On one of our self-guided tours of the area, we learned there are 142 steps leading up the hill on the backside of Tennessee State Capitol Building and they are used all day long. Across the street is the 19-acre Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. One cannot walk through this beautiful park without coming away with much knowledge about the state of Tennessee. It is hard to say what is the highlight of the park. A 200-foot granite map of the state is quite impressive, but no less impressive is the 95-bell carillon, representing the 95 counties. The bells ring every quarter hour and play a full-length song on the hour. Planters along the Walkway of Counties represent various plant species from throughout the state.

The Pathway of History is bordered by a wall of granite, which is engraved with the chronological history of the state. There is a break in the wall representing the years World War II took place. The World War II Memorial is another impressive feature in the park. A giant 16,000-pound black granite globe rotates on a cushion of water. Gold stars are embedded in the walkway to represent the Tennessee Gold Star Mothers, who lost their sons in this war.

Small geyser fountains represent the state’s rivers at the Rivers of Tennessee Fountain.

Another of our stops was at Cooter’s Place, which housed The Dukes of Hazzard Museum, because for a few years that “Good ‘Ol Boys” theme song, sung by Waylon Jennings, could be heard coming from our living room. Inside, a little boy and his younger sister laid on their bellies with their chins supported by their hands while watching Bo and Luke Duke climb in and out of the open windows of their orange 1969 Dodge Charger.

Souvenirs of all descriptions with pictures of the General Lee, O1 and the Confederate flag were sold in the outer area. A full-size General Lee and Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane’s patrol car were displayed inside the museum, as were a few of the coveted metal General Lee models, which are no longer made. A model of the Duke’s town in Hazzard County is also on display with buildings familiar to the show’s fans.

We also sought out American Pickers’ Antique Archaeology Store which is located in part of the Marathon Automobiles building. The first thing that caught my eye after walking through the door was a free-standing, green and white Quaker State Motor Oil sign. My dad had a gas station, which was beside my mom’s grocery store where we resided on the second floor, and this sign was exactly like the one that stood in our side yard. Since Mike and Frank seem to gravitate toward petroliana and all things vehicle-related, there were several items from these categories but not limited to it. Some were part of Mike Wolf’s personal collection and weren’t for sale. I remembered seeing a few from when I viewed American Pickers. Many had the episode and date they were featured on the show.

As I’ve stated before, we press pennies for our souvenirs and buy an occasional T-shirt. I am now the owner of an Antique Archaeology T-shirt.

This particular Marathon Motor Works building first housed the Nashville Cotton Mills. There were several other shops inside with a very long hallway connecting them. Seeing the displays of Motor Works memorabilia along this corridor was most fascinating. Marathon, under its early name of Southern Engine and Boiler Works, was one of the first companies to manufacture industrial boilers and gasoline engines in the late 1800s. The company came out with its own automobile in 1907, producing every component, unlike most other companies. The original showroom had been located in another nearby building. The coming ceased its automobile manufacturing in 1914.

Who knew Nashville had a full-scale replica of the Parthenon, built in 438 BC in Athens, Greece? Fred Rowland did and he insisted he take me there. The original was built in 1897 as one of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition’s temporary buildings. The reason could have been because Nashville was once called “The Athens of the South.” The first Parthenon was not constructed to last indefinitely and was replaced after it became weathered. The new one was rebuilt out of concrete, stone and brick, which took 11 years and one million dollars. It was restored for 12 times the original cost from 1991 to 2001. Inside the structure are art galleries. In 1990 a white 42-foot statue of Athena was added, again full-scale to the one found in Greece. The statue was gilded in gold in 2002.

This 16,000-pound black granite globe floats on a cushion of water at the World War II Memorial in Nashville. Photos by Beverly Kehe-Rowland

We dedicated night people surprised ourselves, by rising at 5:30 and 6:00 one morning in order to drive to the Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge. Our goal was to get in a walk before the thermometer rose into the high 80s/low 90s, something I abhor more than getting up early. The paved walkway tunneled under a busy street. It was slightly foggy on the Cumberland River when we arrived. Along the way, we saw some modern art sculptures, a few trees that had been felled by beavers, an Osprey, which is a common sight near our home and as one would expect, a few runners and bikers. Near the parking area, we saw ten or more bright red metal baskets with many vertical chains, mounted to poles. After checking the internet, I learned these were for playing frisbee golf.

We visited the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center, even though we were staying at a different resort. While there, we took a riverboat cruise on the Delta River. Water was collected and blended from more than 1,700 sites around the world, including Chautauqua Lake, to use in this manmade river.

To be continued.