Nashville drying out, still a lot to offer
The Grand Ole Opry House and Opry Mills Mall in Nashville were surrounded by floodwaters on May 4, 2010, in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP Photo
Nashville is still drying out after the record-breaking rains and floods that recently drenched downtown and soaked such landmark sites as the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Most of the damage downtown was caused by the Cumberland River, which crested at 52 feet, an unprecedented level.
Most Nashville attractions are open, including Belle Meade Plantation, the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art and the Nashville Zoo. The CMA Music Festival will go on as planned June 10-13.
But Music City's most famous attraction, the Grand Ole Opry, saw waters swell to its pews, forcing it to close, halt tours and relocate concerts to other stages, such as Ryman Auditorium. For venue changes, see opry.com.
Unfortunately, the grande dame of Nashville, the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, located about 15 minutes from downtown, is shuttered and may remain so for many months. According to its Web site (gaylordhotels.com), the property is not accepting future reservations.
