Nashville built a life sized replica of the Parthenon for the
1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition
to represent Nashville as the "Athens of the South."
Athena
the goddess of wisdom, prudent warfare and useful art.
The original statue ( 5th century BC) is lost.
The modern one is 41 feet tall, covered with 8 pounds of 23.75 carat gold leaf.
This place is enormous!
Look at the thickness of the doors!
Ended the 'tour' with a drive into downtown Nashville
standing in a large line to get the famous
"Martin's BBQ Joint".
The drive and line was worth it!
