22. June 2025
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Six US States And Nashville – A Preview

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

My accreditation request for CMA Fest has been declined. Thus, covering the event for you as an ordinary spectator, including all the hassle and stress which it brings anyway did not feel sensible to me. Of course, I will travel to the Nashville area anyway – but bring you to some interesting places and stories in six US states on a road trip (in fact there is also Illinois, as I transfer in Chicago, but I don’t count that). I will cover my trip with a trip report.

Very likely, I won’t make it to update you each and every day, but the updates will come and take you to some very interesting places I always wanted to see and explore. This is my brief opening and preview post for my trip report.

 

Six US States And Nashville – My Trip

My trip will first take you to Evansville in Indiana. I went for a road trip to Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and a short trip to Georgia. From Alabama, there will also be a short trip to North Carolina. My last full day is not yet fixed at the time of writing. There might even be a seventh state, Ohio, added to the list.

 

The Flights

You might wonder why I am flying to Evansville in Indiana for that trip. The rationale is very easy: money. The city is not too far away from Nashville – and the Premium Economy flight there was about half price compared to Nashville (BNA). My flights were booked on a British Airways ticket, but in fact majorly served by American Airlines and their regional airlines.

Flight from to
30.05.2025 BA 943 Dusseldorf (DUS) London (LHR)
30.05.2025 AA 57 London (LHR) Chicago (ORD)
30.05.2025 AA 5805 Chicago (ORD) Evansville (EVV)
Flight from to
09.06.2025 AA 3596 Evansville (EVV) Chicago (ORD)
09.06.2025 AA 46 Chicago (ORD) London (LHR)
10.06.2025 BA 940 London (LHR) Dusseldorf (DUS)

I had a bunch of ideas what to do on that trip. One would have been going to a very different direction, Mt. Rushmore (which is too much driving). I also wanted to visit the hotel Dirty Dancing was originally recorded at. However, that trip to Virginia was a bit too much as well. At least I made it to fly to Charlotte. There are two key sights I always wanted to see – and I could integrate that into that trip. The Essential Air Service flights from Muscle Shoals (MSL), operated by Contour Airlines, gave me the opportunity to do so for a relatively small budget. Evansville (EVV) and Muscle Shoals (MSL) are new airports to me.

Flight from to
03.06.2025 LF 3801 Muscle Shoals (MSL) Charlotte (CLT)
03.06.2025 LF 3804 Charlotte (CLT) Muscale Shoals (MSL)

 

The Hotels

I had a lot forth and back in regards of planning my trip and the stops there. I finally went for two nights in Nashville, Muscle Shoals and Pigeon Forge.

Date City Accommodation
30.05.2025 Evansville (Indiana) Hampton Inn Evansville Airport
31.05.2025 (two nights) Nashville (Tennessee) Hampton Inn Nashville/Brentwood I-65S
02.06.2025 (two nights) Muscle Shoals (Alabama) Days Inn Muscle Shoals Florence
04.06.2025 Murphy (North Carolina) – changed Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River
05.06.2025 (two nights) Pigeon Forge (Tennessee) Hampton Inn & Suites Pigeon Forge On The Parkway
07.06.2025 Lexington (Kentucky) Spark by Hilton Lexington Hamburg
08.06.2025 Evansville (Indiana) Hampton Inn Evansville Airport

I originally aimed to have a night in Chattanooga in Tennessee. However, rather short notice, I decided to get closer to the Smokey Mountains, due to the weather forecast for the second weekend of my trip

 

Six US States And Nashville – Planned Reviews

I plan to visit the following spots during my trip. I will likely adjust that list during my travel:

  • The Centurion Lounge at London Heathrow (LHR)
  • American Airlines Flagship Lounge Chicago (ORD)
  • General George Patton Museum of Leadership (Fort Knox, KY)
  • Franklin Old Town (Franklin, TN)
  • Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (Hodgenville, KY)
  • National Corvette Museum (Bowling Green, KY)
  • Tennessee Agriculture Museum (Nashville, KY)
  • Lynville, Tennessee (with Railroad Museum)
  • Jesse Owens Museum (Danville, AL)
  • NASCAR Hall of Fame (Charlotte, NC)
  • Sullenberger Aviation Museum (Charlotte, NC)
  • Centurion Lounge Charlotte (CLT)
  • U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum (Huntsville, AL)
  • U.S. Space & Rocket Center (Huntsville, AL)
  • Dig’n Zone Theme Park (Sevierville, TN)
  • Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum (Gatlinburg, TN)
  • Foothills Parkway (Tennessee)
  • Roaring Fork Road (Gatlinburg, TN)
  • Rainforest Adventures (Pigeon Forge, TN)
  • Tennessee Aviation Museum (Pigeon Forge, TN)
  • XPeria Pigeon Forge
  • Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (Knoxville, TN)
  • First Kentucky Fried Chicken (Corbin, KY)
  • Pinball Museum of Corbin (Corbin, KY)
  • Kentucky Music Hall of Fame (Mt Vernon, KY)

I will definitely add some more places to the trip. Furthermore, I am planning to see some concert, sports and show events. There will not be an explicit coverage for all of them, but they will be part of my trip report:

I also plan to take you to a few airport lounges spontaneously and add them to the list above.

 

Six US States And Nashville – Daily Episodes

Here is an overview of the daily postings. I will link them once they have been published:

 

Trip Report Inceptions

Here are the starting postings of each Trip Report I posted in here so far

 

Travel (Nashville)

Here are all my travel postings related to Nashville:

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Six US States And Nashville (Day 4 – 2nd June 2025) – Sweet Home (?), Alabama

A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 3 – 2nd June 2019)

Six Intercontinental Flight Weekend – Day 2 (Trip Report)

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