Looking for an unusual and far-out evening activity that even your kids will get a kick out of? Take them over to the Dyer Observatory for their Open House Telescope Night.

Seriously. It goes on once a month from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. (this month on Aug. 8th) and they let you use their telescopes to see the sun, moon, planets, and stars up close. Plus it’s free, which you can’t say about a lot of things your kids might be interested in.

Dyer Observatory is part of Vanderbilt University and is located on one of the tallest peaks near Nashville. If it’s cloudy they do tours instead and have one of their astronomers available to answer questions.

You can also bring your own telescope if you want and they’ll help you learn how to see the most with it. Though I’m going to bet their equipment is a little better.

Dane

Hey everybody! Hey, if you really want to tire the kids out take them down for some exploring around the 19-acre Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park right downtown next to the State Capitol. It’s sort of a Nashville parents’ secret. Well, maybe not so secret.

It’s great because kids have all kinds of room to run around, but mostly they will probably love to get wet in the 31 fountains. That’s a pretty popular pastime, especially this time of year. So remember to bring an extra set of clothes.

The other thing of course is that it’s free free free. It’s really sort of an outdoor museum, and they might even find the history stuff interesting. Like the 200 foot granite map or the huge globe floating on water.

While you’re there, stop by the Farmers Market which is right next to the park.

See ya!

Sabrina

OK, just in case you missed this one, this has got to be one of the um more interesting things you can do in Nashville. How about taking your kid on a ride down a colorectal slide?

Yes, true. It’s part of the BodyQuest exhibit at the Adventure Science Museum and teaches kids about the body. They can use a giant robot hand to see what bones are for, and learn about the brain and heart. All by doing it.

And that’s just one part of the museum. There’s also the Blue Max flight simulator, a trip up the adventure tower, which is full of surprises, and the PlayMotion exhibit which you just have to see. Oh, and the new Planetarium!

The best thing is that they’ll be ready to totally crash when you get back to the hotel.

TTFN!

Jennifer

I love, love, love the fourth of July! I love the picnics, the fireworks, the summer, the whole family feeling! Everyone’s in a great mood. This year’s Nashville celebration is called Let Freedom Sing.

It will happen down at Riverfront Park and is a huge event in the city. There’s going to be all kinds of stuff happening. Festivities start at noon with the free Family Fun Zone. Music starts 3:00 pm and includes The WannaBeatles, Les Kerr and The Bayou Band and The Lost Trailers.

The main stage kicks off at 7:00 pm with Max Q (a barbershop quartet) performing the national anthem. Barry Scott, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Phil Vassar and Michael McDonald will also perform.

It all wraps up with the South’s largest fireworks show at about 9:25 pm! Can’t wait!

Happy fourth everyone!
Dane

If you like art and seeing stuff you don’t see everywhere you should try the Art & Invention Gallery. Even if you’re not that big into art, Five Points, where the shop is located, is a really cool part of Nashville.

But the gallery is worth it I think because they have all different kinds of art, including some really awesome unique furniture (that I wish I could afford!). Attached to the gallery they have their studio, Garage Mahal. (Love the name. I guess it used to be a garage.)

They’re becoming more well known and have been in Southern Living, Travel and Leisure, even Spin (I learned that on their site). A lot of it is because of how popular their shows are (there are about six every year), including the Tomato Art Show in August.

TTFN!
Jennifer

One of our guests just asked me about the Bellsouth building and I thought it was probably something interesting to pass along.

If you’ve been to Nashville you probably remember the Bellsouth building. It’s one of the more interesting ones in the city. A lot of people call it the “Batman” building because of its two spires.

The story is that the building was actually supposed to look like a telephone at the top, being the Bellsouth building. If you look closely you can see a bridge that supports the company’s logo, and it does sort of look like a receiver. But the spires kind of ruin the effect.

Still, it’s a pretty cool sight, and at 33 floors it was the tallest building in Tennessee when it was built in 1994.

So when you’re in town, head down to Commerce Street and decide for yourself: phone or Batman.

See you there,
Dane

If you’re looking for a great way to end your week, or start your weekend, you could do a lot worse than a Frist Friday.

It’s true that Frist Friday is technically a concert series, but there’s so much more going on, including good food, drinks and the exhibits on display at the Frist galleries at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. And then you add the beautiful summer Nashville nights, and great people watching. Hard to beat.

Things get started today, May 30, and then continue every last Friday of the month through October in the Turner Courtyard from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The first Friday’s musical stylings come courtesy of Tony Joe White.

Afterwards, we like to head over to the Broadway Brewhouse. Come on, 9 is early…

See ya later,
Dane

Hey, we also went to Pancake Pantry after church! Though I went just a few years earlier than you…;-) On the weekend the wait can be long. I’ve actually seen it around the block and down 21st. So go early.

And it’s in an interesting neighborhood called Hillsboro Village, which is worth exploring if you want to walk off your pancakes. It’s only four blocks but it’s full of shops and boutiques and restaurants.

It’s become a popular spot for young working people to live. But because it’s near Vanderbilt and Belmont universities you also have a lot of college kids around the area, which keeps things interesting.

If you get thirsty, I think I’ve already talked about Bosco’s. Stop in for a glass of Flaming Stone beer. Or if you need a caffeine pick-me-up, there’s the Fido coffeeshop, which is really the heart of the Village.

See ya,
Dane

Hey, everybody. Took a couple of days off. Wish I could say it was for fun. A lot of home projects to do. Mostly painting, which always takes longer than you think.

Anyway, Jenn mentioned East Nashville, and just in case you’re an out of towner, I’d recommend checking out that area. It has some of the coolest, most interesting neighborhoods in the city.

Historic Edgefield is one of only two “historic preservation districts” they call them. This means anything they do has to be OK’d by the Metro Historical Commission, which gives it this great untouched feel.

Lockeland Springs is the other. It’s an old streetcar suburb about two miles from downtown. The tornado in 1998 did a lot of damage, but they’ve rebounded better than ever. Head to the French Quarter Café for a po’boy and some great live music.

Later,
Dane

Looking for something fun to do on May 17? I know that when you’re in town for business it can be hard to get yourself to exercise. So here’s an easy solution: the 2008 Tour de Nash!

It’s an annual Nashville walk/bike event that’s held at the East Bank Greenway right on the river at Titans Stadium. It’s not a race so it’s perfect for families or anyone who just wants to get out and see a bit of Nashville.

You can do the free 6 or 12 mile ride that goes along East Nashville and part of Shelby Bottoms greenway to LP Field. There are also longer routes of 27, 50 miles and up to 67 miles that highlight a lot of Nashville’s bike paths.

The walking option is also free and is a 2 or 4 mile tour of the East Bank Greenway and downtown.

Have fun!
Jennifer