Nashville and Chattanooga

***We finally got our camera back today, and I was able to download the remaining pics from our trip. I hope to be taking more pics now and posting more frequently!!!

Doug had a work meeting/conference in Nashville, TN, May 1-4. We had already decided we wanted to go to Chattanooga as a family that Thursday for a long weekend, so timing for his work trip worked our perfectly. Because I have friends from PT school still in Nashville, Callen and I decided to tag along and visit the city I left almost 9 years ago (hard to believe!).

We started our trip in Atlanta on that Saturday, spending the day hanging out with my family. My brother, Stevie and his wife Liz live in Atlanta, and they wanted us all to come for a day and see where they live. We had a great time walking the BeltLine, eating lots of yummy food, and just enjoying each other's company for the day.

The whole crew!

The Epps siblings and Big Steve

The Epps sisters

Enjoying King of Pops on a HOT day

We stayed the evening at Doug's dad's house before heading to Nashville the next day. Callen and I were pretty much on our own in Nashville. We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland, so we spent the first day exploring the hotel and rode the boat through the Delta section of the hotel. We met up with a friend from PT school and her two kiddos. It was pouring rain, so we let them play on the playground at Opry Mills and then had lunch at the Rainforest Café. Cal and I also visited Belmont University, where I went to PT school, to see the new facilities and how much everything has changed over the last 9 years. It was great catching up with friends from so long ago, but it was also nice once the conference was over and we could spend time with Doug!!

On our boat ride through the Opryland

Making friends with Rex

Climbing...what he does best!

On Wednesday morning we left and headed to Chattanooga. We spent the afternoon letting Cal nap and hanging around our hotel, the Chattanooga Choo Choo. We had planned to spend the afternoon and early evening playing in a park and getting dinner, but cold temps and lots of rain changed those plans quickly. (Original weather forecast showed high 70s and low 80s for most of trip with maybe one day of rain. It rained almost everyday except our last day and temps were in the 60s. Of course I had not packed any pants, rain jackets, or warmer clothes for us!!).

We told Callen we would ride a train in Chattanooga. As soon as we arrived, he was ready to ride the train, and got very upset when we told him it would be a few days! Good thing there was a free electric bus/shuttle that left from our hotel and takes a 30 minute loop around the city. We rode that to dinner and everywhere else we wanted to go over the next few days, and that made Cal a happy boy! He loved the bus, and quickly became very confident sitting all by himself.

One of our many bus rides

On Thursday, we went to the Creative Discovery Museum. It was a good time, and Cal had lots of fun at the construction exhibit as well as the toddler play area with tools and pretend house garage. Once again, the weather limited some of the outdoor activities at the Museum, forcing us to stay inside most of the time.

Not sure how you start feet first and end up this way!

Making baskets with crazy contraptions!

Playing music with dad

Hammering in the 'nails'...we have replicated this activity at home, giving mom a god 10-15 minutes of free time to make dinner!

All Cal wanted was to wear a construction hat...he finally found one!

Friday was the big day...Callen got to ride a train! The weather was finally nice and we made plans to go on the early train ride at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. They have a lot of options for train rides, but the one we opted for (it was the only one running that day, but it would have been what we chose anyways!) was the Missionary Ridge Local. It was a 6 mile out and back ride with a stop off at the end of the line in East Chattanooga where the locomotive rotates on a turntable to make the return trip. A 'conductor' came by and punched our tickets and we rode the train to the turnaround point, opting to stay in our seats for this part of the ride. For the return ride, we stood in the vestibule and watched out the windows at all the activity going on. I would have to say this adventure was a highlight of the trip. One, Callen was so excited and taking it all in. Watching his joy and excitement was wonderful and made it more exciting for us. Two, they do a really good job and make it interesting for people of all ages. Doug and I both found the 'tour' very informative and interesting, as well as enjoying the train ride itself. I would highly recommend this excursion for someone visiting Chattanooga.

Getting his ticket punched

Checking out the ticket!

Enjoying the ride

Looking out the window as we go through a tunnel

Hanging out in the vestibule on the return trip

Looking out the window to see what's ahead

Later that afternoon we made our way to Coolidge Park and Walnut Bridge, the pedestrian bridge in Chattanooga. It was so wonderful to finally have good weather and let Cal run around outside. He played with the musical instruments, kicked and chased after the ball with Doug, and rode on the carousel. That evening we enjoyed dinner with Doug's college roommate and his family. What a nice change of pace to enjoy dinner at someone's home while traveling instead of eating as fast as possible in order to be done in time to chase the 2 year old!!

Walking under the bridge

Making music

Playing soccer with dad

Riding the carousel

Walnut Street bridge

Bridge jumping

This trip was a great little getaway for us. It wasn't our normal camping/hiking trip. I'm not sure how well I would have done sleeping on the ground at 7 1/2 months pregnant, plus Doug's work schedule only allowed us to get away for a few days instead of a full week or more. This seemed like the best option for us (plus we both have been wanting to visit Chattanooga). Chattanooga is a great city, much like Greenville. There are many options for both young and old to enjoy.