The Centennial Exposition of 1897 established Nashville for the ingenuity that defines it still. A showcase of modern ideas, it attracted two million people by horse, carriage and train and projected the promise of a new century. Journey with us as we bring this momentous epoch into the present with our Gala theme Then & Now: Gondolas and Grottos hailing the 1897 re-creation of Venice’s Rialto Bridge over Lake Watauga and the Blue Grotto Restaurant acknowledging colorful Capri.