There’s never a shortage of exciting and inspiring entertainment in Nashville. Pick up the local free paper, The Nashville Scene to find out what’s on while you’re there. You can always count on The Bluebird Café for good country music. It’s strangely located in a strip mall in the up-market neighborhood of Green Hills, but it’s one of the most respected venues for up and coming stars. Famous performers such as Garth Brooks and Vince Gill got started here, playing the songwriter’s show on Sunday nights. It’s not the place for an evening of conversation (their slogan is shhhhh), but The Bluebird is a truly unique place and open mic night, held on Mondays, is worth a visit.
If you’re itching for a genuine local encounter, consider the Springwater. The Springwater is a dive bar in every sense of the word, where young bands play for their friends in the back room, while regulars play pool and swig locally brewed beer. Everyone should spend one evening haunting the old honkytonks located along Broadway downtown. Robert’s and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge were hot spots in Country’s last heyday for the likes of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Loretta Lynn. The music is still good and the atmosphere is fascinating. Other good venues for live music include, Mercy Lounge and Exit/In.
Nashville has taken special care to preserve its historical sites and even in the center of the high rises downtown, visitors can see an exact replica of the fort that founded the city. Andrew Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, is nearby and has been meticulously maintained to appear as it did when Jackson returned from his second term of presidency in 1837. It’s beautifully located and the house and grounds give an insightful peak into the notorious slave-owning president’s life. Traveler’s Rest is the home of Judge John Overton, a famous Tennessee politician and advisor to Andrew Jackson. His home served as headquarters for the Confederates in the Civil War. Nearby, the beautiful Nashville Zoo at Grassmere is celebrated for its conservation efforts. Children and adults alike enjoy seeing animals in the natural habitats and the play area is home to sixty-six square feet of slides, swings, and climbing structures. Nashville’s stunning Art Deco main post office has been renovated to house The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, which hosts superb traveling exhibits. If you are a Country Music fan even slightly, you definitely won’t want to miss the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Located downtown in a beautiful new building, the museum tells the story of country music through the turn of two centuries and is interactive and entertaining.
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