Broadway, bars and boots!

Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks to just name a few who are synonymous with Nashville, Tennessee. In walking along Broadway you are surrounded by numerous bars and all of them are playing music and not necessarily all country. At Kid Rock's you could hear the ban play some rock, while next door at Luke Bryant's, it was good old country music with the band taking the occasional break to enjoy a whisky shot courtesy of an audience member or two. Welcome to Music City.

On our first day there, after a short flight from Toronto, we decided to lunch at Nashville's own Hattie B's, tempted to try the famous Hot Chicken Sandwich we settled on the milder version with sides of Mac n Cheese, Creamy Cole Slaw and Southern Greens. Most definitely some good old southern comfort food. As we sat eating and people watching on Broadway, we could not but help notice so many people in cowboy boots and hats and a lot of groups of friends. We learned that Nashville is known for attracting many young brides and bachelorette parties. Nashville, a mini Vegas you could say.

Day two of our stay we decided to take a trolley tour to better get acquainted with the city, as there is only so much music and booze I can consume in one sitting. We started off in probably my most favourite part of the tour and that was music row. Older homes from the 1950's, that house some famous studios beautifully nestled by trees and considered one of the best places to live in Tennessee. I am not a big country fan, but I knew many of the artists that had recorded on Music Row, from Johnny Cash, to Tammy Wynette to the King of Rock, Elvis Presley. Elvis had recorded at the historic RCA Studio B and there was even a guitar shaped pool that I could kinda see from the trolley. Oh if those studio walls or pool could talk, the stories of legends and parties that they could share.

Continuing along on the tour, we visited the campuses of both Belmont University and Vanderbilt University. Apparently Nashville has been known to be called the Athens of America due to the numerous universities located in city and vicinity. Did you know that there is even a replica of the Parthenon in Nashville's Centennial Park? It was originally built in 1897 as part of the Centennial Exposition, today it functions as an art museum. Speaking of museums, there is no shortage, such as the John Cash Museum, the Patsy Kline Museum, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the National Museum of African American Music and of course the Ryman Auditorium which was once the home to the Grand Ole Opry, until it got moved closer to the aiport. I sense from locals, no one was happy with that decision. What was also surprising aside from the reallocation of the Grand Ole Opry, was that SOME museums are free for visitors.

Day three of our stay we decided to do a little more exploring but on foot. We explored the up and coming area of The Gulch. This area is a newer, modern and more upscale neighbourhood. I actually enjoyed my time there, as it was a little bit a way from the busy bars of Broadway and it had some good hotel and dining options, even some shopping. We then made our way to the Oak Steakhouse for my birthday dinner and the service was top notch, as was the complimentary champagne! I must say, Nashville had a great selection of places to lunch or dine. After dinner we made our way to Bourbon Steak which is on the 34th floor of the JW Marriott Hotel. We decided to go not to eat more steak, but to enjoy a cocktail at the Bourbon Sky Bar. A must if you wish to get some stunning pictures of downtown Nashville during the day or like us, at night which was incredible. It was a pretty spectacular way to celebrate 49!

I think it is safe to say, Nashville a city that never sleeps, with lots of entertainment into the wee hours of the night. But if you need a break from country music, there are the Nashville Predators (Hockey) and the Tennessee Titans (Football) that both play in the city. The Bridgestone arena not only plays home to the Predators, but hosts numerous musicians and concerts, like Ed Sheeran and Nickleback who had been just be in town. The INDY Car Racing , the Nashville Comedy Festival, the First Art Museum or even a tour of the Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Distillery, there seems to always be something to do, see or happening in Nashville.

Be it you enjoy live music, trendy shopping, heritage architecture, fine art and culture with an up and coming food scene, Nashville Tennessee is the place to be!