Nashville: A hip, happening 'Music City' (2024)

By Nicole Pensiero

Special to SJ Times

I’ll admit, my memories of Nashville, Tenn., had grown fuzzy in the 25 years since I’d last visited the city. I recalled it being fun, though hardly upscale, with a near non-stop emphasis on country music.

Well, plenty has changed in the place they call “Music City.” For one thing, it’s not just all about country music. While traditional country is still, and will always be, in the forefront, there’s plenty of room for other genres, too — everything from jazz to classical to blues has a home in Nashville. Indeed, with its countless musical venues — ranging from down-home honky-tonks to classical music halls — Nashville’s official tourism motto, “Music Calls Us Home,” is especially fitting.

In recent years, Nashville's increasing popularity has gone beyond tourist attractions like the famed Ryman Auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame and the Parthenon (an exact replica of the Parthenon in Greece, complete with a stunning, golden 41-foot Athena — the largest indoor statue in the Western world — sculpted by Nashville native Alan LeQuire (www.alanlequire.com.)

We enjoyed a recent four-day jaunt to "Music City," savoring great restaurants, interesting cultural sights and, of course, fantastic live music along the way. Our homebase was The Hutton (www.HuttonHotel.com), a 248-room property with elegant amenities and unfailing customer service - not to mention a terrific restaurant on the premises, the 1808 Grille. The Hutton proved the perfect respite at the end of our busy, sight-seeing days.

Visiting Nashville after so many years was akin to seeing it for the first time — and indeed, much had changed much, all for the better. Clean and easy to get around, Nashville is a city of neighborhoods, all with their own, unique offerings. The reopening of the 2,362-seat Ryman Auditorium — which hosted the Grand Olde Opry for more than 30 years — has given the downtown of Nashville a welcome boost. Built in 1892 as a church tabernacle, The Ryman (www.ryman.com) became home to what would become an international phenomenon — a radio show dubbed the Grand Ole Opry in 1943. For three decades The Ryman was the showplace for the Opry's live radio show, which included such legends as Patsy Cline, the Carter Family, Minnie Pearl and Hank Williams.

Dubbed “The Mother Church of Country Music,” The Ryman — which doesn’t have central air conditioning — was considered obsolete by the early 1970s and when the Opry moved to its new location (Opryland, 12 miles away) in 1974, it sat empty for years. In 1994, however, an $8.5 million renovation project brought this National Historic Landmark back to its original splendor and each holiday season the Opry returns to The Ryman, as Opryland hosts a holiday show featuring the Rockettes.

The Ryman also is used as a regular concert venue, and is open daily for tours. We loved getting a “behind the scenes” look at the place, including the dressing rooms that Johnny Cash and Minnie Pearl considered something of their own. In a miracle of good timing, we were able to catch the live Opry show on a recent December Saturday night, where we were introduced to the talents of the Quebe Sisters (three fiddling sisters from Texas) and a surprise appearance by 78-year-old actor Wilford Brimley (who can sing quite well, actually).

Other highlights of our Nashville trip included a tour of famed Studio B, where Elvis Presley recorded most of his big hits (his favorite piano is still on display there) and the Country Music Hall of Fame (www.countrymusichalloffame.org) which merits at least a two-hour visit. We especially enjoyed the Patsy Cline exhibit there, which runs through June 10.

The Tennessee State Museum (www.tnmuseum.org) hosts an exhibit of Elvis Presley photos ("Elvis at 21"), through his birthday (Jan. 8), as well as an impressive exhibit about Tennessee's role in the Civil War. The museum is gearing up for National Archives multimedia exhibit, "Discovering the Civil War," which will open there on Feb. 12 — Lincoln's birthday — and continue through Sept. 2. The "Discovering the Civil War" exhibit will feature 12 themed sections highlighted by interactive features and social media tools, allowing visitors to see the past through the lens of the future.

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts (www.fristcenter.org) — housed in the city's former art-deco general Post Office — was another culture venue worth exploring. In addition to its ever-changing changing exhibits, there is often also free, live music in the 1934 building's spacious lobby.

While the much anticipated Johnny Cash Museum (www.johnnycashmuseum.com) won't open until sometime in 2013, we were able to peruse its already-operational gift shop on Third Avenue South. The 850-square foot retail space houses an array of books, art, music and trinkets (rather classy ones, I should add), all related to the "Man in Black." The Cash family has been heavily involved in its development, so it should be brimming with authenticity.

In between our sightseeing, decisions had to be made about meals. And, as we quickly learned, when it comes to cuisine, Nashville is certainly itself on par with other urban hot-spots. From traditional favorites, like Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant (www.puckettsgrocery.com) — where we savored southern delicacies like fried green tomatoes, and a "meat plus 2" platter — to the buzz-worthy Urban Grub (www.urbangrub.net), where macaroni and cheese was elevated to high art (along with grilled meats and fish), we were continually impressed with the city's diverse eateries.

Nashville, while known for its plethora of honky-tonks and nightclubs, is also home to an acclaimed 85-member orchestra, the Nashville Symphony (www.nashvillesymphony.org). Since September 2006, it has performed in the $123-million Schermerhorn Symphony Center, known for its remarkable acoustics and distinctive architecture. The venue's gourmet restaurant, Arpeggio, proved a delightful pre-concert surprise and certainly couldn't have been a more convenient choice — just two flights of stairs and we were in our seats.

While shopping in Music City wasn't a primary focus on our trip, we did find a few interesting shops during our time there. While not a dog owner, the Baxter & Bailey Company store in the East End section of town, totally charmed me. Billed as "Luxury Living for the Discriminating Mutt" — and yes, they do sell some goodies for cats, too — this is the place for everything from upscale (but reasonably priced) picture frames to collars to doggie outfits. This family-run business even offers online shopping and has a catalog featuring the two family pups the business is named for (www.baxterbaileycompany.com).

The legendary Hatch Show Print store (www.hatchshowprint.com) — which will move from its current location at 316 Broadway into a new, custom-designed space within the Country Music Hall of Fame sometime in 2013 — has than 30,000 visitors a year, and for good reason. With the unmistakable look of its posters, Hatch is one of the oldest letterpress shops in the U.S. (founded in 1879), and is synonymous with country music show posters (though everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Neko Case has had a Hatch poster to plug their shows). The store itself is fascinating, as is the vast array of letterpress posters on display and for sale. There's even a poster available of the store's two mascot cats, Maow and Huey.

While it wasn’t possible to see everything that Nashville offers in four days, we got a fabulous overview and I’ve already compiled a list of what I hope to go back and see more of on my next trip there. Yes, a repeat visit is already firmly planted in my daydreams for 2013.

For more information, visit visitmusiccity.com.

Nicole Pensiero is a South Jersey freelance writer. You can reach her at pensinic@yahoo.com