s preferred taste in coffee.

Lunch in Athens, Yvette Mendoza

After getting a boost of caffeine we made a quick stop in Athens, Georgia where we came across a pleasant-looking restaurant that was nestled in between the Courthouse and the City Hall. The interior of South Kitchen + Bar boasted intricate details, suggesting the craftsmanship of an earlier time. There were Corinthian columns inside, stained-glass windows, recessed ceilings, and black, red, and white Greek-inspired tiling.

Although the Architecture and decor may have been Greek themed, the food was pure southern comfort. For appetizers, we chose a hummus and trout dip that were both served with fried pita chips.

Both dips are a variety of different vegetables that consist of radish, cucumbers, carrots, pickles, and lemon zest. While each LEAP Ambassador chose their own meal, we all had a similar dish of it being a type of sandwich. Jessica’s was a chicken salad croissant…

…Morgan’s choice was a portobello dip…

…and I had a grilled pimento cheese BLT on sourdough bread.

Each dish had such immaculate flavors from their meat and toppings garnished within the sandwiches. We enjoyed eating a dash of the south while admiring the Greek revival architecture.

Biltmore Estate, Jessica Cuevas

The LEAP ambassadors were excited to travel to Asheville, North Carolina and add another state to our list of states visited, while also visiting another historic home. And what a home the Biltmore was!

The home was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt for the Vanderbilt family, whose railroad investments allowed George Washington Vanderbilt II to buy the land have this majestic home constructed.

Entering into a massive living area, which was almost completely covered with greenery, we stared with complete disbelief at the size and beauty of the room.

The high ceiling lined with windows allowed sunlight to flood in and perfectly accent the room. After learning that there are a total of 250 rooms in the Estate, it seemed impossible to make it through the tour. In the end, we saw about 40 rooms that were perfectly presented and frozen in time. Yvette commented on how the rooms were so majestic that it looked as though it had come out of a Disney film, when in reality the films could possibly have been based on the Biltmore rooms. The architect of the Estate, Richard Morris Hunt, so clearly put an immense amount of effort into each aspect of the Estate. Hunt even kept the salon closed off, hidden away from Mr. Vanderbilt’s eyes, until it was nothing short of perfection.

Mr. Vanderbilt had a near life size portrait of Hunt commissioned for the Estate itself, which shows his respect and adoration for constructing such a beautiful home. 

Everyone was impressed by Mr. Vanderbilt’s Library, but it was my absolute favorite out of all the rooms we were able to see.

It was a grand room, but somehow maintained a cozy feel, and the ceiling was a trompe l’oeil masterprice.

Yvette appreciated the oval shaped design and colors of Mrs. Vanderbilt’s room, royal purple and gold, that represented her status as one of the wealthiest ladies in the U.S.

Morgan’s favorite room was the “children’s bedroom” which was cute in design and had two small twin size beds, a contrast to the other rooms since the majority had Queen-King size beds except for the servants’ quarters. Professor Yawn’s favorite room was the grand hall…

…with its many art pieces and grand organ.

Actually, though, any of the rooms could have been our favorite; they were all beautiful.

Probably the most astounding or shocking room was found to be the two-lane bowling alley.

This bowling alley could have quite possibly been one of the first installed in a private home in America. The lower and basement floors, where the servants stayed away from guests and family, were quite humbling compared to the main house. The basement really gave a clear perspective on the different worlds that lived and worked under the same roof. 

Once we toured as much of the house as we possibly could, we were able to now admire the home’s exterior.

The grounds, which now encompass about 8,000 acres, are incomparable, with statuary and beautiful gardens.

And to no one’s surprise, the gardens were just as vast as they were exquisite. Making connections from yesterday, Morgan was curious to know how it compared to our visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. They have multiple gardens that were all super beautiful and blooming that included roses, bushes, different kinds of trees and vines, koi ponds and much more.

Yvette commented that a horse or a golf cart would be nice for viewing the grounds of the Estate. 

We fell in love with how majestic and architecturally beautiful the Biltmore House is and its landscape that is as unrealistic as it may sound. We dreamed of what our lives would have been like in the Biltmore Estate in the 1800s. Where most Americans were living simplistic lives, life in the Biltmore would have been unsurpassed luxury. 

Dinner at Corner Kitchen, Yvette Mendoza

The Corner Kitchen, located a few miles from the Biltmore Estate, is set in a Victorian village of shops and restaurants. Before eating, we took a walk around the village, where we observed the beautiful style Victorian designed shops and restaurants. As we noticed the Victorian architecture, we also observed every store was alike from the outside, all having the same tones of brown and steep, gabled roofs which gave an elegant, uniformed look. The Corner Kitchen also adopted this look, and it was here where we were seated for what would turn out to be a fantastic meal!

We were seated outside, where we had a lovely view of the gazebo with vibrantly green vine like plants growing above us. Our waiter was vividly descriptive vividly described the menu. From the appetizers and entrees to the desserts, everything sounded fresh and overflowing with flavor. The waiter started us off with a cucumber garnished with a balsamic vinaigrette, topped with a cherry tomato and goat cheese, which is interestingly referred as a French amuse-bouche (“mouth amuser”).

We then ordered an assortment of different types of meats and salads that were all unique. As for the meats, each one of us got either duck, smoked salmon, tarragon salmon, or steak.

The duck was like steak but presented a different flavor, the texture would be soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Whereas the steak was cooked medium and flavored with the perfect amount of seasoning that came with potato crisp marinated in oil that were then sauteed. Lastly, the two orders of salmon were garnished with pink and purple flowers or a fresh ball of mozzarella. The mozzarella quickly became a favorite for the group, with its excellent fresh taste and smoothness in every bite.

Each item on the menu is fresh and local therefore they will not have every dish all year around. Their desserts are a great example of having fresh fruits and ingredients. All their pastries are handmade in their restaurant and their sister restaurant, Chestnut. We tried an assortment of their pastries: pear chocolate brownie with ginger ice cream, blueberry cheesecake, key lime tart topped with fresh fruit, and chocolate peanut butter pot au creme.

As each LEAP Ambassador tried each dessert item it was quickly gone before our eyes could see. Each one of them tasted like heaven, which was a “berry” great way to top off our night!