Bucket list author to highlight Nashville area at Williamson County Library talk

Travel writer Tom Adkinson will discuss his bucket list of Nashville and Middle Tennessee experiences during an Author Talk program at the Williamson County Public Library on Monday, July 17 at 5:30 p.m.

Adkinson, a Marco Polo member of the Society of American Travel Writers, recently released the third edition of his book, “100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die.”. It is in a nationwide collection of “100 Things” books from Reedy Press in St. Louis.

“It’s a big challenge to pare down a list of notable Nashville destinations and activities to 100 items,” Adkinson said. “The list is a guide for visitors, but it’s also a fun exercise for Nashvillians to see whether they agree with my choices or even discover things to do.”

Adkinson noted that he strayed outside Nashville a few times so he could include activities such as floating the Narrows of the Harpeth River, savoring a biscuit at the Loveless Motel, absorbing the history of Franklin’s “Fuller Story” and exploring the small towns of the Nashville’s Big Back Yard tourism region that includes Leiper’s Fork.

The list has five categories – music and entertainment, food and drink, history and culture, shopping, and sports and recreation.

“Nashville is blessed. Some book entries are Nashville’s and Nashville’s alone, such as the Grand Ole Opry (the longest-running radio show in the world) and the Parthenon, the only replica of the Athenian temple anywhere.

“Others are notable as pieces of Nashville’s history. Among them are Nashville’s oldest restaurant, a shopping mall inspired by a location in Milan, Italy, and a commemoration of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” Adkinson said.

Adkinson said he delights in spotlighting places or activities even Nashville natives don’t know about or have never visited.