Boca Grande Goes to Nashville Monday, November 12 – Thursday, November 15, 2018 Monday, November 12 – Welcome to Nashville Celebration Dinner 5:45pm - Welcome Reception and Dinner at the 21C Museum Meet in the hotel lobby of the historic Hermitage Hotel to walk 5 blocks to the 21C Museum for a very special cocktail party and dinner. Experience the art of today while dining at one of the largest multi-venue contemporary art museums in the United States. The historic Gray & Dudley building in downtown Nashville has been re-imagined to showcase more than 10,500 square feet of exhibition space where curated exhibitions and site-specific installations reflect the global nature of contemporary culture. We have reserved 2 gallery spaces for our party. Ree Guyer, owner of Wrensong Music Publishing in Nashville (and daughter of Reyn Guyer), has arranged for some very special music to entertain us. Tuesday, November 13 – Music Day! 8:00am – 9:30am. Continental BreaKfast at the Hermitage Hotel. We will be joined by Robert K. Oermann, who is known as “the dean of Nashville’s entertainment journalists.” He has authored eight books about the city’s music history, been published in more than 100 periodicals, has scripted more than 50 TV specials and has written 129 record-album liner-note essays. He is the vice president of the Recording Academy in Music City and serves on the board of the Nashville Public Library. 10:00am – SongBird Tour of Music Row. We will be picked up at the front of the hotel and taken on a 2-hour tour, traveling a loop through Music Row, Franklin Road, Granny White Pike, and back to our hotel. SongBird Tours, run by Patsy Bruce and Trey Bruce, offers visitors a ride on one of the only state-of-the-art live music venues-on-wheels anywhere. Our group will enjoy an intimate, in-the-round songwriter performance indigenous to Nashville, hearing stories behind the songs from some of Music City’s most prolific songwriters and rising newcomers while getting a peek into the life of a working songwriter. They will also get a special guided tour of the city curated by longtime music industry insiders. “It’s great to get the chance to show folks what songwriters do and how they do it,” Trey said. “The story of a songwriter’s life in Nashville is so unique and special.” The bus is specially outfitted to provide a maximum sound experience for guests, with lighting designer Chris Lisle providing the lights, and sound design being handled by JSS Audio and Richard Battaglia. A portion of the proceeds from each ticket sold will go to the Music Health Alliance, a top resource for healthcare solutions and access for music industry members. 12:00pm – Return to the hotel for lunch on your own, rest, and relaxation. 3:00pm – BacKstage VIP tour of the Ryman Auditorium Meet in the hotel lobby to walk 5-blocks to the Ryman Auditorium for a backstage tour. Revered by many as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” the Ryman Auditorium was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. The building was built in 1892 and named for Captain Tom Ryman, a wealthy riverboat captain. Ryman was inspired to sponsor the building’s construction after his religious conversion at a tent revival held by Sam Jones. Originally known as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, the building was designed by local architect Hugh Cathcart Thompson. Before its Opry days, the Ryman’s excellent acoustics and large seating capacity made it the unofficial city auditorium, hosting performances by legendary greats as Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt, W.C. Fields, and Booker T. Washington, just to name a few. 4:45pm – Dinner at Ole Red (drinKs not included) Walk across the street from Ryman and enjoy a VIP Buffet Dinner in the heart of Nashville’s entertainment district, where music is everywhere you turn and the energy is always electric. Ole Red was created in partnership with country mega- star Blake Shelton and is literally the biggest thing on Broadway, situated right at the intersection of swanky city style and honky tonk attitude. This buzz-worthy, four-story, restaurant-club-venue combo offers award-winning Southern fare, an eclectic vibe, and of course, live music all day and night (with the occasional surprise appearance by Mr. Shelton and friends). 6:30pm – Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium Walk back to the Ryman for a live performance of the Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry is presented at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville for the winter. The Opry presents multiple artists on each show, giving the audience a sample of different musical styles. The Grand Ole Opry is the show that made country music famous. The Opry features a dynamic line-up of new stars, superstars, and legends of country music. Unlike a typical concert, the Opry presents eight or more artists on each show, giving the audience a sample of each artist's musical style. Only the Opry... there's nothing quite like it anywhere else! Walk or cab back to the hotel, or if you are feeling adventuress, stroll down Broadway for some honky-tonk fun! Wednesday, November 14 – History Day! 8:00am – 9:30am. Continental BreaKfast at the Hermitage Hotel. We will be joined by Ridley Wills II, ‘Nashville’s unofficial historian’, who is a friend of Ann & Shade Murray. Mr. Wills is an heir to one of Nashville’s most notable families and has written 22 books, including The History of Belle Meade: Mansion, Plantation and Stud where we will be visiting later in the day. Mr. Wills is on the executive committee of Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville where he was board chairman for 9 years. He has been active with the Land Trust For Tennessee since 2006, where he is a past board and present committee member. He is a former president and trustee of the Tennessee Historical Society, a former member of the board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., an emeritus trustee of Vanderbilt University, an elder in The Downtown Presbyterian Church, and a former Board chairman of the Belle Meade Plantation. Mr. Wills is also former chairman of the board of The YMCA of Middle Tennessee, the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly and a chairman of the Nashville United Way campaign in 1978. 10:00am – The Hermitage – home of Andrew JacKson. We will be picked up at the entrance to the Hotel and taken to The Hermitage for a VIP tour and picnic lunch. The Hermitage was the plantation home of Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States, from 1804 until his death in 1845. Completed in 1819, the main house is a two-story Greek Revival, brick mansion. Frontier-born, Jackson was the first chief executive elected from west of the Allegheny Mountains, the first from other than Virginia or Massachusetts, and the first non-aristocrat. The charisma of “Old Hickory,” his renown as a military hero and Indian fighter, and his astuteness in politics assured his election as president. Although he was a wealthy, slave-holding planter and served in both Houses of Congress, he saw himself and both his supporters and opponents saw him as representing the common man. He not only expanded the powers of the office of president but also virtually redefined them. 1:30pm – return to the Hotel for a little rest and relaxation 3:45pm – depart for Belle Meade Plantation Meet in the hotel lobby to board our bus for Belle Meade Plantation. Founded in 1807 by John Harding, “Belle Meade” translates to mean beautiful meadow in old English and French. The property began with just a single log cabin and 250 acres. The estate quickly grew to become a 5,400 acre thoroughbred horse farm complete with a Greek Revival Mansion, deer park, train station and rock quarry which supported five generations of owners, their servants and enslaved workers. Our group will enjoy a VIP tour and hear the intimate stories of the various people that created Belle Meade Plantation and its beautiful grounds and architecturally significant buildings. A century of Belle Meade Plantation’s history will be told through the eyes of the Harding and Jackson Family and the skilled laborers who collectively worked to make the Plantation America’s premier Thoroughbred Horse Farm. After our tour, our group will enjoy the exclusive wines of Belle Meade Plantation paired with an assortment of cheese and chocolate…the perfect combination! And the venue for this experience will be the 1800’s Stable House…a Nashville experience we won’t forget. 6:45pm – Casual dinner with Sandi and Raymond Pirtle Our bus will take us to the home of Sandi and Raymond Pirtle to enjoy some relaxing conversation and casual dinner. 9:00pm – return to the hotel Thursday, November 15 – The Party Isn’t Over Yet! Optional Breakfast together – yet to be determined .