I have lived in New York City for all of my 36 years of life. As a kid, my parents and I normally went to places like Albany, Connecticut or Niagara Falls for what we called a vacation away from the city. Prior to my Sophomore year in high school, Albany, New York had been the only place I had visited that was as far removed from city living as I knew. But that all changed when my grandfather passed away and my family and I had to go down to Tennessee for his funeral service.

Visiting Tennessee was like going to another planet for me. I had never been down south before so this was definitely a culture shock. I remember the car ride there and as we got closer to the southern states, how much the roadsides changed. I was seeing cows and farms, things I had never seen outside of the Central Park Zoo.

My dad decided that we would stay for an entire week so that we could spend time with the family before and after my grandfather’s funeral service. We arrived two days before the funeral so there was still lots of last-minute arrangements being solidified and just family communing. However, once the services were over, my uncle took me and my family around the town and showed us places and sites I had never heard of.

I couldn’t believe how much there was to do in Tennessee, especially in Nashville. There were all sorts … READ MORE ...