Nashville - is the capital of the US state of Tennessee (TN). It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County in the north-central part of the state. Nashville is a major hub for the health care, music, publishing, and transportation industries. Nashville's population stood at 575,261, making it the second-largest city in Tennessee (after Memphis). Nashville metropolitan area - 1,422,544, the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state.
The biggest by-product of the country music scene, tourism, now caters over 9 million visitors who make the pilgrimage to the ‘Athens of the South’ to get a taste of authentic ‘opry’. Many of them make there first stop the legendary Grande Ole Opry to see there heroes up close and personal in the 4,400-seater concert hall that plays home to the very best that Country music and Bluegrass has to offer. To be honest the venue used today has only been it’s home since the mid seventies, but more about that later. If you’re only on a short stay, hell, it don’t matter neither! Right next to the 45,000 square foot Concert Hall is the Opryland Hotel and Convention Centre. Booking a room shouldn’t be too hard; the place is truly vast with nearly three thousand rooms. Surrounding the Hotel is The Delta, an enormous man made park enclosed in glass and steel, filled with plants, trees, waterfalls, an island, restaurants, shops and even its own river running around the edge!
Over the past fifty or so years everyone who is anyone in the music world has recorded here from Elvis to Paul McCartney.
In the City’s famous Downtown area there is more than enough to keep diehard line dancers enthralled. For a start there’s the legendary Ryman Auditorium, former home to the Grande Ole Opry. Built in 1890 it was originally conceived as a ‘tabernacle to spiritual music’ and became home to the weekly live broadcasts during the 40s, remaining so for 31 years. It was renovated and re-opened during the early 90s and since then ‘The Mother Church of Country Music’ has played host to a wide variety of musicians including, Bruce Springsteen, Cheryl Crow and James Brown.
No self respecting upholder of the faith would dare pass up on the chance to visit the Country Music Hall Of Fame where you can see Gene Autry’s famous String Tie and Elvis’ Gold Cadillac (despite that fact that after a cool reception at the ‘Opry’ in October 54 he flatly refused to appear there again). Included in the Hall of Fame package is a tour of RCA’s legendary Studio B where the original ‘Nashville Sound’ was born. Then there’s Music Row, which is actually in 2 sections, the first being the industry based buildings around Music Square and the other a tourist strip around Demonbraun St. And whilst you’re at it you may as well step in at the Country Music Wax Museum and come ‘face to face’ with luminaries such as Hank Williams Jr and George Jones.
If you happen to be in town on a Sunday be sure and call in at the Nashville Cowboy Church at the Texas Troubadour Theatre.
When you tire of steel guitars and banjos take a ride to the outskirts of town and check out the wealth fascinating historical places. There’s the Hermitage, one time home of the South’s most legendary statesman and general Andrew Jackson. Visit his beautifully restored mansion and the surrounding plantation with its intriguing archaeological sites dedicated to discovering the truth about slave life there.
At night hit Downtown again for some truly blistering entertainment; there are over 30 music clubs and 125 restaurants to choose from in the area known as The District, which covers Broadway, 2nd Avenue and the notorious Printers Alley. Here you’ll find everything from Cowboy Bars to the Hard Rock Cafй, barbecue joints to gourmet restaurants. It can get a bit wild around Lower Broad but on the whole the atmosphere is good natured and great fun. If you’re in town between May and August it’s well worth checking out the Riverfront for the ‘Dancin’ in the District’ events.