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Think of Nashville and you think of music. From Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley to modern mega-stars like Garth Brooks. And yet, while the music is on every street corner, the city has so much more to offer.
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NASHVILLE is an elegant Southern gentleman of a place that twirls its moustache proudly at its antebellum - pre-Civil War - mansions and history. Rich in culture, it recognises the style and importance of its museums and galleries, its parks and monuments, its smart shopping malls and elegant restaurants.
That said, music is at Nashville's very heart. The short stretch of Broadway, as the main drag comes to rest against the Cumberland River plays home to the old music bars ? Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Robert's Western World and others ? that still serve up ace bands for free from lunchtime through to the early hours. It's also here that the new Nashville has sprung up turning downtown, The District, into a 'must-do' for visitors.
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| Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum |
A block away is the Country Music Hall of Fame, a sweeping, curved edifice in stone resembling a piano keyboard framed by a massive 50s sci-fi radio tower and a soaring Cadillac-style tailfin.
Behind the honky tonks lies the Ryman Auditorium, the historic home of country music, where the famed Grand Ole Opry, the longest running radio show was first broadcast in the Thirties. Recently restored, it's again the home to music stars as well as being a museum to itself.
But it's the Hall of Fame that is home to a million pieces of country (and rock 'n' roll) history such as The King's gold Cadillac and outfits so gaudy you need shades to look at them. And located on the famed Music Row is RCA Studio B, now owned and operated by Curb Records, where the Everlys recorded Cathy's Clown, Roy Orbison created Only The Lonely and Elvis and Dolly Parton made a number of records, too.
The old music bars downtown are now joined by a huge Hard Rock Caf?, the cavernous Wildhorse Saloon dancehall and interesting restaurants with river views. Tucked away is Printers' Alley, historic home of the blues. Those in the know walk a little further to clubs where the cream of Nashville session players, musicians who've appeared on records by everyone from Dolly to the Dixie Chicks, appear in their own bands. Places like the bluegrassy Station Inn and, a short drive away, the quieter Bluebird Cafe are thriving centres of music.
Apart from that you've got free big name concerts on the riverbank in spring, June's CMA Music Festival, when Country stars congregate for shows and autograph signings, and early November's Country Music Association awards frenzy when Terry Wogan and chums broadcast daily shows live to back home in the UK.
Nashville's other music area is Opryland, a vast complex a few miles out of town. Centrepoint is the hall where the Grand Ole Opry is now broadcast every Friday and Saturday night, a meeting point of old and new country acts. Right outside is Opry Mills, a gleaming new shopping mall combining bargain outlet stores with classy book and record shops and even the Gibson Guitar Showcase where you can buy a guitar, watch one being made, have dinner and even catch a show. The Gaylord Opryland Resort, has almost 3,000 rooms spread around several buildings and connected by beautiful indoor gardens, while the General Jackson Showboat has dinner theatre cruises.
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| Gaylord Opryland Resort |
Outside the Opryland complex, Music Valley features shows and museums dedicated to stars such as Willie Nelson and Ernest Tubb.
Back in town, Nashville has also turned into something of a sports hub. Staring back at Lower Broadway from across the river is the home of the Tennessee Titans football team - once the Houston Oilers - while the futuristic Gaylord Entertainment Center, across from Tootsie's, plays host to the NHL team, the Nashville Predators.
There are 10 golf courses, including one at Opryland, of which 7 are public.
The weather here is fab all year, so wandering around downtown is a delight. Visit the hilltop Capitol building; meander through Bicentennial Mall State Park; cool down in the cool Frist Center for the Visual Arts, the wonderfully converted central Art Deco Post Office, home to roving exhibitions; or the Carl Van Vechten Gallery at Fisk University, home to Picassos and Renoirs.
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| The Parthenon |
Not content with its Music City tag, Nashville is also dubbed the Athens of the South for its style and elegance...so be prepared for the full size replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park with a 42ft gilded statue of Athena, reckoned the western world's tallest indoor sculpture and Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, now an art gallery, with its fantastic gardens. For a complete change of pace, visit Nashville's unrivalled collection of antebellum mansions with their old south charm. Start at Belle Meade, grandest of them all, still etched by bullet and cannon marks, and Belmont, home to Adelicia Acklen, a real-life Scarlett O'Hara, and Travellers Rest, dating back to 1799. The Hermitage, built by President Andrew Jackson, has a vast array of presidential memorabilia...and a guitar-shaped drive!
Other sights include Franklin, the town that was the scene of one of the Civil War's bloodiest battles, the Confederates' Carnton Cemetery and Polk Home, President James K. Polk's home. And don't miss the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg where the famed sour-mash whiskey is made.
Nashville wouldn't be the city it is without its old-fashioned hospitality, whether seriously swish restaurants such as the Wild Boar, modern southern feel of the Sunset Grille or the New York deli-style Noshville.
But Nashville is music and it will follow you wherever you go, the sound of the south.
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Atlanta
Visit the Sweet Auburn Curb Market for local farmers' organic produce, Italian and Caribbean specialities and the Planet Bombay Indian restaurant.
Nashville
Walk Nashville's music district, Music Row and see the names of record companies lining the street.
New Orleans
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival spans eight days in late April-early May features all manner of local music, and big international names too.
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