Fireworks were clearly the main draw, but our "Red, White & Boom" tickets also included entry into the Adventure Science Center from 6:00pm to 10:00pm. We had a great time running around and playing with all of the children's science stuff. They had a few live science demonstrations which were really fun, like balloon bursts and liquid nitrogen bombs. The astronomy area was definitely our favorite part of the Center. It was especially cool learning more about the New Horizons space probe, which I've been waiting to arrive at Pluto since 2006.
After about an hour or so of science-filled fun, we were ready to grab some dinner. I was ecstatic to see a duo of food trucks parked right out front, as well as an ice cream tent. Fantastic!
Electric Sliders
(770) 241-2489
http://www.electricsliders.com/
Sliders can be a little boring, but the folks at Electric Sliders have put some serious innovation into their menu. With ingredients like apple-almond-fig jam, sriracha mayo, and lemon-herb cheddar cream cheese, these mini-burgers are anything but boring. The employees themselves were also very lively and embodied a cheerfulness that mirrored their food. Everything on the menu sounded great, but I ended up ordering a Two-Slider Combo with the Piggy Stardust and the Disco Demi.
Their Piggy Stardust slider is stacked high with pulled pork, pimento cheese, fried pickled onions, and a bourbon-balsamic barbecue sauce on a brioche bun. Although the pulled pork wasn't as smoky as it could have been, it was certainly smokier than I expected it to be. It was also seasoned well, but I would have liked some bark in the mix. The fried onions added a great crunchy texture, while the pimento cheese gave it a nice creaminess. The barbecue sauce was more like a bourbon-balsamic vinaigrette, and I liked that much better. My Piggy Stardust was really tasty, especially for food truck barbecue.
Despite its all-beef patty, the Disco Demi is a far cry from the standard cheeseburger. It's got sharp cheddar, pickled onions, arugula, white truffle vinaigrette, and a rosemary demi-glace on brioche. Yum! The beef patty was delicious with an awesome sear on it, and the melty sharp cheddar was a perfect pairing. The pickled onions and arugula gave this burger a good crunch and a great flavor. The white truffle also made things super tasty, but I didn't catch any rosemary. Regardless, I liked it a lot.
I made a huge mess of myself with these sliders, and it was totally worth it.
Music City Pie Co.
(615) 918-0001
https://www.facebook.com/MusicCityPieCo?fref=ts
Even though we had already filled up on sliders, there's always room for pie. Music City Pie Co. had some interesting savory pies to choose from, and their pizza slices were selling like hotcakes. Under different circumstances I probably would have sampled some of these menu items, but today I had my sights set on the Banana Pudding Pie.
Like any good Southerner, I'm a sucker for 'nana pudding. Theirs had big chunks of banana mixed into a sweet, gooey pudding. The warm buttery crust was also spectacular, and the sugary whipped cream tied everything together nicely. This was basically just banana pudding served in a pie crust bowl. To be honest, I was hoping for more of a fried pie, but it was still really delicious.
Let Freedom Sing!
http://www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors/july4th
Science? Check. Food? Double check. Now let's blow some stuff up! Nashville's "Let Freedom Sing!" fireworks display was happening rain or shine. The forecast called for plenty of rain all night long, so we made sure to pack a few ponchos and umbrellas. At 9:45pm on the dot, the Nashville Symphony's musical accompaniment cued up and the mortar shells started flying.
Considering all of the trees and the annoyingly-large Country Club Vodka billboard, our view wasn't quite as unobstructed as was promised. The rain clouds and the obnoxious people standing right in front of us didn't help either. I really enjoyed the fireworks, and the Nashville Symphony did a great job as always. That being said, I feel like it was rather egregious not to end things with the "Star Spangled Banner," or at the very least include it somewhere in the musical score. I'm not sure that the Adventure Science Center's "Red, White & Boom" was worth the $35.00 tickets after all, but we still had a fun night. Happy Birthday, America!
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Adventure Science Center
800 Fort Negley Blvd
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 862-5160
http://www.adventuresci.org/
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