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 of museums, auditoriums, and of course, the Grand Ole Opry. We took pictures with celebrity wax figures and ate some amazing food. Of course, my uncle knew exactly where to go, him being a resident of Tennessee for well over 20 years. However, if you are wanting to visit You can search online for any summer tourism tn list. They will have fun activities and interesting sites to see.
Although we were visiting my family under sad circumstances, I must say that I truly had a blast on that trip. I never thought that I would like it down south as much as I did. I always had a misconception of the south and pictured it to only have farms with dirt roads and folks sitting on the porch. While many people actually do sit on their porches, there is much more to do in Tennessee than just chew on straw. In fact, although we stayed for a week, it was still not enough to experience all of what the town had to offer.
One thing life has taught me is that perceptions can often be misconceptions. Things are usually not as they seem and almost never what you think. Therefore, it is best to go through life expecting nothing and enjoying everything. Had it have not been for my grandfather’s funeral I can’t say for sure that Tennessee would have been on my list of places to visit. However, after such a surprisingly wonderful time, I will never pre-judge any place, thing or even person ever again.
