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During your Nashville vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Belmont Mansion
Built in the 1850s by Adelicia Acklen, then one of the wealthiest women in the country, this Italianate villa is the city's most elegant historic home open to the public, and its grand salon is one of the most elaborately decorated rooms in any antebellum home in Tennessee. Belmont Mansion was originally built as a summer home, yet no expense was spared in its construction. On your tour of the mansion, you'll see rooms filled with period antiques, artwork, and marble statues. This museum also has an excellent gift shop full of reproduction period pieces. Allow at least 90 minutes to tour the mansion.Shutterbugs, take note: Unlike many museums and historic mansions, photography is permitted inside the Belmont Mansion. So stock up on film or digital-camera cartridges, and click away!
Jack Daniel's Distillery
Old Jack Daniel (or Mr. Jack, as he was known hereabouts) didn't waste any time setting up his whiskey distillery after the Civil War came to an end. Founded in 1866, this is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's still an active distillery; you can tour the facility and see how Jack Daniel's whiskey is made and learn how it gets such a distinctive earthy flavor. There are two secrets to the manufacture of Mr. Jack's famous sour-mash whiskey. The first of these is the water that comes gushing -- pure, cold, and iron-free -- from Cave Spring. The other is the sugar maple that's used to make the charcoal. In fact, it is this charcoal, through which the whiskey slowly drips, that gives Jack Daniel's its renowned smoothness.After touring the distillery, you can glance in at the office used by Mr. Jack and see the safe that did him in. Old Mr. Jack kicked that safe one day in a fit of anger and wound up getting gangrene for his troubles. One can only hope that regular doses of Tennessee sippin' whiskey helped ease the pain of his last days. If you want to take home a bottle of Jack Daniel's, they can be purchased here at the distillery, but nowhere else in this county, which is another of Tennessee's dry counties. (No tastings at the end of the tour I'm afraid.)
Tennessee State Capitol
The Tennessee State Capitol, completed in 1859, is a classically proportioned Greek Revival building that sits on a hill on the north side of downtown Nashville. The capitol is constructed of local Tennessee limestone and marble that slaves and convict laborers quarried and cut. Other notable features include the 19th-century style and furnishings of several rooms in the building, a handful of ceiling frescoes, and many ornate details. President and Mrs. James K. Polk are both buried on the capitol's east lawn. You can pick up a guide to the capitol at the Tennessee State Museum. It won't take long to admire it from the outside.
Comfort Inn Opryland Area
Free hot continental breakfast and free wireless Internet access in all rooms. Walking distance to Opryland Complex-Grand Ole Opry,Opry Mills, and various restaurants. Within minutes from downtown Nashville, Gaylord Entertainment Center and other Nashville attractions. Pet accommodation: 5.00/night per pet. Pet limit: Under 20 ...
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