After a memorable, fun-filled night of listening to live country music, dancing, and making grilled cheese sandwiches, the GLCM group started out our free day by sleeping in. Half of the group decided to spend the warm, sunny day by further exploring the lively city of Nashville after making a quick breakfast. The half of the group that stayed in the Airbnb got caught up on work while sitting out on the lovely rooftop with a view of the unique city skyline. The group of GLCM explorers walked through the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, an eleven acre park with monuments such as a 200 foot granite map of the state, a path of Tennessee history from the start of the world until 1996, a World War II Memorial, and a 95-bell carillon, which is shown in the picture below. Throughout our day full of wandering we saw a variety of colorful murals and thought-provoking artwork painted on the sides of many downtown buildings.
From the Tennessee State Capitol building we walked about twenty-five minutes to the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, originally called the Sparkman Street Bridge, which spans 3,150 feet over the Cumberland River. It was renamed in 2014 to honor the civil rights advocate and journalist John Seigenthaler. It is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the entire world and originally opened on July 5th, 1909. At that time, the construction cost was roughly $475,000.
The truss bridge was converted to a pedestrian bridge in 1998 after Tennessee state inspectors determined that it was in “poor” condition in 1992. The refurbishment of the bridge cost over $15 million. The expansive view from the bridge allows visitors to see downtown Nashville on one side of the Cumberland River and Nissan Stadium where the Tennessee Titans play on the other side. Over the decades, the bridge has become an iconic symbol of Nashville and is featured in several country music videos.
We walked back to the famous Broadway Street to find someplace to eat lunch. We heard the live country music coming from Luke’s 32 Bridge (Luke Bryan’s restaurant / bar) and decided to enter. Everyone in the group, aside from one person, got a hot honey chicken sandwich with fries for lunch. The chicken was super crispy and covered in a deliciously balanced spicy honey glaze. Tired and satisfied, the GLCM group took the pleasant route back to the Airbnb through the Nashville Farmers’ Market and plant store. Everyone had a much needed restful afternoon at the Airbnb napping, soaking up the bright sun on the rooftop, or watching TV in the living room. We ended our free day by walking to dinner at Tailgate Brewery where we ordered individual specialty pizzas. It was a welcomed change from all the BBQ and hot chicken that we have enjoyed the past two days. We had a fulfilling free day exploring the dynamic city of Nashville and are super excited to attend our first site visit of the trip early tomorrow morning.
Blog by Teresa Barrett