Travel Guides > Nashville, TN

Nashville Travel

One of the south's most eclectic cities, with dive bars on one side of town and fine museums on the other, Nashville, Tennessee attracts just about every kind of visitor, not just the country music fans.

Known as "Music City USA", in more recent years Nashville has begun to attract a wider variety of musical artist, including those who travel here to make use of the city's fine recording studios or just to enjoy the laid-back atmosphere not found in cities where professional musicians generally make their home, like New York or Los Angeles.

Still, the bastions of country music stand tall here. Visitors, regardless of their musical tastes, should make a trip to the Grand Ole Opry, site of the longest continuously-running radio show in the United States and the place where many of country music's legends got their start. Order tickets early - they sell out fast.

The Country Music Hall of Fame is a must for lovers of the genre. The memorabilia found here touches on both the meager lives led by country music stars before their rise to fame as well as examples of their opulent lifestyles after they made their mark on country music, like Elvis' gold-leaf Cadillac.

If you're on a mission to spot your favorite country music stars, head to Music Row where you'll find most of the city's recording studios and the offices of lots of big-name record companies.

While you're in the south, it's fun to visit some old Southern plantations. Head out to Belle Meade Plantation, built in 1853 in Greek Revival Style and made famous as a stud farm for the country's best race horses. Costumed guides will give you a complete tour of the elegant house, the stables, and the gardens. You may also want to visit Andrew Jackson's Hermitage Plantation, built in 1821.

Nashville's most noticeable landmark is the Parthenon, a replica of the original in Greece, built for the Tennessee Centennial Exhibition in 1897. The building duplicates the floor plans of Greece's Parthenon and houses beautiful 19th and 20th century American artwork as well as a number of unique plaster castings and bas-reliefs.

When it's time to enjoy some nightlife, head to The District. This title was recently bestowed upon a recently revitalized portion of the downtown area. In The District, you'll find some of the city's most enjoyable attractions, like the Wildhorse Saloon, where you can dance the night away to the best of country music. If you prefer a perennial Nashville favorite, grab a drink at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, once the place where everyone hung out after the Grand Old Opry show and still a location where you might catch a glimpse of a star.