Nashville – Music City!

I have visited Nashville many times between various conferences and one of my best friends lives there and so it continues to be a city that I love to visit over and over.  When I do visit, I always love to take in the music aspects of what is known as “Music City”.  I’m sure you can guess why Nashville is called Music City but in case you don’t know, it has some very deep music roots.  The nickname “Music City” has been in place since 1925!

There are a lot of reasons to visit Nashville as it is very beautiful.  But I definitely love the music and try to make plans to do musical “things” when I visit.  It is a city that no matter what day of the week you visit, you can hear live music being played at any number of bars and restaurants.  Lower Broadway is definitely the entertainment district of Nashville and worth a visit, but a warning that it can be very crowded particularly on a weekend night! Nashville has become one of the top cities in the U.S. for bachelorette parties, so it can get a little crazy at times – on top of the usual crowds.

On my recent visit, I was lucky enough to get to see “Dolly – A True Original Musical” which was premiering before moving to Broadway in 2026.  Held at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts which is on the campus of Belmont University, the Dolly musical told the story of Dolly Parton.  And I particularly loved that she is telling her own story as she includes original music that she wrote for the musical along with some of her favorite hits.  It was definitely worth seeing! Dolly is an American icon – and just a good person.

The second night of my visit we went to the Ryman Auditorium which was definitely a bucket list item for me!  The Ryman was built in 1892 as a Gothic Revival Church.  It was named after Captain Thomas Ryman and is nicknamed the “Mother Church of Country Music”.  It was also home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974.   We watched Vince Gill perform that night for over 3 hours and there are always shows going on at the Ryman.

There are many things to tour in the Broadway area of Nashville including a tour of the Ryman Auditorium and I also love to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame.  I haven’t even talked about the restaurants but there are many amazing places to eat…many in the Broadway area and many just outside that are worth a visit!

If you are a music fan, a visit to Nashville should be high on your list!  And if you are a foodie, Nashville is a great destination for that as well!  Oh, and while my husband says that I do it every time I go to Nashville, I didn’t buy cowboy boots – this time. But if you want some, this is the place to go.