Day 2 in Nashville centered around the boy:
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The Frist - I was more than happy to visit The Frist Center for Visual Arts. I'd read about the extensive, hands on children's area but I also knew the building was a gorgeous example of Art Deco style which is a favorite of mine. The building was originally Nashville's main post office, built in the early 1930's. Walking the steps and into the main lobby was such a treat for me. We arrived to the upstairs children's area and while I was thrilled with the options the boy was a tad underwhelmed. He isn't so much artistic as he is passionate about trains and making loud noises and well, you can imagine the Frist didn't exactly cater to his desires.
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Old Union Station - This stunning building is now a hotel but the boy and I had a great time walking the main terminal (now the lobby) and then outside to gaze upon the commercial rail lines still active behind the building. We'll be staying at this hotel next time we visit Nashville in a room facing the west so we can see and hear the trains 24 hours a day...yippee!
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The Monkey's Treehouse - Gwyneth Paltrow's kids played here while she was shooting Country Strong (good enough for me) so we drove out to the 'burbs so the boy could run free and wild and...play with all the Thomas trains he already owns at home. Oh well, he had a blast and we stayed for hours...
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Phillip's Toy Mart - This 65 year old toy store is loved by all the locals and has Lionel trains set up and running so naturally we made this stop a priority. The boy acquired two new pull back engines and I bought some fizzy Hello Kitty candy that I enjoyed in my childhood. Above the working train set is a loft so kids can climb up and have a birds eye view of the tracks.
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Nashville's Broadway - The flashing lights and abundance of live music of Broadway are hard to ignore and while the strip may be a huge tourist trap walking the street, buying some cheesy souvenirs and eating at Mike's Ice Cream are must do activities. We had fun...we are, after all, tourists!
xx
JDF
