Ringing In The New Year In Tennessee - Part Two

(A continuation of my post yesterday on my trip to Tennessee)

After touring the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, we headed to downtown Nashville. Living so close to Washington, D.C., and commuting for years, I was used to city traffic. However, the Music Bowl, (college football) was being played at the Tennessee Titans' stadium, and the streets were literally blocked off by pregame revelers.

The whole city was a sea of orange.



We never got out of the car, but the city seems like a very exciting place to be. Many country music stars got their start in these establishments.







That evening we went to the Loveless Cafe. It is a local establishment that has garnered national attention over the years because of their secret "made from scratch" biscuits. This place actually has quite the reputation for honest, southern cooking, just like your momma would make, if your momma was southern...:)

Now my momma never made homemade biscuits, but my goodness, there was some good eatin' going on at the Loveless Cafe.

My nephew Jeffery was very pleased with his plate of country ham.



My niece Hannah and Billy at the Loveless Cafe.



I was so fond of this restaurant, I brought it home with me. I bought their recipe book. I'll let you know how future recipes turn out.



The next morning after a breakfast casserole that was to die for....



We headed out to the town of Franklin, Tennessee, site of a fierce and rare, night time Civil War Battle that is referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West." It was here on November 30, 1864 that over 6,000 Confederate soldiers, 14 Confederate Generals (6 were killed, 7 wounded, 1 captured) and 55 regimental officers were killed or wounded on that day. It decimated the military leadership of The Tennesse Army.

Site of the bloodiest five hours during the Civil War, The Battle of Franklin.



Southern pride still runs deep in the South.



The Carnton Plantation. This house was owned by the McGavock family and became a field hospital during the Battle of Franklin. Thousands of wounded and dying were brought here. Four dead Generals were laid on the back porch, and the blood of the men brought there still stains the floor to this day.



The McGavock family donated 2 acres of land for the burial of almost 1,500 Confederate soldiers. They maintained the graves themselves until their deaths.



We then went on a stroll down the streets of downtown Franklin, a quaint, historical town still full of southern charm and hospitality.








We ended our visit with pizza at The Mellow Mushroom. It was the best pizza I've had in a long time...Yum!




My sister Becky and her daughter, Hannah.



We ended our trip spending New Year's Eve at home, playing games and eating delicious appetizers. We stayed up very late, and got up very early the next morning to head back home....and we made it home very early the NEXT morning.

Even this beautiful view gets boring as it whizzes on by........



Like a guilty woman on my way to the gallows, I accepted my fate of 14 or more hours in the car. It wasn't any easier, I didn't feel any less imprisoned, but I knew one fact that I could cling to. Just as Scarlett O'Hara once held up the red earth of Tara and cried "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again," I know I will NEVER make that drive in one day again!