Since I am allotted only 2 weeks a year (that's only 336 hours) to see the world beyond our wonderful little speck on the Ohio map, I consider it a waste of time to eat lunch at an ordinary interstate highway rest area... so I look for something better. Our lunch stop on our 2003 vacation was a jewel. On a sunny Sunday noontime, we ate our pre-prepared deli meat sandwiches beneath a shade tree near the Parthenon in Nashville's Centennial Park.

The Parthenon is the centerpiece of Nashville's scenic and spacious Centennial Park. The Nashville Parthenon is a full-sized replica of the famous Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Both structures were constructed in about 10 years... Athens' from 447-438 B.C. and Nashville's from 1921-1931. Like its Greek counterpart, the Nashville Parthenon faces east... allowing for the same light penetration and dramatic shadows as the original. (Upon learning this, I began to wonder how the difference in the two cities' latitudes would affect the light penetration and shadows. As it turns out, Athens is at ~38° north latitude... Nashville is at ~36°... a nearly negligible 2-degree difference.) Aside from the fact that the Nashville Parthenon is completely intact, the only major difference between the two structures is the materials from which they were constructed. The Athens Parthenon was sculpted from marble. The Nashville Parthenon was created from more manageable (and affordable) molded concrete aggregate, reinforced concrete, brick and rock... and the structure is beautiful nonetheless.

Inside the Parthenon, visitors are greeted by a 42-foot sculpture of Athena, the goddess of wisdom... the stunning focal point of this impressive piece of architecture. This large golden-trimmed sculpture is a recent addition to the Parthenon... unveiled in 1990.

Some of the above info came from Nashville's web site:
http://www.nashville.gov/parthenon/index.htm
This site contains extensive background info.

The Parthenon is also the home of Nashville's art museum. The majority of the permanent collection was donated to the city by insurance executive James M. Cowan in 1927. The collection consists entirely of paintings by American artists and primarily features landscapes and other natural scenes. The art museum also features two galleries for housing temporary exhibits. Photography is not permitted within the galleries. The exhibits are enjoyable and certainly appealing to enthusiastic art buffs, but I found the museum rather ordinary as compared to some of America's premier art museums. Nevertheless, it's worth a look. The price is very affordable... $3.50 for adults (18-61) and $2 for kids and seniors. Kids under 4 are free. The museum is open Tues. - Sat. from 9 to 4:30 and Sunday from 12:30 to 4:30. They're closed on Monday.

Centennial Park is a very large park, situated on the west side of the city. Nashville's downtown skyline is visible from the park. The park features some statues and monuments, duck ponds and great landscaping. The Parthenon is adjacent to a gigantic, well-maintained lawn allowing for spectacular photos of the structure. For those from outside Nashville, the Parthenon itself is far-and-away the primary attraction, and is not to be missed by those who appreciate fine architecture. Except for the art museum, there is no admission charge to the park.

The park and Parthenon have a very interesting history. The park was secured in 1897 by John W. Thomas, a distinguished railroad man who served as president of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. The original Parthenon replica was built of "temporary materials" (I'm still not sure what that means.) and stood only for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial celebration. The permanent structure was constructed in the 1920's.

Centennial Park is surprisingly accessible from the highway. There are several ways to get there depending on your direction of approach, but perhaps the easiest way is to take I-440 exit 1 (West End Avenue) and travel east (toward downtown) on West End Avenue about 1 mile. The park is clearly marked on the left. Your driving time off the interstate will be less than 5 minutes each way. We visited early on a nice Sunday afternoon. One would suspect that this would be among the peak visitation times. Parking appeared to be ample and the crowd did not detract from our enjoyment.

Unless I missed something, handicap accessibility is nearly non-existent. One must climb rather steep stairs to explore the Parthenon and descend stairs to enter the art museum. It is inaccessible to the wheelchair-bound and a tremendous challenge for those with difficulty walking. In fairness, it's difficult to picture how more adequate facilities could be incorporated without severely affecting the aesthetics of the Parthenon... and again, the primary attraction is the exterior view of the structure, and handicap facilities are not necessary to enjoy the view. Mom was perfectly content to simply enjoy the view of the building from beneath our shade tree. Handicap parking is available near the front of the building and the art museum entrance.

Nashville is a city that clearly has much to offer its visitors, and I'd like to spend more time there someday. If you're just passing through, like we were, I'd recommend taking just a few minutes to check out this amazing structure in this beautiful park... even if you just spend 15 minutes just to view the Parthenon from your car.

We visited between 12 and 1 PM on a Sunday in August, 2003
Weather: Partly sunny and pleasant
Ease of Accessibility: B
Parking: B
Cost: A-
Quality: B+
Crowds: A-
Kid-Friendliness: C
Handicap Accessibility: D
Overall Experience: B

Photos of the Nashville Parthenon, Centennial Park and my other travels are posted on my website: www.mikebechtol.com

UPDATE 8/25/03: According to another reviewer, The Parthenon has at least some degree of handicap accessibility... although it may be difficult to locate.

Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug