Trip to Nashville

Music City

"Jazz Quartet"

1,606 pieces  |  LEGO: 21334 (retired)

Assembled by Zack Thayer and Hunter Williams, July 2025

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

September 26, 2023

In the middle of the couple's trip to visit friends in Chattanooga, they took an overnight adventure to Nashville. On their first day there, they headed to the National Museum of African American Music. They explored exhibits on the evolution of African American music traditions, the impact of blues on the world, and the history of jazz, R&B, and hip-hop. It was eye-opening to see how much popular music, such as "Hound Dog" by Elvis, originated as music by African American artists that never received credit for their work. Hunter had a burger and a malt shake at a dive with black and white checkered floors. They ended the evening with a trolley tour of famous music sites in Nashville, which was entertaining and a good way to see different parts of the city (though they can't remember many of the specific sites they saw).

Gaylord Opryland Resort

"Jungle Falls Rescue" and "Jungle Boat"

Falls: 183 pieces  |  LEGO: 41033 (retired)

Boat: 31 pieces | LEGO: 30115 (retired)

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, June 2025

Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)

September 27, 2023

The next day, Hunter drove them to the Gaylord Opryland Resort, located adjacent to the famed Grand Ole Opry music venue, and is distinguished by its nine acres of indoor atriums featuring lush plants, winding pathways, and waterfalls, all of which are populated by shops and restaurants. There is even a Delta River with flatboat rides inside the hotel. They went because Sarah had been there as a child and remembered it as a magical place that she wanted to revisit with Hunter. It was similar to what she remembered, though, as an adult, she'd describe it more as a capitalist fever dream. They tried to capture photos of the variety of plant life they encountered, which made it feel a little like being at a botanical garden instead of a hotel. They wandered through the interconnected wings of the hotel, enjoying the adventure of getting lost.

The Fake Parthenon

"The Acropolis"

1,752 pieces  |  Qiaoletong: YC257

Assembled by Mike Alfare, March 2025

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

September 27, 2023

They capped off their side-trip to Nashville with a stop at the city's full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens. Sarah grew up visiting Tennessee to see her family during holiday breaks, but she never knew that Nashville had a replica of the Parthenon. It was bizarre the day she found out, and it remains bizarre. They began with a picnic lunch outside on a blanket before buying tickets to enter. Inside the fake Parthenon is a museum that explains the history of its creation and the role it played in the city's history, along with its art. When Tennessee was celebrating 100 years as a state, it leaned into its nickname, "Athens of the South," and built a temporary replica of the Parthenon. It became such a symbol of the city that a permanent replica was eventually constructed. Inside the museum, Hunter and Sarah found numerous ornate details from classical Greek architecture, as well as a 42-foot-tall statue of Athena, known as the "Athena Parthenos." It's a replica of the ancient Greek original by Pheidias.

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Photos from their first day in Nashville. The two night-time photos are from the Trolley Tour, and that's the fake Parthenon all lit up in the background.

Photos from inside the Gaylord Opryland Resort.

Photos from their time at the Parthenon and of Sarah in front of a Dollar General while Hunter was across the street (for some inexplicable reason).