Tuning In to Nashville

By Lynn Coulter

It’s best known as “Music City, USA”

Nashville has been America’s Music City since 1811, when Davy Crockett—the legendary backwoods hero and fiddling man—rolled into the central Tennessee town, but since then it has grown far beyond its country music roots. Twangy tunes still float out of taverns and clubs up and down the streets, but there’s a world of difference between the old Ryman Auditorium, with its worn church pews and stained-glass windows, and the new, neoclassically-inspired Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which sparkles with brilliant chandeliers and natural sunlight streaming in through specially designed, soundproof windows. Today’s Nashville swings to every kind of music, from jazz to rock, and beckons to every kind of visitor, from history buffs to sports fans.

Still, if you’re a first-timer to Nashville, you have to make the obligatory pilgrimage to the Ryman. This “Mother Church of Country Music” was once a tabernacle, until a little radio program called the “Grand Ole Opry” started broadcasting there in 1943. The building’s wooden floors and walls provided near-perfect acoustics, and fans tuned in eagerly every Saturday night to hear stars like Gene Autry, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. After the show moved in 1974 to a bigger venue at the Grand Ole Opry House, more recent artists like Vince Gill, Alison Krauss and Keith Urban have packed the place.

Today, you can take a backstage tour to see the small, plain dressing rooms once used by Johnny Cash, June Carter and Minnie Pearl, and you can gaze at the piano keys once hammered by “The Killer,” Jerry Lee Lewis. Don’t forget to reserve ticketsfor a lively show at the Opry’s current digs, or settle in for some Mahler or Liszt at the elegant Schermerhorn, which opened in 2006 as a state-of-the-art center for symphonies and jazz, pop concerts and gospel sing-alongs.

If you’re watching your budget, opt for dinner and a show at the legendary Bluebird Cafe. The Bluebird gave megastars like Garth Brooks his start, and visitors still pack its tables nightly, ducking trays of coffee and hamburgers held aloft by passing waitresses, to hear original songs written and played by the next rising star—who might earn a current paycheck by busing your table later in the evening. If there’s no room at the Bluebird, stroll over to Tootsies Orchid Lounge or Legends Corner. There’s an aspiring songwriter or singer most everywhere you look, and plenty of talent at clubs with reasonable prices.

Chances are, you’ll stay out late to enjoy a few shows, but hit the Pancake Pantry for breakfast the next time you open your bleary eyes. Locals and celebrities alike queue up early on the weekends for specialty pancakes made with fresh bananas, blueberries or chocolate chips. The grill medley, a mixture of diced potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes and cheese, all topped with two fried eggs, is a big favorite.

You won’t be hungry for a while after the Pancake Pantry, but when you are, head over to the 12th Avenue South area for Las Paletas, a tiny, gourmet shop specializing in frozen treats. It doesn’t have a sign, but you’ll know you’re there when you spot the line that forms for its unusual flavors, like avocado, peanut butter and plum. While you’re in the neighborhood, peer in the windows at Trim, a trendy barbershop where Faith Hill, the Dixie Chicks and other stars have been known to drop by for a cut and curl.

Allow plenty of time when you’re ready to stroll through the multi-level Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Its archives are bursting with memorabilia, and exhibits change regularly, although Elvis Presley’s 1961 Cadillac is always on prominent display. While you’re there, reserve a ticket to tour nearby Historic RCA Studio B, located on the street known as Music Row. This humble little studio has hardly changed since The King dropped in to cut “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and many other hits.

Of course, Nashville isn’t just about music. Nicknamed the Athens of the South, the capital city also has a busy cultural scene (and a fascinating, full-size replica of the Greek Parthenon in Centennial Park). Don’t miss the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, a renovated post office building in art-deco style, located near downtown. History buffs shouldn’t miss the beautifully preserved Greek Revival home at Belle Meade Plantation, near the city’s western edge, or historic Cheek-wood estate, with its fabulous gardens and fine architecture. The nearby Belmont Mansion, which boasts a magnificent Italian-style villa and lavish gardens from the 1800s, is also open for tours.

A drive around the campus of prestigious Vanderbilt, consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities, is also worth your time. Later you can stop to browse the boutiques in surrounding Hillsboro Village, or feast on a dinner of spicy “Voodoo” pasta, prepared with bay shrimp and spicy andouille sausage, at the Sunset Grill.

Sports fans will find plenty of action in Nashville, especially in the fall and winter. If college football is your game, plan to get your tickets soon for the December 27 Music City Bowl at LP Field, where Southeastern Conference teams play their Atlantic Coast Conference rivals. The stadium is also home to the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Hockey or hoops more your style? Check out the NHL’s Nashville Predators prowling the ice over at Sommet Center, or the ABA’s Broncs at Municipal Auditorium.

When the holiday season rolls around in November, Nashville really lights up. Literally. The festivities begin at Thanksgiving, when a switch is flipped on 2 million twinkling lights for the Annual Christmas Lighting at Opryland. Enjoy the live music on the grounds, but save time to see the decorations inside the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center, where you’ll find fabulous poinsettia “trees,” colorful hot-air balloons and thousands of glittering ornaments.

The world-famous Radio City Rockettes kick it up another notch from late November through December 27, when they hit the Opryland stage with their annual Christmas Spectacular. Their “Living Nativity” and “March of the Wooden Soldiers” performances are great family fare. Tell the kids to wear their mittens before you enter the Gaslight Theater on Opry Plaza to see the new interactive exhibits at ICE!, where two tons of the frozen stuff are sculpted into the likenesses of Snoopy, Lucy and other “Peanuts” characters from the TV classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Wrap up your stay with a shopping trip for ethnic food and local produce at the Nashville Farmers’ Market, or splurge on a fabulous rhinestone jacket designed by Manuel, a clothier to the stars. You might decide to wear it and hang around to record your own hit single in one of the local studios. Music City always has room for another singer and another brand-new song.

Nashville, FYI

Accommodations

Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center

2800 Opryland Dr.

615-889-1000

www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylordopryland/

Millennium Maxwell House

2025 Metrocenter Blvd.

866-866-8086

www.millenniumhotels.com

Doubletree Hotel

315 4th Ave. North