Just returned Friday evening from a fun 8-day Tastes & Sounds of the South tour which featured Nashville, Memphis, Natchez & New Orleans!  This tour is a wonderful introduction to some of the music, food and culture of the American South.  Country, and rock & roll and jazz music fans will really enjoy this tour. 

The tour began with 2 nights in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.  This hotel is really a destination in itself, an enormous hotel with 9 acres of indoor gardens, 12 restaurants, world-class spa and lots of places to shop.  It is also within walking distance of the Grand Ole Opry.  Lots of fun things to do for the entire family.  You could simply stay at this hotel for your entire vacation!  We had a great welcome reception at Pisano’s, an Italian eatery. 

The next day included a tour of the Jack Daniels Whiskey Distillery in Lynchburg, TN where we were treated to a tour of the distillery to see how whiskey is made.  Quite interesting to see how clear spring water and corn, rye and barley become smooth sippin’ Tennessee Whiskey!  One other interesting note is that Lynchburg is a dry county, so you can smell all the great smells coming from the distillery, but no tasting!  We also had a great included lunch at the Jack Daniels BBQ on a wooded hillside overlooking the distillery.  The food was really great and all the dishes included the wonderful Jack Daniels whiskey! 

The interior of the Jack Daniels Brewery

Some free time in Nashville to explore and then we attended a live performance at the Grand Ole Opry that evening. Some great sounds and entertainment including songs by Ricky Skaggs and Diamond Rio!

Filed Under: Where We've Been, Destinations