Hitting the road early, we headed to Nashville.  A friend had recommended we have breakfast at Tin Angel near Vanderbilt, but it was closed along with nearly every other restaurant in the area.

So, we settled on Pancake Pantry and were not disappointed.

We drove through the music district along Music Squares East and West to check out all the record label buildings.

Made a quick stop at the Parthenon in Centennial Park, but didn’t walk around much as it was freezing outside.

Our plan to see the Grand Ole Opry was foiled by construction and a security guard who would not let us in through the musician’s back entrance.

The Hermitage (President Andrew Jackson’s estate) was closed, but we drove through property anyways.

Just under two hours later we hopped off I-40 at Crossville to see the Minister’s Tree House – the world’s largest tree house!

Owner Horace Burgess began construction in 1993 and continues to add to the 10 storey, 44 room, 100 foot tall tree house.

As he said, “the good Lord spoke to me and told me that if it built the house I would never run out of material to keep building.  And I never have.”

He plans to add an additional tower this spring and is slated to be on Good Morning America.

Services of all denominations are conducted in the tree house’s chapel.

Horace himself is a minister and conducts services in his own style when he can.  He says his sermons vary greatly, “it might be good, it might be bad.  It might be crazy, it might be sad.  But, it will always be the truth.”

I have never seen anything quite like the house…it was incredible!

Diana and I each took turns on the rope swing that hangs from the 6^th floor to the ground.

Horace was so gracious and passionate about his project, we couldn’t help but be charmed.

We left Crossville just ahead of a snowstorm and spent the rest of the day and evening trying to beat it out.  In Southern Virginia we drove right into another storm (our first of the trip), but were able to push right through.

By then it was 1am and though we were less than 80 miles from DC, we were exhausted and had to stop for the night in Front Royal, Virginia.