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Nashville visit. Must do's?

#45
Gruhn Guitars, Carter's Vintage, Rumble Seat and Corner Music (a little of of downtown but worth it). Food wise, meat and three's seem to be dropping like flies but good one's are still around. So many different types of food but you really need to check out some Nashville hot chicken, many great places abound but hard to beat Prince's (the original). Hattie B's (a personal favorite) Hella Hot and Big Shakes are some of the others.
 
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#46
Every time I go to Nashville (I only live 5 hours away), there are 3 things that are absolutely must do, and only one of them is related to music:
1. Lane Motor Museum. This place is an absolute gem! They truly have one of the most unique car collections you will ever see (Japan Kei cars, race cars of all types, Soviet bloc dictator cars, air (propeller) cars, post war mini cars, antique cars, military vehicles). Even if you have no particular interest in cars (like my wife) it worth seeing. My wife loves it every time we go. It real cheap ($10???). Plan on a minimum of 2 hours if you have minimal car interest. Car geeks can spend a lot more time. BTW, the guy that often works the desk likes to build strats and teles. The last time I went he was working on a tele at the counter.
2. Peg Leg Porker: Great BBQ. The dry ribs are the best you will ever have! Always crowded, so best to avoid peak dinner time on weekends, etc.
3. Hit the vintage guitar shops. I've never seen much in the way of interesting basses, but lots of interesting guitars, and you may see some outstanding musicians trying out stuff.

Honestly the music scene in Nashville often leaves me a bit cold. Overpriced and overcrowded are adjectives that come to mind. But it's fun to do the strip for an evening.
 
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#47
I'm a Brit just come back from Nashville this month - the last time I was there was in 2010... and good lord has it changed. I was quite entertained by the notion that it now seems to be populated by drummers all drumming to the different beats as most of the guitarists etc are using in ears monitoring.. so there's not a whole lot of music. And the day we walked Broadway, we heard Blink-182 covers at least 4 times. And as others have noted be prepared for a lot of girls in cheap cowboy hats, white cowboy boots and cropped Daisy Duke jean shorts.

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Roberts is still pretty authentic - but a lot of the places are seem to be catering to the party crowd as opposed to the music crowd. I missed being able to stroll into Gruhns which used to be on Broadway but is now a couple of miles away. The big wall advert is still there but it's now a party bar called Whiskey Row... and as for the 5 or 6 floor monstosity that is Kid Rocks place, well... again 6 floors of thrashing drummers. Carters is also well worth a visit to audition instruments.

East Nashville seems to be the place to be... parking is lot easier than the centre and there's a bunch of more traditional bars that we visited.

If you want a cracking "southern breakfast" check out Monells

And watch out for this guy....

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#52
bassinflorida said:
So wondering, JW, Did youi ever attend any concerts at what was in the mid 70s the outdoor Nashville Speedway?
Click to expand...

No, I moved here in 1990, but I hear people talk about those gigs occasionally. In those days, the Fairgrounds Speedway was still a NASCAR venue and far busier than it is today. However it's in the final stages of approval for a revival by the late Bruton Smith's organization.
 
#55
J Wilson said:
Broadway has turned into our own Bourbon St. LOTS of clubs and/or tourist traps, but for live music, I'd check out Robert's Western Wear and of course the evergreen Tootsie's.

A few blocks north on 4th Avenue is one of Pat Martin's Martin's BBQ, definitely worth the stop.

The best soul food is Swett's on 28th Avenue, period. Arnold's meat and 3 has closed.

The Musician's Hall of Fame on James Robertson is absolutely worth the price of admission, as is the Museum of Black Music (across from the Ryman Auditorium on 5th, what a delicious irony) and the Counrty Music Hall of Fame, a block over from Broadway near the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Vintage guitars are easy as leaving downtown on 8th Avenue, you come to Carter Vintage, about 10 blocks further is George Gruhn's, and finally Rumble Seat past Gruhn's, these are all within about a 5 mile stretch. Rumble Seat is mostly all electric and rock and roll, Gruhn's and Carter's everything from harp guitars to Dan Armstrongs. The best 'new' gear store is Corner Music out on Dickerson Road at Ewing, not far off I65. Downtown also is home to the Gibson Garage.

East Nashville (roughly the neighborhood on the other side of Titan stadium from downtown) and Germantown (north of downtown on the other side of the park and the Sounds stadium) are the two gentrified new cool places with lots of restaurants, shops, and Tesla and carbon bicycle types. Favorite stop is a little Italian Sandwich shop Little Hats on 4th in Germantown, and Five Points or Boombozz pizza joints in East Nashville around 5 Points. And of course we now have several Whole Foods, Trader Joes, the local organic Turnip Truck, and thank goodness Publix followed me up here from Florida. And everything from notels to the W, the JW Marriott, even a Four Seasons.

Nashville is a boom town of the first order these days. When I moved here in 1990, it was the end of the Good Old Boys days, and now we are home to the largest Kurdish community outside the middle east and you have several choices in Ethiopian restaurants, and a huge Latin community. Anybody coming here looking for HeeHaw and Cracker Barrels on every corner is in for a rude awakening. Just not gonna see someone in a Caddy convertible with steer horns and rhinestones any more.

I'm a full-time caregiver for my wife, so, as they say, we don't get out like we used to, but this is still by far my favorite place I've lived, people here are just nice.

It is, though, still a big city with some crime and a growing homeless population, so be careful here as you would in any large city. But there's a lot to do and see, and hope you have a great time.

All the Best,

JW
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@J Wilson you should write for your local entertainment rag. That was/is the best breakdown I've read on Nashville.
Thank you!
 
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#59
My wife and I went in March. It was our first time. (One more Item on the Bucket List).

We enjoyed the American Music Hall of Fame, Country Western Hall of Fame… there is a lot of history and some cool instruments. We. Also really enjoyed a show at the Gran Ole Oprey.

Lots of fun and nice people.

We also really enjoyed a bus tour through the city and guide really brought a thorough knowledge and some history to what we saw. (They were also selling discounted tickets to the museums and that helped)

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Everyone should go there at least once.
 
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#60
I'm pretty sure the Parthenon renovation is complete, you may want to call ahead & confirm.

When you do get by the park again there's a dive bar directly behind the Mc Donald's on the exit of the park -can't miss it-Springwater Supper Club. It's the oldest continuously operated bar in Nashville . You're thirsty stop by. They've been known to have great shows there on occasion as well.

Robert's is probably the coolest & least changed bar for real country on Broadway. Layla's is good too.
 
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