Nashville, USA
We were met at Nashville airport by "Bob & Barb", parents of good friends of ours. They graciously let us stay with them in their gorgeous house for the time we were there. Nashville is Tennessee's capital and sits on the Cumberland River. Getting around the city is pretty easy and there's plenty to see, especially if you're a music fan.
We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and also did the RCA Recording Studio Tour. This was of particular interest to David who is a massive Elvis fan (Elvis recorded much of his catalogue here). David would have been happy to stay in that studio all day... Once I had dragged him away, we walked down Broadway which is quote touristy, however found some nice places including "Brewhouse & Mojo" (which serves over 70 beers on tap) and Ernest Tubb Record Shop. We also wandered down to the Cumberland River where we sat and soaked up some Tennessee rays.
During our stay we hired a car (as we were staying quite a way out of town). Actually it was more of a truck than a car, and David nearly killed us both when he forgot momentarily which side of the road we were supposed to be driving on, thank goodness we were in a 4wd on steroids as the other cars just parted around us until we made it back to the right side of the road!
In the CBD, we found some great little art galleries tucked away and made some great purchases. Word on the street was to check out "Hillsboro Village" as far as handmade local art was concerned. We headed out there and found some absolute gems. Shops specialising in handmade products of all types where we were able to obtain lots of contact details of local artists. Again, more great goodies to add to the nest!
Hillsboro Village is a cool hub, made up of mainly students (that attend the surrounding universities), cools bars, shops and galleries including the Fitz. The food we found was also brilliant. Salmon and avocado burritos....mmm... yum... I still get hungry thinking about them now.