Beyond Baseball... A Once in a Lifetime Trip!

This summer we had the opportunity to take an unbelievable family vacation across Tennessee, culminating at WWE's SummerSlam in the crazy town of Nashville. As with most of our family outings, we made a few stops at the minor league parks en route from NC to Nashville. Our first stop was in Kodak, TN to see the Tennessee Smokies (amazing ballpark!), followed by a night in Chattanooga, TN to see the Chattanooga Lookouts (less amazing)! Then, the real fun began...

Friday Morning

After leaving Chattanooga, TN, the winding road had us touch both Georgia and Alabama on our way to Lynchburg, TN where we obviously embarked upon a tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery. With the children along, we went on the dry tour, but it was certainly still worth the trip.  We all enjoyed touring the most famous distillery in the world, seeing the processes, learning about the man behind it all, and experiencing the culture and family-feel within the company.

Friday Evening

Our teenage daughter is currently obsessed with musicals, and of course, Hamilton. When we noticed Hamilton was playing at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in downtown Nashville the same weekend we were planning our trip, it was a sign we had to go. While we spend a lot of time outdoors at the ballpark, it's refreshing to get a little culture every now and then as well. The show was quite a spectacle and for a baseball guy, “Hamilton” was more entertaining than I'd imagined!

Saturday Morning

After our night of musical theater, we enjoyed breakfast downtown before the craziness took off on a beautiful summer Nashville day. After breakfast, we walked a few blocks to the SummerSlam Superstore. This store had been running a few days earlier in the week. I presume these stores are set up to peak interest of the local crowd and encourage more to attend the event. In a low-pressure, comfortable setting, we were able to purchase our SummerSlam merchandise before the rush of the rowdy wrestling crowd at the event later that night. We bought our signature “I was there” apparel and started getting hyped for the main event! 

Saturday Evening

It was time for SummerSlam! The event was held in Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL Tennessee Titans. After dinner at Margaritaville on our walk to the stadium across the famous John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, we started feeling the hype. Everywhere we looked, people were in WWE gear. Professional wrestling attracts a wide audience, but we are all at home together. The whole night was quite the experience, with the sights and sounds and pyro, and an event that can’t be matched in terms of showmanship. WWE never spares to give its fans the best product possible.

​The high spot of the night: Brock Lesnar used a tractor and front bucket to pick up the ring from a corner. I've watched a lot of wresting in my lifetime, and that's something I'd never seen before!

Sunday Evening: Part One

We slept-in on Sunday and took it easy after the craziness of Saturday night's event. But that afternoon we found ourselves back to baseball at First Horizon Park, home of the Nashville Sounds. The ballpark is just a few blocks from downtown and an easy walk from where we were staying. We had a great time at a truly unique minor league ballpark playing putt-putt and corn hole in The Band Box while watching the ballgame at the same time. The Sound's guitar-shaped scoreboard keeps the music city vibe!

Sunday Evening: Part Two

Another wrestling event in town for the weekend was “Ric Flair’s Last Match”. We actually didn’t attend in favor of the Nashville Sounds hosting the Charlottle Knights. I was keeping an eye on the wrestling results, however. Timing worked out that the two events ended nearly simultaneously and were taking place only a couple blocks apart. (Fortunately for wrestling fans, 73-year-old Flair didn’t die!). On the walk from the ballgame back to our room, we walk right past the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. As we neared the venue, a group was waiting outside the back door getting close to the VIPs as they left the arena. Of course we hung around. Household names that passed within view: The Undertaker, Bret Hart, Mick Foley, and Jeff Jarrett. A black car backed all the way in a bay door and shortly after left with Ric Flair in the front passenger seat. This scene was like a rock and roll concert and the lead singer had just left the building. I'm very thankful for the unexpected addition of the day. Before I loved baseball, I loved professional wrestling. Even though we didn’t attend the event, being a part of the scene for the GREATEST OF ALL TIME was unforgettable.

Monday Morning

Leaving out on Monday, it was literally all down hill from there. I guess we actually climbed a hill from Nashville getting to the mountains in East Tennessee before falling in North Carolina. Before departing Nashville, we visited the Parthenon, a Greek replica that houses an art museum. The children have studied Greek culture for years and are very intrigued by Greek mythology. This visit to the Nashville Parthenon was a very special experience and a nice close to our crazy weekend.

Also not pictured were drive-bys of the baseball stadiums at Vanderbilt (Nashville) and the University of Tennessee (Knoxville).

A once in a lifetime trip!!!