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Old 04-12-2012, 03:40 PM
 
23 posts, read 70,475 times
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I'm going to be in the area for Bonnaroo in June and am looking to spend a couple days in Nashville after the festival. I'm also in the process of trying to convince my friends to come with me.

What are the must-see things in Nashville? How's the night life? How would I go about getting the "Nashville experience?" We're all guys in our mid-20's by the way.

Any links or information you have would be greatly appreciated; that way I can share them and make my case for a stop in music city.
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Old 04-13-2012, 08:09 AM
 
Location: Gallatin, TN
3,828 posts, read 8,436,510 times
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2 days would give you a hint of the Nashville experience, but long enough to have a good time for sure. What kinds of things are you interested in? Music, obviously since you're going to Bonnaroo...but what else...history, art, sports, nightlife?

The cornerstone of the "tourist experience" of Nashville is downtown on Broadway, where all the country music honkytonks are located. Even if you're not a country fan, you should check a few of these out, especially Tootsie's and Robert's Western World. They've very historic, lots of legends have played/gotten their start there. They're probably what post people think about when they think of Nashville's music scene...which is not nearly accurate, but whatever. A week or two before you go, check out the live music pages on the Nashville Scene's website. You never know who might show up at a show around here especially with Bonnaroo just down the road and the CMA Music Festival around the same time. Plus, they usually have a good "Bonnaroo Survival" issue that might interest you.

I would recommend checking out the Ryman Auditorium, the "mother church" of country music. Definitely take a tour if you can and if there's an artist playing that you're even remotely interested in, it is a great venue to watch a live show. Obviously, a can't miss for any country music fan is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. If you do end up walking down Broadway and peeking into the honky-tonks, be sure to stop by the Hatch Show Print, which is a working historic printer that is known for its distinctive show prints.

If you want to soak up some history/culture I think the crown jewel is the Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson. Other than that, the TN State Museum is great (and free) and goes well with a tour of the State Capitol...only about a block away. The Parthenon at Centennial Park off of West End Avenue is defintely worth a drive-by and a tour if you have the time. It's the world's only full size replica of the Parthenon in Athens. In addition to the monster statue of Athena, there is usually a good art exhibit in the basement. The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is downtown and has a good history of traveling exhibits. The Flying Saucer located just behind the Frist is a good place to grab some suds. They've got about 100 on tap.

If you're interested in the Civil War, a side trip to Franklin (Battle of Franklin) or Murfreesboro (Battle of Stones River) would be worth the trip. Otherwise, Ft. Negley in Nashville is located near the Adventure Science Museum and opened a new interpretive center fairly recently that I've heard good things about.

As far as other cool spots to hang out for 20 something guys, I'd recommend a few areas. The Gulch (12th Avenue near downtown) is a really up and coming area of town...lots of young professionals and some middle to upscale bars and restaurants. The Yazoo taproom is located there. Yazoo is probably the best known local brewery around here and very popular. Defintely worth a look if you guys like beer. The Station Inn is also there, which is one of the premiere spots in the nation for bluegrass. The Hillsboro Village area (near Vanderbilt University) is a very vibrant community, lots of local restaurants, coffee shops, and bars there. The Pancake Pantry has been featured on national networks before for their breakfast food. There are several cool bars in that area too. East Nashville is a very cool part of town...very diverse and lots of local eateries and bars there. Most people hang out around the 5 points area which is the epicenter of East Nashville, but I highly recommend you visit the Family Wash which is a local tavern buried in East Nashville...great food, beer, and music. Another popular area for locals is 12South. This is on 12th Avenue South near Belmont University and not too far from Vanderbilt. Again, another cluster of restaurants, bars, and a very artsy community.

Finally, I've got a non-Nashville suggestion for you to check out on your way up from Manchester. Stop by Lynchburg, TN to see the Jack Daniel's Distillery and the town square. It's really a cool place to visit, and if you go on a weekday the crowds should be very minimal. Very interesting tour and a cool way to spend an afternoon. It's about 35 minutes from Manchester and about a 1:15 drive from Nashville.

Hope that helps...let us know if you have some specific interests and maybe I can point you in the right direction. Good luck and stay hydrated down at Bonnaroo!
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Old 04-13-2012, 11:11 AM
 
23 posts, read 70,475 times
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Thank you! Great post with lots of useful information and links, I appreciate it.

I think what we would be most interested in is heading around, seeing a few things during the days, and then enjoying the nightlife in the area. I'd say we're not incredibly interested in current country music, but definitely interested in the historical aspect of music in the city. Sounds like Ryman, Parthenon, Hermitage, (Broadway?) etc. would all be great places to check out during the day, then head off and check out a couple of those neighborhoods later. Are they mostly the kind of place you can just go and walk around, see what's there, do what you want to do on the fly? Is there decent public transportation/cabs or would we have to drive everywhere? The distillery sounds like a great idea too, something to maybe hit on the way.
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Old 04-16-2012, 03:12 PM
 
Location: White Plains
55 posts, read 182,217 times
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There are cabs, and they'll hang out in heavily populated areas a bit. your best bet will be to call when you want one. there is no public transit in nashville- there are buses, but i never took one when i lived there and neither did anyone else i knew.
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Old 04-16-2012, 07:06 PM
 
455 posts, read 635,496 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bizarbus View Post
Thank you! Great post with lots of useful information and links, I appreciate it.

I think what we would be most interested in is heading around, seeing a few things during the days, and then enjoying the nightlife in the area. I'd say we're not incredibly interested in current country music, but definitely interested in the historical aspect of music in the city. Sounds like Ryman, Parthenon, Hermitage, (Broadway?) etc. would all be great places to check out during the day, then head off and check out a couple of those neighborhoods later. Are they mostly the kind of place you can just go and walk around, see what's there, do what you want to do on the fly? Is there decent public transportation/cabs or would we have to drive everywhere? The distillery sounds like a great idea too, something to maybe hit on the way.
The Hermitage really is pretty cool, if you are interested in historical things. But you should not plan to stop by the Hermitage for an hour or two. It probably takes half a day to really do the Hermitage. So if you are interested in a educational/historical, but also beautiful, thing to see, leave enough time to actually enjoy the Hermitage.
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Old 04-17-2012, 09:04 AM
 
Location: Gallatin, TN
3,828 posts, read 8,436,510 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by southernsmoke View Post
The Hermitage really is pretty cool, if you are interested in historical things. But you should not plan to stop by the Hermitage for an hour or two. It probably takes half a day to really do the Hermitage. So if you are interested in a educational/historical, but also beautiful, thing to see, leave enough time to actually enjoy the Hermitage.
Agreed. The Hermitage will take at least 3-4 hours minimum, plus it's about 20-30 minutes drive from downtown (depending on time of day). It's fantastic...but requires some time.

As others have mentioned, public transportation is lacking here. You can take busses from downtown around town, but honestly you're probably better off taking cabs or driving yourself (at least not while drinking) to these areas. Hillsboro Village is definitely walkable once you get there. The 5 Points area of East Nashville is too, but there's much more in East Nashville than just 5 Points and that requires some driving. Both 12South and the Gulch are walkable once you park there too.
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Old 04-17-2012, 09:19 PM
 
Location: Bellevue
2,981 posts, read 3,221,545 times
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Something else to check out in June is the Grand Ole Opry. There is always a chance some of the Bonaroo country/americana artists may also appear in Nashville. It may be a little soon to track it now nless you try someone's website. Another place to check out is the Ryman or the Barn at the Loveless. Something to remember about the opry is the mix of old legends, & newer stars. The Ryman is simply the best place in town to catch a band or artist. You can get a feel for the Opry by tuning to WSM online.com or download an ap. (650 AM)


http://musiccityroots.com/shows

Music City Roots at the Loveless Barn. Tickets $10 Wed 6pm 7-9ish show
http://lightning100.com/shows/music-.../#.T44moNW2x8E

Broadcast on Lightning 100 (100.1FM)

Last edited by GWoodle; 04-17-2012 at 09:29 PM..
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Old 04-22-2012, 12:46 AM
 
4,475 posts, read 6,657,897 times
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probably drive around looking for a place to park
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