Drum Roll Please

Adventures on a budget do not just happen; you have to make them happen. I love to travel, but traveling can be expensive. This is why I love day trips. Day trips allow me the ability to experience different, unique events and attractions more often than if I were planning an extended vacation.          

About a month ago, I searched the internet for festivals and events located within a two-hour drive from where I live. After scrolling through the list of area events, Music City Drum Show piqued my interest. The tickets were on sale for $15 each, and the event would be held in Nashville, TN. (I love Nashville). Initially, I admit I had second thoughts about attending a drum expo of all things. You see, being married to a drummer, I knew feeding his addiction for all things drum related would inevitably defeat my budget requirement for adventures; not to mention, making me the bad person who would have to say "No, you cannot buy that!"       

Nevertheless, I bought the tickets and surprised hubs. He was over the moon excited to go. Two weeks passed quickly and before we knew it, our road trip was underway. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day for traveling. The drive to Nashville is easy and calming; well, that is until you get into the heart of Nashville traffic. Anway, we made it. We arrived about a half hour early and just sat in the car watching vendors from all over the United States pack in their gear. In what seemed an eternity, the doors finally opened. We registered at the door, received our wrist bands and bought tickets for the give aways. Hubs was like a kid in a candy store. Isles and isles of every kind of drum set and percussion equipment you could imagine. Walking booth to booth, vendors and musicians all talking shop. There was a sense of mutual respect and comradery that filled the atmosphere. Yes, Hubs managed to finagle a deal on a couple of pairs of sticks and had an opportunity to meet many famous drummers.  

The Music City Drum Show offered autograph sessions, special guest appearances and clinics from some of the industry's top drummers. Dray Energy was one of the featured artists. Hubs and I first met Dray in Vegas a few years back, when he was playing the Whitney Houston Hologram Show. (By the way, this show is about to go on tour and is a definite, must see, adventure.) I loved watching the clinics and hearing the drummers talk about how they achieved certain sounds. When they cut loose on the drums, I was blown away by their talent. For me, I had the opportunity to meet Dray's wife, Gwen. There are just some things that only another musician's spouse can identify with. We laughed and talked about all things "drum wife life related", a topic which could easily be a top selling book.        

Time zoomed by, and just like that, our adventure was over. Arriving back home, I admit our old butts were dragging; however, it was a good kind of tired. No doubt about it, this was definitely a fun Adventure on a Budget.  

If you would like to check out pictures of the show, check out their Facebook page