I made sure to decorate our little car, complete with a sign in the back window that said, “Ditchin’ Kindergarten To Go See KISS!” along with the KISS figures all lined up in the back window, to gaze out as we left Mississippi.
I’d spent a little time trying to find something new to do between Memphis and Nashville, and really, all I came up with was Casey Jones Country Store and Railroad Museum, which is something I’ve seen the signs for a million times, but had never been to.
It was about an hour or so into our 3.5-hour drive. We’d already made plans to eat breakfast on the road, and since they served a country breakfast buffet, we made plans to eat there, as well. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a huge variety on a “country” breakfast buffet for a vegetarian, so I had eggs and biscuits with white gravy (supposedly verified as vegetarian). I kid you not, they had “bologna and a biscuit” as one of the breakfast items on the menu. Ew.
So, we got our bellies full and then spent time in the huge country store, which was really pretty fun. They had every type of knick-knack and oddball thing you could think off… Oh, and then there’s the “Hillbilly humor” items, as well. You know, like the “3-piece chicken dinner” that’s 3 corn kernels glued to a piece of wood… or the “stool sample” that’s basically a little plastic container with a miniature stool inside. Goofy stuff. Sadly, I didn’t buy a “Got Possum?” t-shirt to remember it all by.
In behind the main part of the country store was an old house that they’d literally picked up from one location and brought to this place. It was “made up” to look like a period country store – bulk items (like grains) in the bins along the front counter, lye soap, and such. They had a gentleman in there doing woodburning, as well. We chatted for a while, and he let the kids come back into his studio where he showed them many animal skins (ew!) and pieces he’d done. Interesting, nonetheless…
We had original plans to go to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast in Jackson, so when we finished up our “country breakfast,” we went to Dunkin for coffee and some donut holes. I have to say that DD is NOT all it’s cracked up to be! I’ve heard all sorts of raves about Dunkin Donuts in the past, and I guess I’m just spoiled by Gibson’s Donuts here in Memphis – where the donuts kick ass and the coffee ain’t half bad! (Both were less than impressive at Dunkin – and the kids wouldn’t even finish a freakin’ donut HOLE!)
Once we’d done the tourist-thing, we got back on the road and headed to Nashville. When we got there, we checked into the hotel, got ourselves together, and then walked over to the hotel where Chris had met several members of KISS in the past. We stayed in the lobby there for about 2 hours before calling it quits and heading for dinner.
After dinner, we walked over to the venue, and on Broadway (the main street), the streets were COVERED in KISS fans. Seriously, it was almost silly. Every third person had a KISS t-shirt on or makeup or something. It was so fun! There was such a cool comradery of fans milling about the street, and it was neat to be a part of it. One thing I noticed is how many kids were there to see the show. Seems that Chris wasn’t the only one to be inspired to share this type of thing with his children. There were little kids EVERYWHERE with their parents! If you are old enough to remember, KISS actually caught the eyes of children back in the 70s, too. I think that’s part of the reason so many grown fans are now wanting to show it to their kids – they remember how exciting it was for them as little kids, as well.
The entire area in front of the arena had become something of a KISS block party, so we hung out there for a little while and took pictures with fans and had a good time.
Before long, we went back to the hotel to rest up for the long night ahead.
The kids were SO excited! We left the hotel around 7:30pm (already half an hour after the kids’ normal bedtime), and they were still going ninety-to-nothing.
We got to the venue again, and Chris had to run over to the place where we’d eaten dinner as he’d accidentally left his debit card there (D’OH!). I hung back with the kids and took more pictures with fans… It was fun!
When Chris returned, we hid our cameras appropriately and entered the venue. We had really high seats since the pricing for this tour was utterly RIDICULOUS, and since we weren’t interested in seeing the opening band, we hung out in the corridor looking at the merchandise, fans, and simply avoiding the seating and loud music until it was truly time. Good thing, too, since I saw another mom bring her son out stating that the opening band was being quite raunchy and dirty-mouthed. Shame on them, since they HAVE to know that KISS is bringing in so many younger kids!
It was about this time that Bryce began to wind down. The traveling and excitement finally hit him, and the boy passed out. I thought it would be a good idea for him to get a short 20-minute nap before the show, so we allowed him do keep sleeping.
He woke for a brief amount of time just as the show started, but then was out again. He slept through a good 6 songs full of pyro, booms, the crowd… Sure, he had earplugs in, but I still can’t figure THAT ONE out! It was LOUD in there!
When “Rock-N-Roll All Nite” came on, I shook the boy until I finally got him aroused enough to see that he was missing something really exciting. He eventually came to enough to see it all and was awake for the rest of the show.
Poor Sophie began to complain about her butt hurting, so here it is, I’m at a rock concert, and I have one kid drooling on my shoulder, and the other one complaining about her butt. *shakes head*
All in all, the kids had a great time. Once the show was over, they were both more alert and talkative and excited… We took more photos with fans and hit one of the merchandise tables to retrieve our copy of the show on CD (cool, right?).
When we left, they were both exhausted, but still very much talking about seeing the show.
With a “boys bed” and a “girls bed,” we all crashed heavily and slept until my son, once again, awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
On our way out for more Nashville fun, we stopped by Third Man Records (Jack White’s – of the White Stripes – office/studio/store/etc.) I swear, if I lived in Nashville, I’d sit in the driveway until I saw Jack. Haha!!! I finally found my peppermint sticker for the car, as well as 2 sweet WS shirts! Score! They weren’t supposed to be open, but the girl working there opened the doors for us and actually spent quite a bit of time sharing stories about Jack and his work… It was fun! The kids, in the meantime, played in the floor with a stylophone.
The weather was drizzly and cool, but we followed through on our plans to visit the Nashville Zoo. There were very few people there, and despite the light rain and cloudy skies, we had a good time. The kids ran and ran and ran and giggled and played the entire time.
We got to ride one of our favorite carousels, as well as feed the Lorikeets (my FAVORITE exhibit ever!)
We left the zoo in hopes of catching a local place called “The Pancake Pantry” before they closed, but it was too late. We literally missed it by 15 minutes or so.
So, we left there and went to Cracker Barrel for another dose of country cookin’.
In the parking lot of Cracker Barrel, the kids put on their jammies, and we headed home.
We were fortunate to catch the Fall foliage at it’s peak almost the entire drive, which made for BRILLIANT shades of yellow, orange, and red all along the interstate. It was such a joy for me since this is my favorite time of year. Even with the rain drizzle, the leaves really showed their beauty for us.
In the car on the way home, I think I heard, “Are we almost home?” a MILLION times only an hour into driving!
I surely don’t think we’re up for a Disney trip for a few more years, haha!
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