VIP Tour

Tuesday, December 6, 2011
9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Fee:  $100 per person
(Open to members with 25+ years of certification and Emeritus Members.  Participants must also be registered to attend the ACVP/ASVCP Annual Meeting (except for guests).

As they day gets started, ACVP's Senior VIP's will be greeted by two of Middle Tennessee’s favorite non-profits.  The group will begin with a short welcome from Walden's Puddle representative.  She will bring slides, tell stories, and give a basic informative talk about the workings of Walden's Puddle.

Walden's Puddle
Walden's Puddle provides care and treatment to sick, injured and legitimately orphaned Native Tennessee Wildlife. We are the only professionally-staffed wildlife rehabilitation and education facility in Middle Tennessee.  We do not charge for services and receive no federal or state funding at this time.

Our next speaker of the day is from the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald Tennessee. 

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, is the nation's largest natural-habitat refuge developed specifically to meet the needs of endangered elephants. It is a non-profit organization, licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and accredited by the Association of Sanctuaries, designed specifically for old, sick or needy elephants who have been retired from zoos and circuses. Utilizing more than 2700 acres, it provides three separate and protected, natural-habitat environments for Asian and African elephants. Our residents are not required to perform or entertain for the public; instead, they are encouraged to live like elephants.

After these fun and informative speakers, the group will load up to enjoy an afternoon tour of some Nashville highlights.

Belle Meade Plantation
ACVP guests will tour Belle Meade Plantation. A full one hundred year span of Tennessee history and architecture can be found here. Today, 30-acres remain of the once 5,400-acre plantation, making this one of the South's most outstanding showplaces.

On the National Register of Historic Places, Belle Meade  had been beautifully restored to reflect the sumptuous elegance of the 19th century.  Elaborately furnished with antiques and art of the period, Belle Meade brings to life true antebellum Tennessee.

Costumed docents will greet you at the doors to the Mansion. Guests will be welcomed inside to hear the story of the John Harding family.  The Greek Revival mansion is the focal point of the plantation.  In the hall is an exhibit of silver mint julep cups won by the thoroughbreds raised on the plantation.  In the Swan Parlors, restored to their original Robin’s Egg Blue, walk through the period furnishings.  The farm office, with its handwritten record books that tell the tales of farm produce bought-and-sold, answers the questions of how a plantation is managed.  Upstairs, docents recount the tales of Presidents who have visited, especially Howard Taft, the marriages performed and the famous guests who have slept or visited at Belle Meade.

Visit the mansion's colossal carriage house, which is filled with restored antique carriages, and see the stables, which once housed some of horse racing's finest lineage.  John Harding boarded horses; Andrew Jackson was one of his customers.  By 1816, he was breeding thoroughbreds and Belle Meade made its mark as a renowned thoroughbred nursery and stud farm.  For horse enthusiasts, Belle Meade means the home of “Iroquois”, until 1954, the only American-bred winner of the English Derby. Stroll the grounds and stop in the Museum Store before departing.  After touring Belle Meade, ACVP guests will enjoy lunch in the Carriage House.

Next, the  group departs for another Nashville icon, RCA Studio B. 

RCA Studio B.
Historic RCA Studio B is one of the world's most important recording studios. More than 35,000 songs were brought to life by the Studio B magic, including more than 1,000 top ten American hits, and over 150 Elvis Presley recordings (by far more than any other studio). Situated at 30 Music Square W and originally known simply as RCA Studios, it became famous in the 1960s for being a part of what many refer to as the Nashville Sound http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_Sound. A sophisticated style characterized by background vocals and strings, the Nashville Sound both revived the popularity of country music and helped establish Nashville, Tennessee as an international recording center.

Preliminary schedule:
9:30 am          Group enjoys speakers form two local non profits whom focus on the care of animals.
10:30 am        Group departs for Bellemeade Plantation.
11:00 am        Group arrives and begins tour.
 12:30 pm       Lunch begins in Carriage House at Bellemeade.
 1:30 pm         Lunch ends.  Depart for driving tour of Music Row and for Studio B.
 2:30 pm         Group arrives at Studio B and begins guided tour.
 3:15 pm         Group departs for hotel.
 3:30 pm         Group arrives at hotel.