November 5&6: We started talking about scouting Tennessee as a possible retirement destination well before COVID-19 came along, but we postponed scheduling a trip because we didn’t want to be traveling during the shut-down. When it looked like things were opening up again we talked to our friends about joining us, and they happily agreed. Unfortunately, COVID-19 swelled again, but we decided to go away, but be cautious and respectful of social distancing, including taking hand sanitizer, wipes, disinfectants, and extra masks. Fortunately the weather was nice the majority of our trip, allowing us to eat outside in all but the last two nights, and those restaurants were seating only every other table and required masks if you weren’t at your table.
We decided we were going to take our time getting to Nashville, so started out from our friends’ house around dinner time and arriving in Allentown in time for a bedtime cocktail. The next morning, Holly, Warren and I went for a walk along the Lehigh River, which Holly then turned into a jog back to the car because she was “feeling it.” We stayed in Christiansburg that night because Lou and me wanted to take our friends to dinner at the FatBack Soul Shack, where we had eaten on the way to my first Ironman race (Chattanooga). They actually had a band scheduled for that night but we weren’t feeling up for staying late.
November 7&8: Out first stop upon arriving in Nashville was to pick up our race packets for The Whiskey Run Holly and I were signed up to do the next morning. On the drive to town we had decided to switch our entry to virtual because neither of us were comfortable running in a crowd of people, even though the race director said social distancing was going to be enforced. We were among the first people in the car line to get our packets so it didn’t take long to complete the transaction and get over to the hotel. After getting over our awe at how nice the suite was, we decided to talk a walk over to Broadway to see what was happening. We knew there would be a lot more people over there, but were shocked to see just how many, and how many were NOT practicing social distancing OR wearing a mask. Not only were the restaurant packed, but there were lines out the door just as usual, and that was around 5:00PM. We knew it would only get worse from there, so we quickly made our way OFF Broadway and walked across the Pedestrian Bridge to get a good look at Nissan Stadium. On the way back to our suite we decided to order takeout from Martin’s BBQ, which was the best BBQ we had the entire trip.
Where we stayed:
Home2Suites: One of the nicest hotels we stayed in, but it had funky shaped spaces we think were meant to be extra closets for long-term stays.
What we did:
Quick walking tour of Broadway
Virtual The Whiskey Run (around Titans Stadium)
All inclusive Hey Ya’ll Distillery Tour (Nelson’s Green Brier; Corsair)
Nashville Night Tour
Where we sipped and supped:
Martin’s BBQ
Nada
November 9-12:
Where we stayed:
Residence Inn Knoxville Cedar Bluff
What we did:
Jack Daniels Distillery Tour
Sightseeing in Great Smoky Mountains
Hike Abrams Falls Trail
Navitat Adventure
Where we sipped and supped:
Miss Mary BoBo’s
Parkside Grill
Don Eduardo’s
Boyd’s Jig & Reel
Tennessee Tap House
Calhoun’s on the River
November 10 (Tuesday) – 12 (Thursday)
House Tours
November 13-15:
Where we stayed:
Springhill Suites – Roanoake, VA
Courtyard by Marriott – Mahwah, NJ
What we did:
Roanoke Mountain Adventures
Mill Mountain
Where we sipped and supped:
Tuco’s Taqueria Garaje
Big Lick Brewing
Fink’s BBQ and Cheesesteak Roadhouse
