From its range of seasons to the range of music, Nashville, Tennessee has a lot to offer. Known as Tennessee’s capitol and “Music City”, Nashville is an area that displays key aspects of the South, without being surrounded by the deep country.
Home to many record labels from almost genre, music is the main attraction of the city. Like aspiring actors or actresses making the journey to Hollywood, Nashville is home to anyone wanting to “make it into the business” of music. Because of the southern location, this is where the heart of country music lies. Whether rain or shine, hot and humid, or cold and snowy, this city’s main focus is making honky tonk sounds.
A lot of this has to do with the establishment of the Grand Ole Opry , “the show that made country music famous”. Founder George D. Hay dreamed of making a radio station that played country music across America. In 1925, his dream came true when the Grand Ole Opry had its first opening night with a live radio broadcast. Now accessible in homes, many could tune in and listen to country hits. This changed the dynamic of country music forever. Country musicians would come from near and far, hoping for their shot to make it on the Opry stage and broadcast. The Grand Ole Opry became a home stage for many country music artists to come and perform, especially those who have been inducted as an official Opry member.
Living members have their own mailbox to the Opry House. Whether they are there to perform, watch a show, or just stopping by, they personally come and pick up their fan mail sent to the Opry address. The Opry still does live broadcasts nation-wide of all of the shows happening, and is still respected as one of the most iconic places to perform.
Nashville carries the music vibe everywhere. With the guitar-shaped Music City Center, to the Country Music Hall of Fame a block away from it. With air conditioning pumping through, the Hall of Fame is the perfect place to cool down and see some pretty cool stuff, whether you’re a country fan or not. From Elvis’ favorite car, to Taylor Swift’s favorite guitar, the Hall of Fame has it all.
Nashville also remembers some of the greats with museums. The Johnny Cash Museum is a perfect example. Along with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash made it big by experimenting with new sounds. By visiting this museum, you can learn and remember Cash’s life.
By going to Music Row, you enter into the world of music production. Writing, recording, editing: it all happens in these old Nashville homes, now turned recording studios. One of the historic studios, is RCA Studio B. The original and historic studio still stands, and by going on a tour you can see where over a thousand hits were recorded.
If you want to enjoy the country music Nashville has to offer, you need to eat some good Southern cookin’ with it! Loveless Motel-turned Café is known for the best biscuits in Nashville. Now, I am not a huge biscuit fan, but after eating the biscuits made from scratch with homemade preserves, there is nothing comparable. Loveless is located away from the city, so the drive to and from can give you a scenic drive of what quaint Southern living is all about.
Another famous spot on the map of Nashville, is the Bluebird Café. Many aspiring artists and bands start with small gigs, and the Bluebird is known for housing many stars before they make it big. With café food and great music, a night at the Bluebird is spectacular. With a show every night and Open Mic nights on Mondays, be sure to make reservations way in advance, or get in line early because tables go fast.
Nashville night life is something of its own. Even though there are music events going on all day, the real music scene doesn’t start until later. On Broadway Ave, bars are lined on both sides of the streets with bands booked for shows. If you are underage don’t worry. Depending on the bars, you can go inside until a certain time (usually they start carding at 9:00pm). This is because the bars aren’t about drinking or alcohol, its about enjoying the music and they want to ensure that everyone can enjoy the performances.
One of the famous bars is Tooties. Although narrow, there are three levels which includes a roof. There are different music gigs located on each floor, along with a bar. There aren’t that many locals in the bar, unless it is after a Titans football game because the stadium is located across the street. With the music blaring, everyone singing, and some people dancing, Nashville nightlife is something else to be involved in.
After visiting, you understand where the heart and soul country music is from.
