By: Samie

Travel Dates: July 10th-15th, 2024

Day 4

(Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery, White Bison, Bringle’s Smoking Oasis, Grand Ole Opry)

After a more flexible schedule the day before, our Day 4 in Nashville was back to being under a few events with pre booked time restrictions. However, we were still very excited for the events of the day as they were some of the first things we had booked when we had found our incredibly affordable flight tickets to Nashville!

Our day was scheduled to start with a tour of the historic Belle Meade Site & Winery! Tickets for the 45-minute Mansion Tour with a complimentary wine tasting are $32 per person for adults. Something to note, while it was Luke’s first time to Music City, I had already visited Nashville twice before this adventure. During my second visit of the city, one of the activities I had done was visit the Belle Meade with my sister and stepdad while my mom was busy during the day at the conference that had brought us to Nashville in the first place. It was during this 2018 tour that my 23-year-old self had my first sip of Muscadine wine, and I have was forever changed.

If you’ve never heard the word Muscadine before, you are in the same boat as I was. A likely reason it is unfamiliar to you is that Muscadine is a type of grape that is native to the southeastern part of the United States, so it is not something we would have readily available (or even able to find as I would later find out) in the Midwest region of the country, where I have lived the entirety of my life. This magical little fruit is more round and have a fuller and more complex flavor than the grapes most of us are used to. Once these little balls of heaven are made into wine, like me, I doubt you will ever be able to get enough!

This automatically made the Belle Meade a must stop during Luke and my time in Nashville now in the year 2024. Yes, 6 years later, and I cannot stop thinking about that wine. Try as I may, I was never able to find it in grocery or liquor stores that I visited. That meant that I would not be leaving Nashville without it now. We specifically checked a bag for the first time in our travels together with the sole intention of having a way to bring a bottle or two of this wine home. That’s how serious this visit was to me!

Since we knew we would be drinking some wine, we didn’t want to book too early of a tour. We wanted to pick a time where it seemed a little more reasonable to be drinking, so we book the 11:00 tour. We were up and calling an Uber to our Airbnb by 10:00 because it was an estimated 15 minutes to get to Belle Meade from where we were staying, and we knew traffic could be unpredictable. However, we had very little traffic to get through and were able arrive before 10:30. When we checked in, the guest service worker that assisted said there were still opening for the 10:30 tour and that she could go ahead and add us to that so that we didn’t have to wait around for so long. She gave us our bracelets and pamphlet with a map directing us how to get to the different areas of the site and marked where we would be meeting our guide for the tour of the mansion.

We made our way up to the porch of the Belle Meade Mansion to soak up the summer heat on the porch as we imagined the wealthy owners of previous times would have done. Our tour guide, William (Willie) came out to get our group right on time, and we followed him into the entryway of the mansion. There is no photography allowed inside the mansion, so we are not able to share any of the beauty and grandeur of this old house, so you’ll just have to go see it for yourself! While this was my second time taking this tour, as a more fully developed adult, I came to find out that I share much of my interior decorating aesthetic with an upscale woman of the 1800’s.

After our tour of the mansion, Willie walked us over to the winery where he wished us farewell and ushered us in for the complimentary wine tasting part of our tour. We go to sample 4 of their wines, their Race Day White, Race Day Red, Red Muscadine, and Blackberry. The Race Day White and Red were both more dry wines, and the Red Muscadine and Blackberry were more sweet wines. I have to admit, even though I had been anxiously awaiting this moment, I was a little nervous to try the Red Muscadine, in fear that it wouldn’t hold up from what I was remembering. However, there was no need to worry as it was just as delicious as ever. The Blackberry was also very tasty, but it’s hard to beat the unique Red Muscadine wine with light flavors of raspberry and cranberry.

After our sampling, we decided whether or not to order wine to ship home and avoid packing it or just buy the bottles to fly home with since we had specifically checked a bag for this and had purchased wine bottle protector travel bags as well. We opted to go ahead and purchase the bottles now while we were here and avoid paying any shipping fees. Although it was tempting to buy as many bottles as we could carry (because yes, Luke ended up loving the wine as much as I did), we kept it to a reasonable two bottles to bring home. However, there was nothing stopping us from buying a glass of it to sip on the outdoor patio area before exploring the rest of the grounds!

We walked over to the outdoor bar and asked for two glasses of Red Muscadine wine. The bartenders then informed us that two glasses would cost us $24, whereas if we just bought a whole bottle, it would be $25. Did we need a whole bottle? No. Did we buy the whole bottle? Absolutely.

We found a little table set off to the side a little bit in the shade of some large and beautiful trees and poured ourselves a glass each to start. We sipped and chatted and soaked up the summer sun as we slowly made our way through our bottle of wine. Every sip was as exquisite and heavenly as the last. We were also able to capture some lovely photos in this picturesque area with the stunning backdrop of the mansion and well-kept landscape. Although it took a little more time than we originally planned on taking to sit to drink a cup of wine, it was not difficult to polish off the bottle by any means.

We sat down to enjoy our wine at around 11:30, and it took us about half an hour to drain our bottle and make our way around the grounds with what was left of the wine in our glasses. Keep in mind, this was our very first activity of the day, so we hadn’t even stopped for coffee or breakfast. This meant our stomachs were empty. Something else to be aware of is that I really don’t drink very often. An empty stomach plus low alcohol tolerance plus an entire bottle of wine equaled an incredibly drunk (but also very happy and content) Samie.

As we were referencing our map, we saw that the grounds had a little ice cream shop called Coop ‘N’ Scoop: Ice Cream and Coffee, so we set our sights on that as our next destination. The walk over there and even stepping inside to order is very hazy to me as I was pretty far gone by this point, but I was happy as a lark in my own little world as well. Again, my memory is unclear, but I do know that I got some kind of a peach flavored ice cream and that Luke got some kind of a blackberry flavored ice cream. I also remember that it was delicious.

At this point, Luke realized how plastered I was and insisted I get some food in my stomach. Despite some pushback from me, he went and ordered us a charcuterie board. The mix of meats, cheeses, and nuts were definitely tasty and also, admittedly, a good idea and helped me regain some of my awareness back.

After sobering up with some food, we continued to walk around the grounds. Even though the acreage is not nearly as large is it once was, it is still a sizeable estate, and it so beautifully upkept. They have a little mini golf and croquet course as well as a few other outdoor recreational games if you want to pass the time that way. They have immense greenery to walk through or relax under if plants are up your alley as they are for me. Finally, we made our way back around to the front of the mansion where I attempted to recreate a photo I had taken from my 2018 trip. I think I have changed slightly more than the mansion has, but I think it’s safe to say that we have both aged pretty gracefully.

We finally made our way back up the front of the Belle Meade where we had checked in so that we could walk around the gift shop while we waited for our Uber to come and get us. The last time I had visited the gift shop, I had found and purchased to what is still to this day my favorite wine class. It is a short hand-made glazed pink and blue glass with indents where you hold it with your fingers, which gives it a unique shape as well. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as lucky this time and nothing struck either of our fancy, so we made our way outside to greet our Uber.

Before continuing on in our journey, it was now about 1:45 in the afternoon, and after a surprisingly full morning of walking and drinking in the sun, we needed a quick fuel up. We had our driver drop us off at White Bison Coffee. From there, it would only be a 5 minute walk to our next intended destination.

While I was definitely more conscious and alert than I had been a few hours ago, my senses certainly weren’t fully covered, and I couldn’t tell you exactly what our coffee orders were. I usually take notes in my phone along the way during our travels as well so that I can include as much detail as possible in my posts, and I know I can’t rely on my memory to do it. However, I didn’t even have the sense to jot anything down at this point. All I know is the coffees were iced, and I know they hit the spot!

Our next stop was a food destination, Bringle’s Smoking Oasis. We had heard about this eatery from our wonderful tour guide, Jim, at Pennington Distillery the day before. The Pitmaster is Carey Bringle, the same person behind Peg Leg Porker, which had been our favorite food stop of our trip so far, despite some fierce competition. We had to give this other spot a try since we had enjoyed Peg Leg Porker so much!

Peg Leg Porker had been founded first in 2013 by Bringle. It was given its name after himself because during a battle with cancer at the age of 17, he was able to triumph but lost his leg in the process. Hence, Peg Leg Porker. This up and coming BBQ joint became known quickly and even found its way into several well-known media outlets and magazines! He then opened the doors for this second highly anticipated eatery in 2021.

The ordering process for this location is a little bit different, and instead of strictly ordering an option from a menu, you order by weight. Upon entering, everything happened so quickly that Luke did most of the ordering and just checked for my input because he knows where more about this stuff than I do! Thank goodness one of us was able to figure out what to do because I would’ve been lost on my own! I couldn’t tell you the weight Luke went with, but I do know that we got some smoked turkey, brisket, and a jalapeño cheddar sausage. For sides, we decided to try their street corn and cowboy beans.

The food was still absolutely remarkable. We were especially pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the smoked turkey! I’m a big brisket fan, so I would still have to pick that as my favorite out of the three meats, but they were definitely high quality like Peg Leg Porker, but we still think Peg Leg Porker takes the gold for being the best food stop of our Nashville trip. The street corn was also good, and the beans were definitely solid too. The big difference between here and Peg Leg Porker is that the service left something to be desired.

Right when we walked in, the lady working the counter was on her phone, so we had to stand there for a little bit before she greeted us. When she did start talking to us, she was very short and seemed impatient with us for asking questions or not automatically knowing the ordering process. After she slid us over to the next station where we would get cuts of our meat, the men helping us there were much more hospitable and understanding, but our initial interaction put a damper on the whole vibe our visit, which is too bad.

The Oasis does have an outdoor option which pretty much everyone else that was visiting either walked right to or brought their food out to after ordering. We didn’t go out there because we needed some air conditioning, but it looked like there was a bar and lots of outdoor seating, like you could attend or host events!

When we were done eating, it was around 2:30, and we decided to make our way back to the Airbnb so that we could get a little down time and drop our goodies from the day off before having to get ready to head back out into the night for our show at the Grand Ole Opry!

Our Saturday night show was set to start at 7:00pm, but we didn’t know how hard it would be to get there since it was located in a busier area of the city, and we didn’t know how time-consuming the process would be for getting in. This meant we wanted to make sure to leave at least an hour early to allow ourself enough time to get there, despite it only being about a 20 minute drive in Google Maps, and be able to get through any security line and to our seats with enough time to spare.

Getting over to the area of the Opry was easy enough, but once we hit the road that would take us to the Opry itself, traffic built up very quickly. Our Uber was inching along with a pretty large stretch of cars still in front of us and more piling up behind. The building came into view, and there was a grassy area with some walking paths and lanes to get over to it by foot, so we told our driver they could go ahead and let us out here, and we would hoof it the rest of the way. That way they wouldn’t have to waste any more time crawling along at this pace and wouldn’t have to attempt to find a place to park or pull off where everyone else was also trying to park or pull off.

Getting into the building wasn’t too tricky or time consuming at all, and we were able to get in and find our seats by just after 6:30. We decided that since we had a little bit of time, we would head back downstairs (we were up in the second balcony) and visit the gift shop so that we wouldn’t have to fight through crowds after the show to get our souvenirs. The gift shop was still pretty packed, but apparently it does get even worse after the show, so we were glad we had decided to deal with the busy store now instead of bumping and pushing with even more attendees later. I was able to find a very cute and cozy teal sweatshirt that I liked. It was pricier than I normally would spend on one of my trip sweatshirts, but we quickly learned that literally everything at the Opry was priced extremely steep, so something to be aware of! Considering the prices of some of the other merchandise, my crew neck sweatshirt really wasn’t so bad. At one point during the show later in the evening, Luke went to go and get us drinks, but he had ended up only coming back with one because the drink he ordered was $30 alone, but they didn’t tell him the price until they’d already poured it.

By the time we checked out, it was already about 6:50, so we made our way back to our seats. Now, flashback again with me if you will to 2018 and also 2015, my previous two times in Nashville. During both of these visits, I had visited the Grand Ole Opry. However, both of these visits were also backstage tours. They had been during the day, and a guide had taken us behind the scenes to see where the artists come in on their performance night, some of the Opry member mailboxes, plaques of all the Grand Ole Opry members, some of the dressing rooms, and then finished with getting a photo on the circle of the original stage on the big stage of the Opry itself! Despite visiting the Opry every time I had been to Nashville, I actually had yet to see a show here, so I was getting to share that experience for the first time along side my amazing husband, which made it even a little more special and exciting!

With the last few minutes before the show started back in the present time of 2024, we snaped a few photos with the stage and screen in the background and then took our seats while we anxiously and excitedly waited for the show to begin!

Neither Luke nor myself are particularly large country music fans. However, it’s hard not to enjoy any kind of music genre in a setting like this where the vibes are immaculate and the energy is high! When we had purchased our tickets, there was an outline of a few of the artists that were scheduled to perform, but you also never really know who might join on the stage!

The night’s show kicked off with the Opry Square Dancers. Then, a lovely seasoned performer in a stunning blue blazer named Jeannie Seely came out and shared her lovely voice! Up next was a newer and younger artist named Drew Parker. His songs were probably the most modern-country of the whole night. They didn’t have the bluegrass sound of the old country songs that many of the performers were singing, but they didn’t quite have the pop country sound you would hear on the radio. Luke really likes bluegrass, and I really like pop, which meant that poor Drew ended up being our least favorite performer of the night because he was lacking the things we each liked about some of the performances. That isn’t to say he didn’t do a wonderful job, and he brought out his family at the end, and he had a very new little baby and one of the cutest little blonde girls ever, complete with a big bow in her hair and all! Next up was another well-known Opry member named Connie Smith. Then there was a performer named Don Schlitz, who started out with some microphone troubles, but the Opry crew is a well-oiled machine, and it was resolved very quickly. He is known more for his song-writing than his singing, but he is fortunate enough to be talented at both! After that was the sweetest older gentleman named Bill Anderson, 86 years young, and he still sounds great!

After that was an artist named Max McNown. We were getting to watch him make his Grand Ole Opry debut that night. We had seen his name on the schedule when we booked tickets and looked him like we did with all the other performers. His music was our favorite as it was more country pop. He was also the youngest performer of the night at only 23! It was very cool getting to be a part of someone’s debut at the Opry and getting to hear him say a few words after he sang. You could just see the life and excitement and pure joy in him as her performed and talked about getting to perform there on the Opry stage!

The main performer we were here to see was of course, the amazing comedian Dusty Slay. We had been fortunate enough to see him up close and in a smaller setting on our very first evening in Nashville at Zanies Comedy Club. We were just as excited to see what material he would be sharing with us here tonight as well though! He was up after Max McNown, and he absolutely, per his name sake, slayed it. Luke and I had tears rolling down our cheeks, we were laughing so hard. Some of the material was familiar from specials of his we had seen or what we had been lucky enough to hear earlier that week, but it was still hilarious, and he of course had some new stuff that absolutely crushed.

Finishing off the night’s performance was Vince Gill. Throughout the night, the performers had been paying tribute to a legendary Opry member that had recently passed away, Joe Bonsall. Vince closed out the night with a beautiful tribute song to him that left very few dry eyes in the house, myself and Luke included.

Once the show was over, we made our way outside. We wanted to grab some photos in front of the Grand Ole Opry House sign. We had attempted to get some pictures before the show, but there was a large line of people waiting their turn to get their pictures, so we just decided to do it after. Sure enough, it was easy to stand on the designated photo spot because we were pretty much the only ones that wanted to take our pictures after it had already gotten dark. I was able to get some in what I was wearing already, and even had enough time to don my new sweatshirt and take a couple with that on as well!

If you want to take one last jump back in time with me for this post to the year 2018. The last time I had been to the Grand Ole Opry House, my sister Alyssa had been there with me as well, and we had taken a photo in pretty much the exact same spot. Again, we had done the backstage tour, so there wasn’t nearly as much of a crowd as there was for an actual performance, so it had been very easy for us to set up our phone to snap a picture. You can once again tell from the comparison of the photos taken in 2024 to the one taken in 2018 that I am definitely not 23 anymore. Time sure does fly by.

By the time we made our way over to the designated Uber pickup spot, there was an insane mob of people also trying to call Ubers and get picked up. It was a battle to try and pick up the closest Uber so that you wouldn’t have to wait who knows how long for the next available driver. When an Uber pulled up, it was tricky to know who they were there for. It was just a whole mess. We finally decided to splurge on an Uber XL because it was nearby and not being claimed by anyone else.

We had our driver drop us off at our Airbnb but quickly made the walk over to Hattie B’s for a late supper, as we hadn’t eaten since lunch at Bringle’s. Thankfully, on Saturdays, they are open until 11:00pm, so even though we didn’t arrive back at our Airbnb until after 10:00, we still had enough time to walk over, order, and eat before closing time. We both went with Mild this time for our hot chicken temperature. Our sides included some very hot fried pickles, crinkle cut fries, bacon cheddar grits, and banana pudding for dessert.

It was then time to make our way back to our Airbnb for the evening, knowing tomorrow would be our last full day Nashville and wanting to be as well-rested as possible in order to enjoy it and make the most of it!