Nashville, aka Music City, hits all the right notes: history, art, food, and of course, live music everywhere you turn. My wife Sharen and I spent four days soaking it all in—and quickly learned that Nashville is far more than country twang.
Our first priority, naturally, was to head to Nashville’s most famous place, Lower Broadway, where endless variety of music spilled onto the streets from every bar and honky-tonk. The energy was electric, especially at night, with venues like Blake Shelton’s Ole Red and Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge packed with music lovers.
But as we quickly learned, Nashville offers so much more than just Lower Broadway. Housing the world’s greatest collection of country music artifacts, the Country Music Hall of Fame wowed us with a vast collection of memorabilia, such as Elvis’s gold Cadillac and Webb Pierce’s eye-popping Pontiac adorned with pistols and cattle horns on the grill.
The Ryman Auditorium, the “Mother Church of Country Music,” stands as a monument to the beginnings of Nashville’s rise to fame. If possible, try to catch a show there and savor the fact that you will stand where legends like Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton once performed.
Nearby, the sleek National Museum of African American Music spotlighted the enormous influence of Black artists on every genre.
On Music Row, we toured RCA Studio B, where Elvis and Roy Orbison recorded classics. Sitting at Elvis’s piano was a goosebump moment. For new voices, the Listening Room gave us an intimate night of young singer-songwriters performing their originals.
Nashville’s culture isn’t all about music. A Greyline bus tour took us past Centennial Park’s Parthenon, through hip neighborhoods, and into the Gulch, home to bold street art. At the Frist Art Museum, modern exhibits filled a former post office turned gallery.
No trip is complete without the Grand Ole Opry. We caught a live show, then went backstage for a behind-the-scenes peek—a true “Wizard of Oz” moment.
And the food? Southern comfort at Biscuit Love, community-driven coffee at Humphrey Street, smoky perfection at Martin’s BBQ, and Chicago-style pizza at Dicey’s. The Black Rabbit mixed craft cocktails with history, while a tour of Nashville Craft Distillery ended with tastings and a crash course in bourbon vs. whiskey.
In just four days, Nashville gave us history, flavor, and unforgettable music. It’s a city that sings far beyond country—inviting you to dance along.