Nashville Tennessee

We made a rare city stop in Nashville, but “Music City” isn’t your ordinary city. Nashville is at the center of everything country music and is a fun town with endless opportunities to let loose, kick up your heels and engage in the local music scene… and maybe even run into one of your favorite country stars. This city stop far exceeded our expectations and offered a couple incredible surprises.

We wanted to do Nashville, but we didn’t want to stay right in the middle of it, so we opted for a quite campground 30 minutes out of town in Antioch. Four Corners Resort and Marina allowed for a peaceful camping experience, and a contrast from the busy city, overlooking J Percy Priest Reservoir.

There are several “must do’s” while in Nashville along with a long list of other great things to do and see. Tops on our list was a visit to the Grand Ole Opry, country music’s coveted theater and the heart of country music. The Opry is celebrating their 100’s anniversary this year, which made this special already, considering the country music icons who have performed on that stage. We bought our tickets a couple of months in advance not knowing who the performers were going to be that night, many times it’s not known until just days before the performance, and even then, it’s common for surprise performers to show up. Well, we got a notice two weeks before our show, of what equates to hitting the country music lottery. It was announced that Jelly Roll was being inducted into the exclusive Opry membership that night! Lainey Wilson was one of the other performers and who presented Jelly Roll his award and official membership.

Being in the nostalgic confines of the Opry is something special and hard to put into words. There’s not a bad seat in the house and you feel so much more connected with the stage performers in this place. Jelly Roll may not be your typical country music artist, with his tattoos and piercings and troubled past, but his story and raw genuinity bring true meaning to his inspirational music. Seeing him live, along with Lainey, on this special night was part concert and part award ceremony but more so a true story of redemption and spiritual values that lifts us all up just a little bit higher. What a night to remember!

Although the Opry may have been our number one highlight, there were some other pretty special moments as well. In fact, the day before the Opry we visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. This place holds the 100 year history of country music within its walls. It’s eye opening how country music has evolved with early influence from folk, soul, blues and gospel, and later on from pop and rock ‘n’ roll. It was also quite interesting how four interwoven towns in the northwestern corner of Alabama, collectively referred to as “Muscle Shoals”, changed music history. Among the highlights in the museum is the new Dolly Parton exhibit featuring her unique story, flashy outfits and other memorabilia.

To top off our day at the Hall of Fame Museum, we took in some late night entertainment at the famous Bluebird Cafe. The Bluebird was originally intended to be a gourmet restaurant but quickly evolved into one of the most famous small music venues in the United States and a legendary part of Nashville’s songwriting culture. It’s 90 seat venue is a place for local songwriters to perform and where many have gotten discovered. Garth Brooks was discovered there after filling in for another songwriter in 1988. We were there on blues night and saw some amazing blues artists, headlined by Grammy award winner Yates Mckendree and accompanied by (his dad) Grammy award pianist Kevin Mckendree. Also, performing that night in the band was George Sluppick, a session drummer touring with bands such as Sha Na Na, and a bass player who toured with Peter Frampton. What a great venue to see such amazing performers where you are up close and personal with the band. We felt pretty accomplished after that big day!

A trip to Nashville is not complete without experiencing the Lower Broadway district, a historic 4 block stretch known as the “Honky Tonk Highway”. The stretch is lined with famous bars and live entertainment from 11am to 3am. Many of the big names have bars there such as Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Kid Rock, Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll, to mention a few. It’s not uncommon to catch one of the stars in their bar on any given night. In the spirit of research, we visited Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places, Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk, Jelly Roll’s Goodnight Nashville and the Lucky Bastard Saloon. All of these establishments where fun to hang out in and the music was outstanding across the board.

Another museum well worth visiting while in Nashville is the Johnny Cash Museum. This smaller museum chonicalizes the life and musical career of Johnny Cash. Considering he was one of the most influential figures in country music with a career that lasted nearly five decades and crossed genres including country, rock, folk, and gospel, that’s a lot for one museum. I left with a renewed appreciation for the “Man in Black”.

A drive or walk down Music Row, a hub for the country music industry, is a fun and nostalgic experience. This area houses record label offices, radio stations and recording studios. Tours of the iconic RCA Studio B are available, where artists like Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton recorded their hits.

For a change of pace, a visit to Centennial Park is an enjoyable experience, especially on a nice day. In addition to a pond and open green spaces, the parks centerpiece is a full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon. In fact it’s said to be one of the most accurate full-scale replicas of the Parthenon. The strange thing is that it was never meant to be a permanent structure. It was originally built in 1897 as a temporary structure, made partially of plaster, for Tennessee’s 100 anniversary fair. Due to the cost to demolish it and the public appreciation of the building, it was rebuilt with concrete and steel from 1921-1931, with help from architectural historians, as the accurate replica it is today.

We didn’t make it to the historic Ryman Auditorium, known as the “Mother Church of Country Music” but hope to visit it on a future visit to see a show or do a tour. I understand the historic significance and architectural details make it a special place to see.

There’s a lot of great southern food to be found in Nashville and one of the most famous staples is hot chicken. This unique twist on southern fried chicken allows you to customize your heat level to your liking. There’s lots of places to get Nashville hot chicken, but one of the best (if not the best) is the original Hattie B’s Hot Chicken location in midtown. It’s a counter order simple place, but wow, that chicken!

If you’re in the mood for something a bit more traditional, the Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Beer Garden in East Nashville is a great place for a burger. They have some really good burgers and an old-time soda fountain in a cool laid back setting. It’s a classic spot for locals and it’s not unusual to have a long line of people waiting to get inside so plan accordingly.

Rounding out the diversity of food options in Nashville, is Bavarian Bierhaus, an authentic German beer hall serving some amazing German food. It’s Oktoberfest-inspired space features large shared tables and live music. A liter of German beer and some amazing Schnitzel was a great start to our Opry night since the restaurant is a quick walk from the theater.

Nashville was one of the funnest cities we’ve been to and we will return. Whether your a country music fan or not, Nashville is a place that can be enjoyed by all. Be sure to check all of our pictures from the area.