2017
- Pedal on bike paths thoughout Murfreesboro and Nashville and ride on the relatively flat and low traffic roads taking us from Murfreesboro to the Natchez Trace onto the Nashville bike paths.
- Everyone can pass by or take a break at the Arrington Vineyard that in January 2016 had each wine that was entered into the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the largest commercial wine competition, win a medal!
- Routes includes riding the very beginning of the northern end of the Natchez Trace Bike Trail; riding on bike paths throughout Nashville and the surrounding area, including riding all the way to the J. Percy Priest Reservoir; and riding along the Murfreesboro's bike path.
- Nashville is ranked the #1 U.S. city gaining popularity with international travelers on TripAdvisor and is the only U.S. city on Lonely Planet’s list of Best in Travel: Top 10 Cities in the world!
- Of course we will ride to the Parthenon, the world’s only full-scale reproduction of the ancient Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
- Stay in downtown Nashville for three days, riding many of the most popular bike paths that intersect in downtown next to the Cumberland River to the outer reaches of the city.
- Our hotel is adjacent to the thriving downtown area with its restaurants and music.
- Overall we will enjoy riding and viewing rural Tennessee and experiencing one of the world’s fastest growing tourist destinations.
Day 1, Saturday
We check-in throughout the day and get accustomed to the friendly and laid-back southern feel of Murfreesboro, ranked as one of the best places to live by Money magazine. Join the group at 5:00pm for a welcome meeting and get together before proceeding to dinner.
Lodging:
Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville SE Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
(Pool, hot-tub, fitness room, hair dryer, coin laundry, spa and Internet)
Dinner:
With the group
Peter D's
House Salad - tomatoes, red onions & fresh greens
Entrée choices:
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The New Yorker - Hand cut New York strip
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Portobello Chicken - Grilled chicken breast, portobello bacon cream sauce, cheesy quinoa & green beans
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Fish Tacos - Topped with sour cream, cole slaw, avocado pineapple salsa and a side of asparagus
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Roasted Veggies Penne - Roasted green beans, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, jicama, served over whole wheat penne pasta
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Baby Back Ribs - Slow cooked, fall-off-the-bone ribs, sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, slaw & shoe string fries
Day 2, Sunday
We depart for the low-lying roads of central Tennessee. We pass by wide open fields as well as huge ranches with a few country estates thrown-in as you bike on the little traveled farm roads. As we get use to traveling and listening to the birds chirping and the wind blowing through the trees in the distance we will see the most award winning vineyard in Tennessee, the Arrington Vineyard. Stop in and enjoy the beautiful grounds and views before departing on your way to the final destination of a rapidly evolving small town to large city of Franklin with the highest median income in the state. After arriving at the hotel, enjoy a cold drink, a dip in the pool or a soak in the hot-tub.
Bicycling route: 18 miles, riding to Arrington Vineyards; or 30 miles riding to the vineyards and continuing to the hotel. (Route is mostly flat with a few hills, especially after the vineyard)
Breakfast:
Provided by hotel
Lodging:
Embassy suites by Hilton Nashville South Cool Springs
Franklin, Tennessee
(Pool, hot-tub, fitness center, hair dryer and Internet)
Dinner:
With the group
Puckett's Gro & Restaurant
"Great food & Southern hospitality"
Entrée choices:
- Black Angus Ribeye - 8 oz. choice hand-cut, bacon-wrapped and perfectly seasoned, grilled to order. Served with mashed potatoes and flat iron green beans.
- Pucketts Cherry smoked Baby Back Ribs - dry rubbed memphis style low and slow smoked over cherry wood with baked beans and potato salad.
- 1/2 Smoked Chicken - Half a chicken, dry spice rubbed and slow smoked. Served with smashed sweet potatoes and squash casserole.
- Shrimp & Grits - Jumbo shrimp blackened and sautéed with peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms over Gouda Weisenberger grits. Served with a house salad.
- Southern Fried Chicken - Cooked fresh to order. Bone-in chicken marinated in spices, battered and fried golden. Please allow extra time for this dish, it takes a bit longer, but it’s worth it! Served with mashed potatoes and green beans. (Customers consistently rank their fried chicken as the best fried chicken they have ever eaten!)
- Grilled Cheese, Soup of the Day and Strawberry Field Salad - Grilled American, Cheddar, Pimento or Pepper Jack Cheese on your choice of bread; along with Strawberry Field Salad of Puckett's most popular salad with mixed greens topped with strawberries, Feta, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette
Day 3, Monday
Wake and take bike paths and bike lanes out of town as we head west through the little-traveled roads until arriving at the Natchez Trace Parkway. On the limited-access Natchez Trace we will see the trees and vegetation continuing to bloom and come to life as you ride to the end of the Parkway and take a break at the Loveless Cafe. The cafe has been featured in publications, including USA Today, Southern Living, Frommer's and People Magazine and on TV on the Today Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Food Network for their Southern food and of course their biscuits. After getting a quick bite to eat, or at least smelling the food, continue on the journey into Nashville. Bike lanes are currently being added (June 2016) to the road to allow riding all the way into downtown Nashville, utilizing the Music City Bikeway with a combination of greenways, bike lanes and signed shared roadways. As we arrive downtown and see the vibrant city with our hotel located within walking distance of all the sites that make Nashville one of the fastest growing tourist destinations.
Bicycling route: 20 miles, riding to the famous Loveless Cafe; 32 miles, riding to the Loveless Cafe and then continuing to downtown Nashville on a series of bicycle lanes and bike paths. (Route begins a little hilly and then gets flatter closer to Nashville, including dedicated bike paths)
Breakfast:
On your own
Lodging:
Hampton Inn
Downtown Nashville, Tennessee
(Indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness center, coin laundry, hair dryer and Internet)
Dinner:
On your own
Day 4, Tuesday
In the morning we venture out and zigzag through the city before it comes to life, taking in downtown, Music Row (where hundreds of businesses associated with the music industry are located) and the Nashville Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. In the afternoon explore the various Honky Tonks, restaurants and tourist attractions in downtown Nashville, including the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Music City Walk of Fame both located across the street from our hotel.
Bicycling route: 0 miles, staying at the hotel; 20 miles riding through and around downtown, Music Row and to the Parthenon (Riding on bike lanes, greenways and shared roadways)
Breakfast:
Provided by hotel
Lodging:
Hampton Inn
Downtown Nashville, Tennessee
(Indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness center, coin laundry, hair dryer and Internet)
Dinner:
On your own
Day 5, Wednesday
View the honky-tonks, bars & restaurants on Broadway using Google above: /\
We ride over the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, spanning the Cumberland River. It is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world. Then continue bicycling past Riverfront Park and Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans NFL team. We will then continue east until you arrive on the first in a connecting series of greenways, including the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center Greenway, the Stones River Greenway and bike paths that will take you all the way to J. Percy Priest Reservoir without and vehicular traffic on the paths. View the beautiful lake before returning to downtown Nashville. Almost the entire day, you will ride adjacent to the various rivers that criss-cross Nashville.
Bicycling route: 0 miles, staying at the hotel; or 29 miles riding to the Stones River Greenway and J. Percy Priest Reservoir. (Almost the entire route is on dedicated bike paths.)
Breakfast:
Provided by hotel
Lodging:
Hampton Inn
Downtown Nashville, Tennessee
(Indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness center, coin laundry, hair dryer and Internet)
Dinner:
On your own
Day 6, Thursday
After a short (29 mile) van trip out of Nashville, we arrive back at our starting hotel. Then saddle-up and ride through the Stone River National Battlefield and along the Murfreesboro's Stones River Greenway System that runs along the West Fork Stones River after a leisurely ride along the dedicated bike path return to the hotel to relax and prepare for the farewell dinner in the evening at the city's top rated and busiest restaurant.
Bicycling route: 0 miles, staying at the hotel; or 24 miles riding to and on the Murfreesboro Stones River Greenway (Route is flat with the vast majority on dedicated bike paths.)
Breakfast:
Provided by hotel
Lodging:
Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville SE Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
(Pool, hot-tub, fitness room, hair dryer, coin laundry and spa)
Dinner:
With the group
Demos Restaurant
(Consistently ranked #1 restaurant on TripAdvisor for Murfreesboro)
Soup or Salad
Entrée choices:
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Top Sirloin - Demos cuts this steak thick to retain the natural flavor, which they guarantee will please you
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Oven-baked Chicken - Skinless half-chicken, baked herbs and spices
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Grilled Salmon - Demos most popular catch, grilled and lightly seasoned or blackened.
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Brown Butter Garlic spaghetti - Pure butter simmered to a golden brown with garlic - the reason Doris married Jim
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Marinara Sauce Spaghetti - Rich meatless tomato sauce cooked with olive oil, stewed tomatoes, herbs and spices, a family recipe; sauces are made every day from scratch.
Day 7, Friday
Say goodbye to Tennessee and start your journey home!
Please note all trip information is based on previous trips and/or contracted lodging and restaurants and is subject to change based on availability or specific trip needs.
Riding difficulty:
Riders who are comfortable riding at least 10 miles per hour should have an enjoyable trip. We have designed the routes to have as few hills and little traffic as possible, but there are some traffic areas that cannot be avoided. Of course, if a rider is tired or does not feel like riding, the SAG vehicle will transport the rider to the hotel. All routes are on paved bike paths and roads. All riders may ride at their own pace, slow or fast.
Arriving by automobile:
Drive to Embassy Suites by Hilton - Nashville SE, 1200 Conference Center Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN 37129, leaving your car at the hotel parking lot for free for the duration of the trip.
Arriving by Plane:
You can fly directly into the Nashville International Airport (BNA) and take Shuttlebug, http://www.borocab.com/shuttle.htm or rent a car and leave it at the starting hotel for the duration of the trip.
Deposit:
$200 due to reserve your spot and the remainder due 45 days before the trip start.
What's included:
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Hotel lodging
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Ride packets including maps & cue sheets (directions)
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Fully sagged including ride leaders, luggage transport, van transportation and rider assistance.
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Breakfast with the group each morning
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Dinner with the group three nights (see above)
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Fun and Enjoyment
Bicycles:
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Most participants bring their own bicycles.
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To ship your bike, we would suggest using shipbikes.com or bikeflight.com for shipping. Your bike can be sent to the starting hotel: Embassy Suites by Hilton - Nashville SE, 1200 Conference Center Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
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To rent a road bike please contact Rod at R.B.'S Cyclery; http://rbscyclery.com/about/rentals-pg128.htm, or 615-567-6633
Weather in the first week of April in the Nashville area:
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Average High 67°F
