When a family friend decided to celebrate a milestone birthday in Nashville, our interest was piqued. As huge music fans and people who enjoy exploring new places, especially places with famously good motorcycle trails, my wife Cheryl and I decided to go along. The others handled finding accommodations and recreational opportunities for the trip, so I was assigned the most important task: securing a motorbike for the adventure.
No rental companies in Nashville had motorbikes that matched my criteria, so I searched on Share riders peer-to-peer rental website and found a BMW F 750 GS. I had never used this type of motorbike rental service before and after some easy back and forth with the owner, our rental was secured. The owners even agreed to deliver the car directly to our property for a small fee. All we had to do was pack our riding gear.
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After arriving in Nashville late at night, we settled into our rental apartment downtown. Around noon the next day, a clean blue GS rolled up. The friendly owners, Madison and Tim, gave me some helpful tips on local knowledge for our first afternoon of cycling.
Day 1: Leiper’s Fork and Natchez Trace Parkway | Tennessee Motorcycle Ride
We didn’t have time on this trip to complete the 444 miles of the famous Natchez Trace Parkway, but I knew we had to do some of it. Tim gave me a strategy for seeing some great places and sampling the boulevard during an afternoon of cycling. Nashville is a tourist hub, and getting out of the metro area is about as you’d expect. We weaved around party buses and through heavy traffic, eventually leaving behind the neon lights, loud music and bar hopping to ride our Tennessee motorcycles through the countryside. village.
We headed northwest on Interstate 40 through farmland and beyond impressive mansions to the south, both historic and modern. Our eyes, conditioned by the pastel colors of our home state of Arizona, were dazzled by the vibrant blues of the Tennessee landscape. Once off the motorway at McCrory Lane, perfectly manicured trees and geometrically manicured lawns line the wide corners. On Highway 96, the Natchez Trace Bridge, with its vast whitewashed twin arches, rises on the horizon.
See all HorsemanTennessee trip story here
Going a little further we came to Leiper’s Fork. The quaint village, once a virtually unknown dot on the map, has emerged as a thriving arts and entertainment hub. It’s also close to sprawling estates owned by music and entertainment superstars like Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Nicole Kidman.
On the town’s short main street, we set up a stand at the Fox & Locke Restaurant, a historic establishment that has something in common with any bar or restaurant in this neck of the woods: a performance stage. perform live. Cheryl ordered the classic BLT, and I chose the catfish sandwich – flaky white fish topped with a meat mixture, grilled onions and pickles – which was the culinary highlight of our entire vacation.
After walking through the small town’s shops and galleries, we headed to Natchez Trace Avenue. It’s almost surreal as the traffic eases, the road flattens and the terrain transforms into an interesting undulation. Grass was cut along the wide corners of the path and dense bushes added texture to the ride. I didn’t have to slow down for traffic on the way to the north end of the Parkway, including going over the large bridge we had traveled under earlier. The entire Natchez Trace is now on my travel bucket list.
After exiting the Parkway, we passed another popular local eatery, Loveless Cafe, but lunch was too full for me to enjoy their legendary biscuits and gravy. We made our way to Belle Meade Estate and Winery for a short tour of the historic property before returning to Nashville.
We spent the night testing the thing that made Nashville famous – the music. I suspect there’s a music hall on Broadway that we haven’t visited. Nightclubs bearing the names of famous country stars were filled with tourists as music blared from every direction. Multi-story bars have performers on each floor. We chose rooftop installations because they tend to be less stressful and crowded. Far from being a lazy Southern city, Nashville is a place full of passionate people and music often referred to as “Nashvegas.”
Day 2: Burning Barns and Bowling Green | Kentucky Motorcycle Ride
With country music still ringing in my ears, I was preparing for a solo trip north to Nashville when Cheryl decided to sleep in late. I headed northwest toward Ashland City on Highway 12, a smooth and pleasant ride through wide corners on what is known as the state’s scenic highway. From Ashland City, I took Highway 49 on its northeast route toward Kentucky.
I was completely immersed in farmland. Late-season corn fields wither in the September sun, and many other crops are green and thriving. An unexpected sight made me stop and reach for my cell phone. Smoke rose from the gables and overhangs of a large red warehouse. I couldn’t help but think of the short story “Barn Burning” by one of my favorite Southern authors, William Faulkner. Just before I did my civic duty by calling 911, I noticed another warehouse on the horizon emitting similar white smoke. A quick Google search cleared me up.
It’s tobacco curing season and farmers are drying their crops at 135-140 degrees with carefully controlled fires in those barns. What was at first a disturbing sight has now become a source of curiosity and education for this Arizona boy. After passing those smoldering structures, I saw a different kind of tobacco cure: giant red barns with wide-open doors and tobacco hanging from the ceiling. If I hadn’t done my roadside research, I might have mistaken tobacco leaves for drying animal skin.
See all HorsemanStory about the Kentucky trip here
The trip through farmland continued as I traveled from Tennessee to Kentucky, another tobacco-producing state. The newly signed road is Kentucky Route 383. I turn onto Franklin, a small city rich in history with a beautiful brick and stone downtown, where Johnny Cash and June Carter were married at the United Methodist Church most First. There’s plenty to do in Franklin: thoroughbred racing and gaming at The Mint in Kentucky, tours and live dueling reenactments at the Sandford Duncan Inn, and Kentucky’s largest sunflower maze in August at Ruby Branch Farms. Kentucky is famous for its whiskey and Dueling Grounds Distillery is on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour.
On my way out of town, I stopped at The Fork In The Road, a Paul Bunyan-sized one-piece art installation located on the corner of Bunch and Uls streets. Continuing north on U.S. Highway 31W toward Bowling Green, I passed Octagon Hall, an eight-sided brick house built in 1847 that is now a museum displaying Civil War artifacts.
Bowling Green is more than just a bustling and vibrant Southern city; This is also the only place in the world that produces Corvettes. I passed by and next to several sleek Chevys as I made my way through the city, which is also home to the National Corvette Museum. I drove past the attractive Western Kentucky University campus with its red brick buildings and white columns. The campus also preserves several historic structures such as the impressive Felts Log House, built by a Revolutionary War veteran around 1810 and moved to its current location in 1980.
After WKU, I made my way downtown. The town square is a vibrant city center. The garden-like central park sits in the shadow of historic stone buildings and a beautiful fountain at the center of the scene. My walk around downtown included several historically significant buildings and monuments. This area is well worth a visit.
A quick route back to Nashville from Bowling Green would be Interstate 65, but what’s the fun in that? I followed US 231 south through southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee until turning southwest onto US 31 toward Nashville. It was a fun and relaxing end to my “exposure” to this area of Tennessee and Kentucky. We ended the night on the streets of Nashville, visiting the famous Ryman Theater, listening to country music, and sampling Tennessee whiskey.
Nashville, Bowling Green, and the other small towns I visited all exuded their own Southern charm. This was my first visit to the area and it won’t be my last. I plan to ride the entire Natchez Trace Parkway and the Nashville area will be the home or end point of that journey.
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Tennessee Motorcycle Resources
Kentucky Motorcycle Riding Resources
