 |
| Nashville skyline Courtesy of Tennessee Tourism |
Nashville gets to you in the same way as a great song. So
watching the TV drama series, Nashville, about the city and its music
industry, brought back fond memories of this wonderful place and I have
become addicted to the More4 show.
As I was not a country music fan I didn’t really know what
to expect of the state capital of Tennessee and what I perceived as a southern
Bible Belt town.
From the moment you arrive at the airport you know music
flows through its veins. Ranging from rock to R&B through to classical,
there is plenty of choice. Nashville is a place where you can easily get drunk
on its energy and creativity, yet at the same time be incredibly relaxed.
 |
| Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Courtesy of Tennessee Tourism |
Lush green hills and fields filled with cows are not far
away from this riverside city that is studded with plantation houses and
beautiful parks. Its unpretentiousness and the Southern hospitality Nashville
dishes up makes it one of the most welcoming and friendliest places in the US.
A visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has to
be on any visitor’s itinerary. There are plenty of costumes, instruments and
audio recordings to keep you amused for hours. Not to be missed is the Ryman
Auditorium for more music history. You can also take tours back stage. Some of
today’s great artists now appear here. It was the original home of the Grand
Ole Opry.
Now this huge venue is a fair distance out of town, but it
is really worth getting tickets for a performance of the “Grand Ole Opry”, the
radio show credited for making country music famous. Its ability to adapt and
evolve with the ever-changing music scene has kept it on the air for more than
80 years.
In the honky-tonk bars along Lower Broadway you may discover
tomorrow’s stars. The performances are free and I have even been invited into
places during the day just to listen to the music. You don’t even have to buy a
drink. The renowned Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, where the walls are plastered with
autographs and photos, is an experience not to be missed.
 |
| The Bluebird Café Courtesy of Tennessee Tourism |
Yes, there were plenty of cowboy boots and women who looked as if they had taken style advice from Dolly Parton, but delve a little deeper, and you’ll discover another side of Nashville that rocks to an edgier beat.
The Bluebird Café, featured in the TV show, does exist. It’s
slightly outside of the down town area on Hillsboro Pike. At this venue, where
stars mingle with song writers, you never know who you will bump into.
Nashville has, without doubt, under gone a metamorphosis.
Once a quiet city, it is now exploding with top-notch restaurants and
sophisticated nightclubs – especially in East Nashville – as well as
interesting boutiques. The New York Times recently wrote an article titled
“Nashville’s Latest Big Hit Could be The City Itself”.
In my opinion Nashville
already is. The more I immersed myself in its culture, the more I didn’t want
to leave.
By Daralyn Danns
Getting there
United Airlines (www.united.com)
I stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Centre
(www.marriott.co.uk)
For more info on Nashville (www.visitmusiccity.com)
