Before Gaylord ate Nashville

I still love to go to Nashville. There's a lot I either haven't seen in years, or haven't seen at all, and I'm still rediscovering the city as an adult.
But I remember Nashville before Gaylord Entertainment moved in and took it over. The trips we made to Opryland, USA when I was a child will always feel like happy times. Those were the days when National Life Insurance owned Opryland, and was a main sponsor of the Grand Ole Opry.
I've never been to Six Flags over Georgia, but I know from what friends have told me, that it is a nice park, but it's flashy. Opryland never was flashy. It was always the most family-friendly place. Huge magnolia trees provided welcome shade. Benches were plentiful, as were restrooms, and air-conditioned venues. Opryland was one of the few parks where my dad and I could ride a majority of the rides. Both of us were (and I still am) very prone to motion-sickness, and that included anything much wilder than a merry-go-round. I probably had a higher tolerance than Daddy. I could, after all, ride the Tennessee Waltz, which were the swings that go around and out. But mostly, he and I stuck to the skyride, the wonderful train, the Tin Lizzies, bumper cars and the like.
My sister and I would ride the Little Deuce Coupe, which was a teacups ride inside a geodesic dome. The lines were short, but it was a great ride for several reasons. The dome was pitch-black inside, lit only by strobes. Sis and I were not interested in making our teacup spin in the opposite direction, so it was like a big merry-go-round, they played 50s music inside, and best of all, it was air-conditioned. Perfect for a 90-degree July day.
I remember getting Mountain Dew flavored Icees there, drinking grape juice from a plastic container shaped like a bunch of grapes, seeing some shows, watching the train go by at Grinder's Switch. Something else we could do then: my sister and I could strike out by ourselves (the two of us together), synchronize our watches and meet Mama and Daddy at a particular place and time. You can't do that now, but we felt perfectly safe.
A few weeks ago, I was in Nashville and my sister and I drove by Opry Mills Mall, which occupies the parking lot of the now-defunct Opryland. Nothing is behind the mall anymore, and it looks very desolate. Oh, there's the overpriced, overblown Opryland Hotel and plenty of businesses, and the Opry House, but no trams taking people to the gates of an amusement park, no skyride visible above the trees, no smells of popcorn, no more Carousel by the Lake, no more Flume Zoom, no more Wabash Cannonball. All since Gaylord came to town. It depressed the heck out of me.
Even downtown has gone completely tourist in the past 15 years. The Gaylord Entertainment Center squats on Broadway like an Ed Wood flying saucer concept. Everyone crams into Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, which used to be a respectable dive. There's "Legends Corner" and a neon sign over Printer's Alley. One of the few escapees from the madness is the original Ernest Tubb Record Shop. The store is still in the same building, with the same wooden floors, and the same stage in the back, where WSM broadcast "The Midnight Jamboree" for years. They still sell music, sheet music and books about music. It is a delightful place.
Sun on Second is worth a visit, too. This shop sells Sun Records memorabilia in a suitably aged building, also with wooden floors. It seems to fit nicely on Second Avenue, calling forth memories of old country and rockabilly.
Music Row is a hoot, with recording studios and publishing houses sitting cheek-by-jowl to dentist offices specializing in cosmetic dentistry. You go where your market is, I suppose. But everything on Music Row is very manicured and nicely landscaped. Then there's the naked people sculpture in the traffic circle. Lordy.
So there's some original Nashville to be found. Hang out at the White Castle on 21st Avenue to see some of it. Just don't get caught downtown when the Titans are in town. It's a nightmare.
I'll just slip off down to tony Green Hills and check out the talent at the Bluebird Cafe. Ciao, ya'll.