Music City, USA
Nashville is one rocking, cool city with a lot of fun happening. You will find old historical mansions, good food, and music other than Country in the bars too. It’s a growing city with new construction, a hot music industry, and good ole fashioned southern hospitality.
Join me for a photo tour around Nashville.
Legends Corner
Nashville is the Country Music Captial of the USA, and the World.
My Dad loves the twangy, old country music. It was on his bucket list to listen to old country music in the bars where the country greats like Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, and Conway Twitty hung out. Broadway Street is the place to be if you enjoy live music. The bars don’t have a cover to get in but if you like the band you need to tip them. Musicians are not getting paid by the establishment, they are earning money from your tips.
Tootsies Orchid Lounge is world-famous. It was on Dad’s bucket list! 
They were playing 80’s rock when we went in. Now, that is my kind of music!
See what happens when 80’s music comes on!
(Picture on Right)
I could have stayed at Tootsies all night long. A young girl with a violin rocked the stage and sang a Guns & Roses song. Tootsies is a cool place!
The Stage played some great 80’s tunes too! Who knew you could visit Nashville and listen to rock music! I didn’t!
Our personal favorite bars on Broadway were the Crossroads, the Swingin Doors Saloon, the Stage and the Second Fiddle. There are so many to choose from! If you don’t like one, just walk into another. Bands perform all day and all night!
The famous Broadway Street! You will find Cowboy boot stores along this street! Boots make a great souvenir!
Nudie’s Honky Tonk- My favorite bar on Broadway. It’s Nashville’s longest bar full of silver dollars. They have a row of rustic chandeliers above the bar that reminded me of a rustic version of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. I love linear rows of Chandeliers!
Music just fills the street. It’s fun to people watch too! Want some exercise, just get on the Pedal Tavern. It’s BYOB!
A Few Nashville Fun Facts
80-100 people are moving to Nashville a day.
25% of our nation’s cranes are in Nashville building new residential condos. These new hi-rise condos are changing Nashville’s skyline.
Dolly Pardon’s first hit was on music row when she left her car in neutral and it rolled into a recording studio’s sign. Haha!
Nashville is ranked the #1 destination for Bachelorette Parties in the US.
Rumor has it, Hattie B’s came about because a cheating man’s lady made his chicken full of peppers to get back at him. Turns out, he loved that hot, spicy chicken so much he opened a chicken shack. You can wait in line for hours just to try it. Yes, we waited to try Hot Chicken. It’s a Nashville thing to do!
A warning the Hot is Hot! We eat Mexican and Thai food all the time and the hot was HOT! Hattie B’s offers five levels of spice. If you order “Shut the Cluck Up” you will not feel your tongue!
Printer’s Alley is a great place to party. You will find a Bourbon Street New Orleans vibe here. Blues music and burlesque are part of the entertainment. Sip a Big Easy Hurricane cocktail at the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. Printer’s Alley has a long speak easy history. During prohibition years, the secret bars were in this location.
Bobby’s Idle Hour Tavern inspired Toby Keith’s song, “red solo cup” after he was served beer in a red solo cup.
Reese Witherspoon owns a boutique in Nashville.
Locals call The AT& T building, the Bat Man Building
Learn these fun facts on the Hop on Hop off bus tour. It’s a great way to learn about the city and see the highlights. There are various stops all around the city.
Favorite Sculptures
The Sculpture titled “Musica” upset the locals. They refer to it as Nudica. Nashville is known as the Buckle of the Bible Belt. The locals didn’t like the nudity and protested it.
Bless their hearts! I’ve always wanted to say that!
This is my personal favorite sculpture in Nashville. It reminds me of the quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrcih,
“Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History”
This monument was placed in 2016. It honors the local Anne Dallas Dudley of Nashville and other ladies of Tennessee. She led the largest women’s suffrage parade through Nashville. What a woman!
Union Station
Stay at the Union Station Hotel or at least enjoy a cocktail at the lobby bar. It’s an old train station that has been converted into a hotel. They say it’s pretty haunted too. The ornate decor is something to appreciate, along with the blingy chandeliers.
Belmont Mansion
The Belmont Mansion is located on Belmont University’s campus. Each tour is 1 hour and 30 minutes long. Just ring the doorbell and they will let you in. The adult tour admission price is $15. This was a highlight of my trip to Nashville. We had a Mother-Daughter day and enjoyed learning about Adelicia Acklen. She was a smart, rich woman who had one of the first prenups, and sold her cotton to the Brits during the Civil War making her a large fortune to shop with. I highly recommend this tour on your Nashville trip.
Marathon Village
Drink your way around Marathon Village. Want to try a wine slushie? Visit Grinder’s Switch Winery. Do you like it straight up? There are two distilleries Nelson’s Green Briar and Corsair Distillery. Take some whiskey home as a souvenir! This place is a hit with people that like the show, American Pickers. There are antiques galore here. It was the home of the Marathon cars that were built-in the early 1900’s. It is now home to distillers, antique stores, candy stores, a winery, and cute shops. It is a stop on the Hop on Hop off bus tour.
I tried my first wine slushie here at Marathon Village at the Grinder’s Switch Winery. It was refreshing on a hot, summer day. Watch out for the brain freeze! You should try a wine slushie at least once in your life. 
Athens of the South
I went to Athens in Nashville! This was the unexpected surprise of this city. Nashville has a lot of Greek influence.
The Parthenon is in Tennessee! It is a full-size replica of the Athens’ version. It was built-in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition.
A statue of Athena is located inside. She is made out of real gold. She is the tallest indoor statue in the US at 42 feet tall. Her spear was made from an old McDonald’s flag pole.
Check out these rows of columns! They are made to make one feel small. If you can’t afford Athens, Greece, visit Nashville and pretend. This replica is in better condition.
The Bicentennial Mall State Park has a 2,000 seat outdoor amphitheater that was modeled after the Greek theater at Epidaurus. It really does feel like going to Athens! Check out the event schedule and attend a performance in the theater.
The Grand Ole Opry
A visit to The Grand Ole Opry is a must when in Nashville.
We saw the Charlie Daniels Band and I wouldn’t have come if it hadn’t been for my parents. Unlike a typical concert with an opening act and main act, there are 7-8 performers. They each play three songs. We saw the Gaitlin Brothers, Drew Baldridge, Crystal Gayle, The Charlie Daniels Band and more.
Here is an excerpt from my Instagram account.
“Tonight I feel the presence of my Mom Mom Grace. She took me to the Gaitlin Brothers in Pennsylvania when I was young. #drewbaldridge sang about his Grandma tonight. #crystalgayle sang songs through the radio at my Mom Moms table while she smoked a cigarette. I wish she was here, but tonight I feel she lives on. She is smiling with me here at the #grandoleopryhouse. What I realize is #nashville is about family!”
Nashville may be the #1 Bachelorette Party destination but it makes a great family vacation destination too!
Meet my family! We want to come back next year!
Food in Nashville
Nashville is getting a foodie reputation. I could post too many photos of food. If you enjoy good wine, head to The Merchant on Broadway Street. It’s the only place to get a good glass of wine or artistic cocktail in a glass! Try their duck fat tater tots with three different sauces. Husk Nashville is an excellent farm to table choice. I like to order Shrimp & Grits if it’s on a Southern menu. They did not disappoint at Husk. Call for a reservation, it’s small and busy. Whiskey Kitchen in the Gulch area has delicious, comfort food with a huge menu to suit everyone’s picky taste. Try Hattie B’s for hot chicken especially if you have never had it before. Ask your Concierge or read reviews on Yelp and Trip Advisor. You can’t go wrong with food in this town.
The Riverfront Park
Riverfront Park offers museums, restaurants, bars and a place to relax and recreate. Walk on the Pedestrian Bridge to get great views and photos of the city. Visit the Acme, and enjoy a cocktail on the rooftop bar.
Nashville, we had a great time! When we come back we want to explore the Belle Meade Mansion, The Hermitage Hotel, Bicentennial Capital Park, and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Don’t worry Nashville, Bonnie will be back!
Bonnie’s review of The Hutton Hotel
