Our tickets include access to Elvis's cars; the 'Sincerely Elvis' exhibition; and his aircraft. We visit all of these, pausing for coffee at the Chrome Grill after viewing the Automobile Museum. We particularly like the MG and Rolls Royce, which with Priscilla's Mercedes, adds a touch of class amongst the American cars. The 'Sincerely Elvis' exhibition with its collection of personal belongings was very good, and we enjoy seeing the planes again - especially the larger one (a Convair 880), the Lisa Marie.

 

Our departure from Graceland is at about 12:15pm, and after circumnavigating Memphis, we are soon heading northeast through Tennessee on the I-40. After about sixty miles we stop at Jackson for the Casey Jones Home & Railroad. Here, we enjoy some tasty ice cream before eating our apple crumb etc on a bench outside the Country Store.

Returning to the Interstate, we make good progress until we reach Nashville where there is a lower speed limit, road works, and heavy traffic. We reach the Gaylord  Opryland  Resort at about 5:30pm and valet park at the Cascades section of the hotel. Our room is not large, and although there are two double beds and lots of furniture, there is little room for the cases. But it is the view from the balcony that is the outstanding feature of the room - this 2,888-room hotel is built around tropical gardens laid out in glass-roofed courtyards.

We go for a walk through the lush gardens of the courtyards, much as we did on our previous visit in 1998, when we decided that we would very much like to stay in this amazing complex. After our exploration, we eat at Rachel's, a huge restaurant that features a buffet as one of the menu options. We choose the buffet, which has excellent food, nicely displayed - not such a big choice as the Golden Corral, but a more refined setting and good service. After collecting our tickets for tomorrow's performance at The Grand Old Opry, we watch the hotel's late evening fountain displays.

 

 

As we have our do-it-yourself breakfast on our balcony, we can observe other residents making their start to the day at tables in the atrium below us. It would be quite delightful to sit here all day, just watching what is happening, and listening to the sound of the waterfalls in the gardens. However, one of the reasons why we have come back to Nashville is to visit The Hermitage - the home of the seventh president of the United States: Andrew Jackson. On our previous visit here, The Hermitage was closed due to the damage caused by a tornado that caused our incoming flight to be diverted to Memphis.

It is hot and mostly sunny at The Hermitage, where our visit begins by watching a poor quality film, which is only redeemed by the interesting content relating to Jackson's leadership in the Battle of New Orleans.

 

There is a short path from the Visitor Centre to the Mansion, which we tour in a group of 12 people. Its Greek Revival look dates from a rebuilding following a fire in 1831, and the interior has been refurbished to its 1837-1845 appearance with almost all the furnishings being original.

 

After coffee in the Visitor Centre we explore the large grounds surrounding the house. A 1-mile trail takes us past the Smokehouse; the Springhouse (which sheltered the water supply); the First Hermitage (the simple house where the Jacksons lived from 1804 to 1821); the formal garden (designed by the English gardener William Frost); and the Tomb (right) where Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel are buried.

Not far from The Hermitage we find the Tennessee Confederate Soldiers Cemetery (right) and Tulip Grove (below) the house of Rachel Jackson's nephew, before returning to Opryland.

We then drive to the final destination for this trip: Nashville.

The Cascades section of Opryland is just one of four parts of the hotel complex. The largest section, Delta, is big enough to have an 'island' around which flatboats provide cruises. Our cruise provides an interesting commentary on the hotel's construction etc as well as views of the building (right) and the enormous catfish in the water.

On arriving at Opryland we were delighted to see that the hotel was hosting an exhibition called Rockwell's America: Celebrating the Art of Norman Rockwell. We have always enjoyed seeing examples of Norman Rockwell's famous Saturday Evening Post covers on previous visits to the US and we visit this exhibition to find some of his most famous paintings brought to life in an interactive exhibition that gives us the opportunity to reproduce our own version of his Boy and Girl Gazing at the Moon (above).

 

Only one of the performers' names is familiar (Trace Adkins) but an entertaining two hours is provided by each of the half-hour sections of the show. A last minute replacement (John Conlee) substitutes for the veteran and diminutive Jimmy Dickens, who we saw on our previous visit when he sang his famous novelty song and 1965 big hit: May a Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.

 

But the only bird that is relevant to us after the show is the one that will take us homeward tomorrow, so we return to the hotel to pack.

 

Today's schedule consists of two Continental Airlines' flights: CO 2575 (Nashville to Newark - 1:40pm/5pm) and CO 26 (Newark to Birmingham 8:10pm/8am). Our drive to the airport is delayed by 20-minutes as David argues about the hotel bill's accuracy, eventually settling for a $60 plus tax discount. Despite the check-out hassle, we have had a wonderful stay at this unique hotel.

 

After dropping off the car at the airport, it is an easy luggage cart push to Departures, where the fact that two people present themselves with three tickets dose not cause too much confusion. Our total mileage driven from Las Vegas is 4,655 - the most we have ever driven on our 29 American trips, but only 36 miles more than our 2002 holiday that 'ticked-off' North Dakota.

 

The flight to Newark is on an Embraer RJ145, with a 1-aisle-2 seating format, so we take up the whole of Row 9 and both of us have window seats. As only a beverage service is provided, we are glad of a turkey sandwich we purchased in the airport.

 

An almost full Boeing 757-200 takes us to Birmingham. We seem to get some sleep as we are soon waking up for breakfast. We land in a cloudy Birmingham at the end of a wonderful holiday - as befits a celebration of our 40th Wedding Anniversary.