Nashville: Music City Tunes Up For Tourism
Though its tagline, “music city” conjures up what the city is famous for, Nashville is so much more. From the low brow — the city’s fabled honky-tonks — to the highbrow — an impressive array of historic mansions and art institutions, Nashville has something for everyone looking for something different, unique and memorable. And you will never go hungry, nor tire of the good old-fashioned Southern hospitality at local restaurants and hotels.
But let’s start with the music emanating from the heart of downtown Nashville. Take a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, an impressive structure featuring artifacts from the history of the genre, including semi private listening booths where you can hear some of the country’s most famous songs to the popular Hank Williams exhibit, “Family Tradition: The Hanks Williams Legacy which became such a crowd-pleaser, it will be on long-term display.
Just down the street is the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Opened in September 2006 it’s neoclassical revivalist architecture is one of the only major concert halls in North America to utilize natural light. And oh, the sound!
Across the street are some of the city’s world-famous honky-tonks. Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Roberts Western Wear and Legends Corner are the local hangouts where many country music legends got their start–and sometimes pop in for an impromptu set. (Nashville resident Keith Urban has been known to do so.) The scene is straight out of a Bud Light commercial — with local bands playing late into the evening and patrons grooving to the music. Another thing the honky-tonks are famous for: no cover charge. And the drink prices are pretty reasonable compared to most places in big cities.
But the granddaddy of music establishments is of course The Grand Ole Opry, located a few miles outside of town at the acclaimed Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. The Grand Ole Opry is the world’s longest running radio show and features a myriad of performers on stage and an impressive auditorium.
For history buffs, the Ryman Auditorium is an historic building which housed the precursor of the modern Opry. There are still special performances and concerts held at the well preserved brick structure.
Art and architecture buffs would deeply appreciate the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, a large, private museum (24,000 square feet) located inside a 1920s era Art Deco former United States Post Office building where all of the original design elements have been meticulously restored from the staircases to the window frames. The center also features the interactive ArtQuest gallery, great for kids– and educational programs.
You can delve much deeper into the rich history of this city at two of its premier plantation mansions, circa the mid-1800s. Belle Meade Plantation is an 1853 Greek revival mansion that was renowned as a thorough bred stud farm. The rooms are furnished with magnificent period furniture and artwork original to the home, and the dining room is set with fine crystal and china. There’s even a garage with carriage is an automobiles from the early part of the 19th century.
You can also visit Belmont Mansion for another taste of how the wealthy citizens of Nashville lived at the time. This home was built and owned by Adelicia Acklen, one of America’s wealthiest women and one of Tennessee’s most colorful characters.
The state’s most famous native son, of course, is President Andrew Jackson, and his huge plantation manor estate is The Hermitage, where visitors can get guided tours by knowledgeable docents on foot — or on horseback. This National Historical Landmark also includes the tombs of the president and his wife Rachel Jackson, as well as her garden.
Those hungry for more history including that of slavery and the struggle for civil rights, should stop in at the Nashville library’s Civil Rights Room, a research center (nothing can be checked out) that features hisstoric photographs from the 1950s and 1960s lining the walls — and the stories of what happened to the people pictured in them– along with the many volumes of historical import.
The Galleries at Fisk University boasts a unique cache of treasures in the art world; part of the collection of famed photographer Alfred Stieglitz donated to the University by his wife, Georgia O’Keefe after Mr. Stieglitz died in the late 1940s. Included in the approximately 100 works of art are several Stieglitz photographs and a stunning O’Keefe painting, one of her “Radiator Building” series, whose brushstrokes practically radiate her love for him nearly a century later.
Going back further in time, the Parthenon is the world’s only full-sized reproduction of the Greek Parthenon that houses a sculpture of the Greek goddess Athena. Nashville first undertook construction of the replica to house and art exhibition for the 1897 Centennial Exposition. The landmark was reconstructed in 1931 and underwent a major renovation about 20 years ago. Inside the structure are four fine art galleries, one of which is a rotating gallery featuring a collection of American art.
One of Nashville’s most popular new places to stay is the acclaimed new Hutton Hotel, which provides a fresh alternative to traditional downtown hotels. The 248 rooms use eco–technology combined with first-class amenities to pamper guests. And features the 1808 Grill with sophisticated, delicious selection of New American cuisine — with Southern flair. That means if you don’t normally eat fried food, you will.
And speaking of fried food, one of the area’s most famous haunts is the ultra-popular Loveless Café, known for its heaping platters of chicken, ribs and its mouthwatering biscuits. Rest assured, you will have to wait for a table, but it will be worth it.
Looking for Southern charm mixed with fine cuisine? The Acorn beckons with its mix of comfort and quality served in a sleek setting that still feels like someone’s home. The restaurant prides itself on using local farm grown ingredients for many of its specialty dishes.
If seafood is your thing, don’t miss Cascades Seafood Restaurant at Gaylord Opryland. Set in a garden atrium the menu features seasonal fish, fantastic seafood–try the scallops if they are in season– topped off by sumptuous desserts created by the pastry chef. An ultimately fulfilling dining destination.
For more information about Music City, call (800) 657-6910
www.visitmusiccity.com
The Convention and Visitors Bureau operates a walk-in center downtown.
Guidebook:
The Acorn 114 28th Avenue North (615) 320-4399 www.theacornrestaurant.com
Loveless Café 8400 Highway 100 Nashville, TN 37221(615) 646-9700 www.lovelesscafe.com
1808 Grill 1808 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203 (615)-340-0012 www.1808grille.com
Cascades Seafood Restaurant at Opryland 2800 Opryland Drive Nashville, TN 37214 (615) 871-6848 www.gaylordhotels.com
The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson 4580 Rachel’s Lane Nashville, TN 37076 www.thehermitage.com
Belle Meade Plantation 5025 Harding Pike Nashville, TN 37205 (615) 356-0501 www.bellemeadeplantation.com
Belmont Mansion 1900 Belmont Boulevard Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 460-5459 www.belmontmansion.com
Opryland Resort and Convention Center 2800 Opryland Drive Nashville, TN 37214 (615) 871-6848 www.gaylordhotels.com
Schermerhorn Symphony Center One Symphony Place Nashville, TN 37201 (615).687.6500 www.nashvillesymphony.org
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum 222 Fifth Avenue South Nashville, TN 37203 (615).416-2001 www.countrymusichalloffame.com
Frist Center for the Visual Arts 919 Broadway Nashville, TN, 37203 (615).244.3340 www.fristcenter.org
Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library 615 Church Street Nashville, TN 37219 (615).862.5800 www.library.nashville.org/civilrights/home.
Galleries at Fisk University 1000 Seventeenth Ave. North Nashville, TN 37208 (615).329-8720 www.fisk.edu
Parthenon 2600 W End Ave Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 862-8431 www.nashville.gov/parthenonHutton Hotel 1808 West End Ave Nashville, TN 37203(615) 340-9333 www.huttonhotel.com
Ryman Auditorium 116 Fifth Avenue North Nashville, TN 37219 (615) 889-3060 www.ryman.com
