The home of Nashville is home to the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the famous “the Honky Tonk Highway” of bars in downtown Nashville, Nashville is the center of country music (and in the present, the weekend weddings and bachelor parties are a significant draw for Nashville).
I’ve been to Nashville several times. Nashville is the ideal city to spend a weekend or as a stopover on a US journey. There’s plenty to do in Nashville, such a wide array of excellent cuisine, a lot of culture as well as musical history, and there’s a beautiful energy that the city has.
Nashville Itinerary
Take a WalkThe initial thing that I try when visiting a new place is to take the time to walk around. I believe it’s the best method to understand the layout of the land, take in the major attractions, and discover the past of a city.
Although there aren’t any free walking tours available in Nashville, There is an audio tour that self-guides available at Free Tours By foot (USD 2.99), and after that, you can take your time and explore the city at your own pace. The tour includes 18 stops and generally takes two hours.
An alternative is to hop on the Hop-On, Hop-Off tour. It covers the significant highlights but without walking.
Visit the Ryman Auditorium
The venue for music is holy with country music fans. It was the site of the Grand Ole Opry (a live country music radio show which is the longest-running radio show ever in US history) up to 1974. It has served as the stage for famous performers such as Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and many others. Self-guided tours are the most effective method to see. The tour will briefly describe the auditorium and the musicians who have played there.
Explore the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
With more than 2.5 million pieces (including recordings, instruments, photographs, and more. ), This is the largest museum dedicated to the country genre. There are more than 500,000 photographs along with 900 tools and some iconic vehicles (such as Elvis, the real gold Cadillac limousine built in 1960). Apart from the exhibits, they also offer workshops and live music. Even if you’re a non-striking country music enthusiast (I’m not), The Hall of Fame is worth visiting since the music genre has enormously influenced American culture. The museum can take a few hours to see.
Party on Broadway
After spending the day walking around, taking in the sights, and eating, have a night out on Broadway. The broad street is surrounded by honky-tonks that are multi-story and neon-lit (bars and nightclubs in which country and rock music live is performed), and each one with a different live performance, often on multiple floors. The venue is filled with people on weekends, and it gets crazy!
Nashville Itinerary
Visit the National Museum of African American Music
This fascinating museum will take visitors through the full range of Black music in the United States. Beginning with Africa and continuing through the ages when Africans were taken captive and then brought to the Americas, The exhibits go deep into the roots of soul music, R&B, funk, and hip-hop. It’s among the top museum in town. I learned lots.
Tour the Johnny Cash Museum
Johnny Cash is one of the greatest artists of the past. He has had a profound influence on music. The 18,000-square-foot museum has one of the most extensive collections of Johnny Cash memorabilia and artifacts that include handwritten lyrics, costumes, letters, and many more. It’s a highly interactive exhibit that features lots of multimedia. Some shows allow you to make your mix of Cash’s songs and a green screen where you can have a photo of Cash and mini-theaters in which you can view clips of his performances. This is among my top city museums. It provides a thorough glimpse of the world of one the biggest and most well-known performers ever.
See the Grand Ole Opry
The legendary venue for music was initially situated at the Ryman Auditorium and was first established in 1925. In 1974 The Grand Ole Opry House, which is a stunning and intimate space located east of downtown, was opened. The theatre pays tribute to its roots by incorporating an imposing six-foot wooden circle that was once the Ryman stage integrated into the location that is now in place, which musicians who perform here respect because they are connected to all the greats who have performed there before them. Make sure you take a Behind-the-scenes walkthrough to see the dressing rooms that are themed, hear about the experiences it’s like for musicians to perform on the stage, and take a walk along the same path the performers walk on their way to the stage.
Explore East Nashville
Its neighborhood is considered an area that is the city’s “hippest” neighborhood and is known for its diverse nightclubs, dive bars, bohemian clubs, and excellent dining establishments. In the early aughts, musicians and artists settled in the area because it was among the more affordable locations within the metropolis. With more establishments opening, more people flocked to them. This is now where you’ll find the locals who hang out (they should stay clear of Broadway).
Go to go to the Five Points part of the district, take a look at the artwork on the streets, wander into antique shops, and stop for a third-wave coffee and dine in the variety of eateries (Hunter’s Point, for instance) an excellent food court that has a variety of vendors). It’s a fantastic district in the city.