As much as we love to travel, we will likely only ever visit Canada and the USA. The reason is cost. Airplane tickets are not cheap, and there is always a need for a hotel and transportation. Staying within driving distance on the continent of North America is something we have found to be relatively cheap. I budget $200 per day of travel, which is the high end. I have done trips that cost much less. What would the expense be if we went to Europe, like Greece?
Greece would be amazing to see with all the old buildings. Plus, there is so much more history there. Canada is a young nation with only a couple hundred years of history, and the United States has about 150 more years. Greece is a distant dream. We cannot visit Greece, but we can visit Nashville and Tennessee.
Before any of us were born, Tennessee planned on celebrating its 100th year of statehood. What better way to show how great Tennessee is than by building the Tennessee Centennial Exposition? I would have loved to have seen this Exposition. It was during the time when large, temporary events like this and World Fairs were happening everywhere. Massive buildings would be constructed to impress visitors. However, the problem with these buildings is that they were intended to last only a few months and then be torn down. One of these buildings for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition was a full-scale replica of the Parthenon found in Greece.
After all was said and done, every other building in the Exposition was torn down, but the public liked the Parthenon and insisted it stay. Because the construction was temporary, many of the beloved features would need constant repair. Eventually, it was too much to keep it standing, so a decision was made to tear down the structure and rebuild a permanent one in its place.
Construction of the permanent Partenon took far longer than anticipated—nearly a hundred years longer! Various financial reasons repeatedly delayed work. It was not until 2002 that the colossal statue of Athena was finished with gilding and paint.
When I started planning our March Break trip to Nashville, called Trying Not To Freeze To Death, I knew nothing of the history of this American version of the Parthenon. I saw it as something unique and extraordinary to visit. We arrived and noticed that this replica sits in the centre of a large park used by large crowds. The Parthenon was undergoing renovations on one end, but it did not hamper people coming to see what was inside.
We paid our admission, and the first section was on the history of the Exposition and Parthenon. On the first floor was an interesting artistic interpretation of The Muses. This gallery rotates throughout the year, so when we come back, other artwork will be displayed.
The main feature is the goddess Athena. The statue is quite tall, and the cherub in her hand is taller than me. There are massive doors on either end of the room. I suspect that is how it came into the building. Much of the gallery is empty. There are information panels and castings of the artwork that are seen outside.
Although it is not filled to capacity with art and statues, we enjoyed this stop. We spent only 30 minutes at this destination, but it was well worth the time. We’re never likely going to Greece, so this replica is the best we can do.
- When we arrived, it was free parking.
- The Parthenon is the biggest attraction in Centennial Park in Nashville, TN. It will be hard to miss.
- There are statues commemorating various people and their accomplishments in the park.
- Check out the All The Places We Have Been Map to see other places worth visiting when in Nashville and the surrounding area.
