Light Up the Pike and Hendersonville Cruise-In offered choices last Friday night

Hendersonville was a busy place last Friday night if you were an old car geek. Did you want to go to the Light Up the Pike (LITP) Car Show at Long Hollow Church, or did you want to go to the always popular Friday night Hendersonville Cruise-In? Either choice was a good one. I popped-in at both of them to see what was what. The Long Hollow Church show probably got the most attention. In addition to the car show, they had all kinds of family games set up, and they set off a huge fireworks show at the end of the night. The weekly Cruise-In was a little light on attendance, but there were still plenty of good cars there to check out.

Hendersonville Cruise-In kicks off 2019 at its new location

As a Hendersonville resident and a car cruise guy, I’m always happy when the Hendersonville Cruise-In kicks off for the season. This year, the location moved to the old World Market parking lot, which is basically the Target store off New Shackle Island Road. They hold this event every Friday night during the summer, and they always have lots of really nice cars to look at. I’m always amazed that they can hold this event this often and still draw in so many different and interesting cars each time. Naturally, we took the old truck there for opening night, and came home with a bunch of pictures and stories about the neat stuff in attendance.

Somernites Super Cruise takes over Somerset, Kentucky

When you approach Somerset, Ky., the sign on the highway declares that you are entering the “Official Car Cruise Capital of Kentucky.” When it comes to the monthly Somernites Cruise, these people aren’t messing around. It kind of reminds me of a NASCAR event. There are Somernites souvenir trailers, printed color programs, and many displays, activities, and vendors to keep everyone entertained. Oh, and there were lots of cars—1,500 of them according to the P.A. announcer. Somerset’s entire downtown is blocked off for this, and they manage to fill every parking lot and street corner.

This cruise-in puts the "Good" in "Goodlettsville"

If you’re a car nut in Goodlettsville, you know that the Goodlettsville Cruise in the Publix parking lot is the place to be on Saturday nights. Beautiful weather sparked some healthy participation last weekend, with a nice selection of classics and future classics. I brought the old truck out and snarfed down a Firehouse meatball sub. That might not be everyone’s idea of a Saturday night party, but it suit me just fine. There was also a D.J. on hand for a little auditory entertainment, and of course, there were the cars. That’s what we’re mostly interested in here, so let’s take a look at some of them. 

First Hendersonville Cruise-In of 2018 is a big one

Nashville’s weather has been all over the place lately, but spring made a welcome appearance last Friday night for the kickoff of the Hendersonville Cruise-In. You could tell people were ready to get their cars out, because the lot was packed from one end to the other with virtually every kind of car imaginable. I like it because it’s about ten minutes from my house, so it’s kind of like the car show comes to me for a change. It was also the first time we drove our “new” ’93 Corvette anywhere, so it was fun to bring something out for its car cruise debut.

Early birds have all the fun at the BMS Cruise-In

Lately, Cars and Coffee-type gatherings are really picking up steam over the traditional night time car show. It makes sense. You get up early, spend an hour or three on a Saturday morning, and the rest of your day is free. The BMS Cruise-In is taking advantage of that trend. Last Saturday was cool and foggy, and there were still probably 150 cars and trucks out there. A lot of them are late-model Mustangs and stuff that are not usually what we cover here, but there are still plenty of very cool older rides if that’s what you’re into.

So long, Fontanel, until we meet again

I’ve been a little behind on my write-ups here lately, but I’m finally getting around to putting this story together on the final cruise of the year at the Fontanel Mansion. I actually hate it when this one ends. The Fontanel is one of the nicest locations for a car cruise in town. There’s beautiful scenery. There’s plenty of stuff to eat. There’s live music. Even my wife likes going to this cruise. We took the truck out this time, and it turned out to be a great night for it. Unfortunately, my camera finally died forever about half-way through the show, so many of these pictures were taken with my cell phone. You can generally make out car shapes in most of them, so at least they’ll give you an idea.

Relaxing at the Fontanel Cruise

It was Thursday night in the summer time. That means it was time for the weekly car cruise in the prettiest location in Nashville. The Fontanel Mansion hosts this event, and they always do a nice job. As usual, there was live music, food to eat, and beautiful, tree-covered hills in the shadow of Barbara Mandrel’s old house and amphitheater. Cruise participation has been a little light lately, which seems strange to me considering the enjoyable location and nice weather. But the car owners and their families that did show up were all having a nice time.

Tuesday night at Tom's Cruise in Germantown

I’m spending more time in the Memphis area for work lately, so  last Tuesday night I checked out Tom’s Cruise in Germantown. As is the norm these days, it was an incredibly hot day, which may have had an impact on attendance. That being said, there was still a good number of nice cars at this cruise, and most of them stayed there for quite a while. High heat isn’t enough to keep real car folks at home. They just pack a few more bottles of water. Let’s take a look at some of the rides they packed that water in.

Fun stuff from the Mt. Juliet Chick-fil-A Cruise

Mt. Juliet is the place to be every Saturday night, because the Providence Chick-fil-A hosts a weekly car cruise. It’s an interesting venue, because they get tons of participants, but it’s in one of the busiest areas in town. ’57 Chevys share space with ’95 Tauruses. Car lovers dodge Dodge Caravans trying to bomb their ways through the drive-thru. The D.J. competes with the traffic. If you’re looking for a relaxing, casual cruise, this isn’t it. But if you like looking at a diverse and interesting selection of hot rods, classics, and muscle cars, this is definitely where you want to go.

Goodlettsville Cruise was a nice little gathering

Saturday night, I made a quick stop at the Goodlettsville Cruise in the Publix/Firehouse Subs parking lot. I say “quick,” because there weren’t many cars there to photograph. Now that’s not really a reflection on the cruise itself. I’ve been to this same location when you would consider yourself lucky to find a parking spot. Unfortunately, they were right up against the new Cruizin’ Hendersonville event going on 15 minutes away. I think that was their biggest challenge. But I guess as a car guy, having too many cruise options seems like a good problem to have.

Cruizin' Hendersonville is a success right out of the gate

Car cruise season is officially underway in Nashville, so I decided to start out my coverage at the brand-new Cruzin’ Hendersonville event near the Hendersonville police station. I was actually surprised at how strong the turnout was, especially for a first-time gathering. This thing was well promoted and organized, with a DJ, door prizes, and other perks. The only thing I didn’t like was the position of the sun, because it sort of screwed up the quality of my pictures. But if you can bear the glare, let’s take a look at some of the notable participants.

Personal luxury abounds at the Fontanel Cruise

The picturesque Fontanel in Whites Creek has become a family favorite of ours, and the Thursday night cruise is one of the best around. The event flyer made it seem like last Thursday was the last one of the year, so we made a quick stop over there to have some dinner and check out the cool rides. Luckily, it sounds like they might have a few more car events at Barbara Mandrell’s old mansion, so we may just get to come back out here while the leaves are changing. But for now, let’s take a look at the nice stuff that was there while the sun went down.

Chicken sandwiches and custom cars at the Mt. Juliet Chick-fil-A Cruise

I hate to make excuses, but there has been so much going on the past week that I’m behind on my blogging.  Take this coverage of the Chick-fil-A Cruise in Mt. Juliet.  I actually took all these pictures more than a week ago.  But even though it has taken way too long for me to hammer out a story, I think you’ll agree that it was worth the wait.  This was a nice cruise with some nice cars on a nice night.  And who doesn’t enjoy a delicious Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich while they’re surrounded by hot rods?  Let’s take a look.

Nothing to lose at the Goodlettsville Cruise

Saturday night means cruise night in Goodlettsville, so BHo and I jumped in the ol’ ’63 Chevy pickup and headed out. This was kind of a landmark event for us, because it was the first time since we moved to Tennessee that the truck has made it to a car show. I’m not sure that it really wowed the crowds or anything, but it was a significant point for me. I had a good time taking my son out to this event. It was a good night to enjoy each other’s company in the presence of a lot full of nice cars.

Surprise cruise at the Mt. Juliet Chick-fil-A

Normally I go out of my way to find car events, but sometimes I find them by accident. Such was the case Saturday night when we went to see How to Train Your Dragon 2 in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., and just happened upon the Mt. Juliet Cruise-In in the Chick-fil-A parking lot. I do like going to the movies, but when I get to see a car show before I go into the movie theatre, well, that’s pretty hard to beat. And although this wasn’t the biggest event I’ve been to, the quality made up for the quantity. Here’s some of the good stuff.

Longbranch Cruise proves that the Kansas City car scene is still going strong

My family is in the final stages of our transition from Kansas City to Nashville, and I was back in KC over the weekend to meet up with family and friends. I also managed to take in a car activity or two, including the Longbranch Cruise in Overland Park on Friday night. They’ve usually got some nice stuff at this one, and since I haven’t been in town since the beginning of car cruise season, much of it was new to me. One of the things I’m going to miss about Kansas City is the collection of exceptionally nice cars out there. Here are a few examples.

American Pickers, a vintage auto factory, and a car cruise at Marathon Village

Every other Sunday, there’s a really small car cruise in Nashville, but the location is cool enough that it should be bigger. It take place at the Marathon Village. And if you like cars or antiques, this is a place you need to check out. You see, Marathon Village is actually an old factory that built a car called the Marathon from 1907 to 1914. It’s also the site of Antique Archaeology, which is the store Featured on American Pickers on the History Channel. Add all the little shops and the overwhelming sense of history, and you have a must-attend event.

Fontanel Cruise packs a bunch of cars in at Barbara Mandrell's old place

The big car event in Nashville last Thursday night was the weekly cruise at the Fontanel Mansion. Like most of these places, I had never been there before, and didn’t really know what to expect. What I found was one of the coolest places to have a car event I’ve been to in a long time. The Fontanel was originally Barbara Mandrel’s 27,000 square-foot log home, but now it’s used for private events. There are zip lines, restaurants, an amphitheatre, the world’s only Goo Goo Clusters store, and much more. And everything is surrounded by rolling hills, lush grass, and green trees. It’s really pretty out there.

Fairview Tractor Supply. Little cruise, pretty drive

Saturday night I decided to forego the bigger, closer cruises in the Nashville area to try out one I hadn’t been to yet. This was the Fairview Cruise in the Tractor Supply parking lot there. They had a few nice cars, but honestly, there were not very many there to look at. I don’t regret going, though, because I drove through some very nice scenery to get there from my home base in Old Hickory. Plus, you know I’m always game to see cars I’ve never looked at before. It was a bit of a drive, but I can think of worse things to do on a Saturday night.