LAURIE & TARA S GUIDE TO NASHVILLE

Transcription

1 LAURIE & TARA S GUIDE TO NASHVILLE Welcome to Nashville. You probably know it as Music City, but it was once known as the Athens of the South (because of the number of colleges and universities) and is now the IT City (we know it s true, but us locals are over that already!). It could be known as Health Care USA because over 350 health care companies are headquartered here (from HCA & Community Health Systems to surgical centers, consulting firms, IT firms, electronic medical records, data analysis and any number of other service providers). But yes, there is music too. From the resident members of this year s planning crew, here is our guide of things to do, see and hear - - in Nashville. GETTING ORIENTED A Note About Streets. Nashville has limited imagination when it comes to street names, so we use the same ones over and over again. Broadway is long and splits. Music Square and Music Circle are kind of confusing too. And if you find yourself on Old Hickory Boulevard, you could be anywhere within a five- county radius. Just use Google Maps! One other note, the blocks in downtown are very long, so while some distances are walkable, they may be longer than expected. Sadly, it is not a nice walk between the hotel and the famous lower Broadway. It s doable, but it is about a mile, and you d have to go over the interstate. Uber, Lyft and regular cabs are all available. (We highly recommend downloading the Uber application and entering your credit card information before you get here). We have a bit of competition for taxis and space at the bars this week: RAM Racing (7000 people) and the American Trucking Association (3000 people) THE NEIGHBORHOODS Midtown. The Hutton Hotel is located at 18th Avenue South and West End Avenue in midtown about midway between downtown to the east and Vanderbilt University to the west. The neighborhood is generally very safe. One block over on Broadway, there are a number of college bars and joints with bad food and mostly bad music. Within walking distance of the hotel, The Tavern on Broadway, The Bound ry, Giovanni s and Union Common on 20th Avenue South and Magnolia South directly behind the hotel on Hayes have the best food. Photo used with permission Markskalny Dreamstime.com - Nashville Photo Guide By: Laurie Hughes and Tara Aaron

2 The Vanderbilt campus and Centennial Park where the Parthenon is located are great places for a walk or a run, but there s not much else to see or do in midtown. We urge you to venture out. Downtown runs from Lower Broad and 1st Avenue to 13th Avenue. The Honky Tonks on lower Broad (1st to 7th Avenues) are jammed with people and musicians from early afternoon til early morning. Restaurants: Many, but the most renowned are, Husk, Etch, City House, The Southern, Merchants, Acme Feed (a converted feed & seed building), Pinewood Social (a couple blocks further off the main strip but complete with antique bowling alley), Puckett s, and The Standard. Of course, there is always southern barbecue at Jack s (on Broadway) and excellent late- night tater tots at Paradise Park (also on Broadway). Best Honky Tonks: Robert s, Tootsie s, The Wheel. (The north side of Broadway (where Roberts and Tootsies are) tends to be a lot more crowded than the South Side.) Music Row. Music Row is just off Broadway and runs down 16th and 17th Avenue South. Until recently, it was where all the music businesses were, along with RCA s Studio B, where Elvis and everyone else recorded. Sadly, developers have recognized the great location and have in the last two years bought up a number of properties, only to tear them down and build boring apartments and condos. Once they started on the studios, the whole world began to notice. Studio A, built in the 1960 s for RCA records has been saved, but in late January the Sound Shop was leveled for yet another development. East Nashville. Trendy East Nashville is primarily a residential area that has become known for its hipster vibe. In Five Points especially, East Nashville has clubs, restaurants and retail in a funky setting. (Warning: smoking is still allowed in all the bars in Five Points). Restaurants: Margo (get reservations!), Rumors Wine Bar, Pomodoro East (Italian), Local Taco (fried green chili mac and cheese!), and Wild Cow (vegetarian). The Gulch (located just off Broadway on 12th). Another warehouse row turned condo row. About the only original building standing is the famed Station Inn, the mother church of bluegrass, which continues to host nightly shows by phenomenal musicians. Photo used with permission Markskalny Dreamstime.com - Nashville Photo Guide By: Laurie Hughes and Tara Aaron

3 Restaurants. Virago (sushi), Sambuca, Watermark, Moto, Kayne Prime, Adele s, Bar Louis, 404 Kitchen (hard to find), Whiskey Kitchen (great whiskeys, mediocre food). 12 South. Another up and coming neighborhood, 12 South does not have interesting sites or music, but great barbeque, some retail and restaurants. Restaurants: Josephine, Urban Grub, Edley s Barbeque, Frothy Monkey (coffee). Belle Meade. About 5 miles west of downtown, Belle Meade is home to the Belle Meade Mansion, an 18th century plantation known for its race horses that is now a museum and Cheekwood art museum and gardens. Cheekwood was built in the 1930 s by the family that founded Maxwell House coffees. The Warner Parks, were WPA projects and include 5.8 and 11.2 mile paved and extremely hilly running trails. Green Hills is about 4 miles south of midtown on Hillsboro Road - - see it while it s still green and has hills. Green Hills is known for its traffic, high end stores (Nordstrom, Tiffany s and many others) and the world famous Bluebird Café, located in a strip mall on Hillsboro Road. The Bluebird is known for its writers in the round performances, featuring three or four songwriters performing their own works. CSUSA will feature a Bluebird- style performance by three of Nashville s current hit- writers at the Thursday evening reception. Author Ann Patchett s bookstore, Parnassus, is also in Green Hills. THINGS TO DO History. The Hermitage. Home to President Andrew Jackson, the Hermitage is about a twenty minute drive east of Nashville. Set on hundreds of acres, the home was owned and lived in by the Jackson family until the late 1800 s when it was donated to the state. It is in remarkable condition and contains most of the original furnishings. The Civil War. Tennessee State Museum. Nashville and Franklin were sites of major Civil War battles 150 years ago in December, In honor of the sequiscentennial the TN State Museum features What Is to Become of The People: The Civil War and Reconstruction in Tennessee. There s also an exhibit of Red Groom s paintings. Photo used with permission Markskalny Dreamstime.com - Nashville Photo Guide By: Laurie Hughes and Tara Aaron

4 Civil War Battlefields. There are historical markers, but not much to see in Nashville. Franklin, about 30 minutes south of Nashville was the site of several battles. There are several houses (one of which served as a field hospital) that were in the midst of the battle. Belle Meade Mansion. An 19th century plantation that is now a museum served as Union headquarters during the civil war. Natchez Trace. The Natchez Trace runs from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi. It starts just west of Belle Meade. The Parthenon. About 6 blocks west of the Hutton Hotel just past Vanderbilt - - is Centennial Park. A to- scale replica of the actual Parthenon was built for an exhibition in the early 1900 s and is still standing. The Parthenon contains a museum and a 20 foot statue of the goddess Athena. We ll let you decide whether Athena or the Musica statue at the head of Music Row both by the same artist is the uglier. Civil Rights. The main branch of the Nashville Public Library downtown contains the Civil Rights Room. The first lunch counter sit- ins by students at four black universities took place on February 13, 1960 in Nashville. The Civil Rights Room contains photographs, texts, magazines, video and other archives from the sit- ins, the integration of Nashville schools and other civil rights events. Lane Motor Museum largest collection of vintage European cars in North America. Adventure Science Museum great for the younger set. MUSIC Nashville is Music City, but it s Not Just Country Music. Nashville is also home to The Musicians Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Barbershop Harmony Society (worldwide organization of barbershop quartets & choirs) - - all downtown and the soon- to- be- built African American Hall of Fame. It is well worth a visit because it features exhibits on musicians from all genres. Its exhibits include the actual walls and equipment of legendary studios in Memphis, Detroit, LA and New York. Musicians have donated instruments. When you go to the Country Music Hall of Fame, be sure to check out the Hatch Show Print Shop, the oldest letterpress print shop in the world, and see the iconic concert posters, and also the cats. Take the tour if you have time, and ask them about the fonts for their letter blocks. Good copyright question! Photo used with permission Markskalny Dreamstime.com - Nashville Photo Guide By: Laurie Hughes and Tara Aaron

5 Music Venues There are hundreds. Here are the most iconic. Ryman Auditorium the mother church. Tours are available during the day. Tedeschi Trucks Band (Feb 12). Schermerhorn Symphony. Patti Labelle & The Nashville Pops play February Marathon Music Works. Above & Beyond (Feb 13); Adam Devine (Feb 14), Abbey Road Live! Beatles Tribute (Feb 13) The Cannery. Guster (Feb 12) Mercy Lounge. She s A Rebel, A Girl Group Tribute Show (2/13) Douglas Corner (songwriters) Third Man Records Jack White s record shop (vinyl). Station Inn - bluegrass every night. Plus, of course, every bar and some retail shops on Lower Broadway. Art & Gardens Frist Museum Cheekwood Steiglitz Collection at Fisk University (may not be currently in residence) SPORTS Bridgestone Arena The NHL Nashville Predators play the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night (12th) and New Jersey Devils on Saturday night (14th). Have a great time! Photo used with permission Markskalny Dreamstime.com - Nashville Photo Guide By: Laurie Hughes and Tara Aaron