Although I didn't actually spend Christmas day in Nashville — I went home to Los Angeles to be with my family and do other fun things — I did do a lot of fun and great things in the Nashville area leading up to it! And I thought I'd share if you're in the mood or starting to plan all those holiday festivities.

Here's the breakdown:

• Lipton Lights (my personal favorite)
• Chad's Winter Wonderland in Lebanon, TN
• Opryland Hotel Christmas — ICE, Christmas lights, a musical number at Grand Ole Opry
• Dancing Lights of Christmas at Jellystone Park

I'm hoping to continue to add more as the season progresses. So look out ;) 

The Parthenon? In Nashville, Tennessee? Yes, it's as random to me as you might feel. And no, we did not teleport to ancient Greece. The re-creation of this ancient architectural masterpiece is also the centerpiece of another attraction: Centennial Park. Let me just sidebar the huge monument in the park to talk about the swing chairs surrounding it. These could be an attraction in themselves and I would like one of my own. Any builders — contact me! They swing as you pump the foot stool part of it. I just love them. And, by indication of April's face on the pictures in this post — she also loves them too.

Back to the monument — obviously pretty epic. But not as random as I thought. It was built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, which featured other unique highlights from around the world. It was a lot of peoples only opportunity to see showcases of other cultures and world marvels because that time didn't allow for mass transit easily. Things weren't just a plane ride away. I couldn't even imagine the whole scene back then — although the museum inside the Parthenon shows various pictures of it helping me to do so — of seeing this huge thing and all the other pieces from around the world that would seem so bizarre and different. 

The coolest and actually the most surprising part to me is not the outside, but what it houses on the inside — a 42-foot statue of the goddess Athena.

The statue is the primary reason I pay the $6 admission for anyone visiting. You just don't expect it. Even describing a 42-foot statue doesn't do it justice. 

If you miss the museum's opening hours, definitely stop by at any time of the day to check out this monument. It really is impressive. And the swings. Those are not to be missed. 

Read more for pictures and a little throwback excerpt and (embarassing) video from three years ago...