Three Days in Nashville (Memphis, Knoxville: to rent, hotels, houseboat)

[harpoonalt]

We have 3 days in Memphis and 3 in Nashville. My wife has everything planned out pretty well and it seems there's plenty to do in both cities close to the downtowns. Always welcome any ideas on things to do.

[MrBlues]

When in Nashville, music is the theme of every day, as there are over 100 clubs with live bands. And the live bands here, even the worst ones are generally top notch professional acts. After all, the absolute BEST studio musicians in the world live in the Nashville area. Anyone in music would love to play at the Grand Ole Opry house, just for the near perfect acoustics...So if music is your thing, prepare for an overload of the best of all genres here. We also have an exact size replica of the Parthenon, complete with a 40 foot statue of Athena within. You'll find that at Centennial Park, on West End Ave, across from Vanderbilt University. Like any big city, there are tons of great restaurants from 1 star to 5 star, and many meat and three's...and we have the Zoo and Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. Cheekwood in the Belle Meade area, hosts a collection of some of the finest art in America, including the Wyeth's, and Georgia O'Keefe, and Werner Wilder, to name a few. And then there is the Frist, a more modern themed museum in the downtown area...easy walking distance to lower Broadway and Second Avenue...this area really rocks at night... And if you are into natural settings, Nashville has several large lakes, all stocked in the springtime with new fish, and literally thousands of primo fishing spots. Or rent a boat, cruiser, or houseboat and stay on the water...the boat docks and marinas like a good party here and there too. If you have children, there are so many kids-oriented playtimes such as can be found at the Cumberland Museum...a hands-on, interactive children's section usually keeps kids occupied longer than Sponge Bob...
Hope y'all enjoy your trip to Nashville...Lots of people come here to visit and stay...maybe you will choose that path as well, but whatever you do, please enjoy our fine city, and come back as often as you can!

[harpoonalt]

Thanks Mr. Blues. Great Ideas! We hope to hear plenty of live music, see the sights and take in a football game (wifes an avid Pat's fan) while in Nashville. Any idea how far JD distillery is and ways to get there from Nashville? And meat and threes? Obviosly we have a lot to learn.

[knucklehead_vol]

[quote=MrBlues;25098399]Definitely check out Megabus. I recently went from Nashville to Knoxville and back on a double decker, wifi access, comfy Megabus for round trip total of $22.50. Greyhound's price for the same trip...$160...and no wifi... Megabus does the Memphis to Nashville run every day, and there is no way to drive the same distance any cheaper, or safer...

Originally Posted by MrBlues

When in Nashville, music is the theme of every day, as there are over 100 clubs with live bands. And the live bands here, even the worst ones are generally top notch professional acts. After all, the absolute BEST studio musicians in the world live in the Nashville area.

Yea the whole state is music themed. Knoxville and Chattanooga also have an excellent music seen, as does the Tri Cities, so don't seel them short. As a matter o fact, probably quirte a few of those studio musicians probably come from those areas. Memphis is the birthplace of Rock 'n'Rool and Home of the Blues, Mr. Blues.

Originally Posted by MrBlues

Anyone in music would love to play at the Grand Ole Opry house, just for the near perfect acoustics...So if music is your thing, prepare for an overload of the best of all genres here. We also have an exact size replica of the Parthenon, complete with a 40 foot statue of Athena within. You'll find that at Centennial Park, on West End Ave, across from Vanderbilt University.

The Ryman is a fantastic place. What would you say is the genres and where to check them out? Unfortunately Nashville is really only known as country from outsiders. So where would someone got to check that out?

Originally Posted by MrBlues

Like any big city, there are tons of great restaurants from 1 star to 5 star, and many meat and three's...!

Mind suggesting a few? They might want to check them out.

Originally Posted by MrBlues

We have the Zoo and Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. Cheekwood in the Belle Meade area, hosts a collection of some of the finest art in America, including the Wyeth's, and Georgia O'Keefe, and Werner Wilder, to name a few. And then there is the Frist, a more modern themed museum in the downtown area...easy walking distance to lower Broadway and Second Avenue...this area really rocks at night... And if you are into natural settings, Nashville has several large lakes, all stocked in the springtime with new fish, and literally thousands of primo fishing spots. Or rent a boat, cruiser, or houseboat and stay on the water...the boat docks and marinas like a good party here and there too. If you have children, there are so many kids-oriented playtimes such as can be found at the Cumberland Museum...a hands-on, interactive children's section usually keeps kids occupied longer than Sponge Bob...
Hope y'all enjoy your trip to Nashville...Lots of people come here to visit and stay...maybe you will choose that path as well, but whatever you do, please enjoy our fine city, and come back as often as you can!

I like this paragragh. Just in case you may want to visit our Zoo, it was rated best zoo in the country a few years ago and they are still expanding. The great thing is we can walk to it from my house in Midtown. What part of Nashville is the zoo in? Frist as in Bill Frist? And I am really surprised you didn't mention the old Starwood Amphitheatre. Is it not around anymore?

[MrBlues]

In response to a few of your questions...
The distance between Nashville and Lynchburg where JD distillery is located, is approximately 75 miles to the south. By taking I-24 East (which actually is more SE), towards Chattanooga, and exiting at the Columbia exit, head towards Tullahoma and Lynchburg. The drive is pleasant and takes about 90 minutes. I don't know of any public transport to and from Lynchburg, so you may have to rent a car for the day...but if you do, try Rent A Wreck...sounds iffy, I know, but they rent reliable used cars at a fraction of what you'd pay for a new rental. And they may deliver the car to a hotel location, making your trip to Lynchburg quite easy. Lynchburg is in Moore County, a DRY county... The tour of the distillery is very interesting and quite informative, well worth the effort to see it.
YES! The whole state IS very musically inclined. As a matter of fact, The Carter Family, certainly considered to be among the founders of Country Music, recorded their first album in Bristol...so Bristol could be considered the "birthplace" of Country Music, whereas Nashville is considered the "home" of Country Music. As a point of fact also, it may be of interest that Jimi Hendrix recorded his first single on Music Row in Nashville...and Jimi's musical genre is definitely NOT Country... Like Memphis, Nashville also has BB King's Blues club, but unlike Memphis, Nashville has every conceivable genre of music from classical to soul, from rock to country, ballads, folk music, Irish pub music, piano bars, and grunge rock, goth, techno, hip hop, jazz, rap...you name it...someone in Nashville will be playing that tonight! The old Starwood Ampitheatre location is still there, but after several years of disuse, I believe it has reopened under a new name...
Technically, New Orleans is the "birthplace" of Blues, while Memphis retains the "home" of the blues status. New Orleans also can claim to be the birthplace of jazz as well, and continues to be the home of jazz.
The Best source for the club and concert scene in Nashville can be found in the local free publication called "The Nashville Scene". This newspaper type publication lists a good sampling of the various genres of music and the clubs where that genre can be found. It is a very informative publication for the local public, and would prove to be quite useful to anyone visiting the area. Nashville Scene ...to request a copy. The Scene also has several ads for some of the better dining experiences available. As for meat and three's...there are not as many as a few years ago, but Sylvan Park in West Nashville was always quite good. A few miles south on Murfreesboro Rd, in LaVergne, is Tee Gee's, fairly good meat and three, and farm raised catfish...
When in downtown Nashville, particularly lower Broadway, check out Tootsies Bar, where the performers from the Ryman just up the block would go to cool off after their performances. And across the street is Ernest Tubb's Record store, where you can find a long out of production copy of some of the pioneers of Country. Going towards the river from Tootsies, you'll see The Hard Rock Cafe, at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Broadway. Continuing North on 2nd Avenue, you'll find micro-breweries, music clubs, restaurants, shops, trinkets, and an eclectic mix of people... here again, your best source of what is current in town can be found in the Nashville Scene, available free in hundreds of locations...and online...
One of the best restaurants anywhere is The Merchants, in downtown Nashville...it has a few stars... in my opinion, it should have at least 4 stars, but the prices are of a 2-3 star place, with superb food. Great restaurants can be found in all neighborhoods, all over town, you'll just have to decide which cuisine you'll want for that meal...because there are considerable choices...you can google the Yellow Pages to see a current list of Nashville restaurants, and some even have sample menus... So, no matter what your dietary considerations may be, you can be assured of finding a restaurant to suit your needs.
Hope this helps clarify some of your questions. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to ask. Don't know the schedule for the Stadium, however, tours may be available, I just am not sure about this..
Take care, and hoping you and your wife have a very happy, memorable time while in Tennessee.

[REPBOY]

I guess I'll double check my history.. yes there it is!, the first commercially produced Blues song by W.C. Handy and written on Beale St. called The St. Louis Blues just before he wrote The Memphis Blues and The Beale Street Blues in the same location. What a coincidence!, it seems Elvis was walking along Beale in the same area in the 50's and stopped to hear an old Blues singer named Arthur Crudop singing "That's All Right, Mama", which makes sense because most Blues musicians of note funnelled through Memphis from the Delta. It appears that Elvis' version of that song, with Sam Phillips' speeded up tempo was instrumental to the formation of Rock n Roll! Nashville gained and carried the momentum in recent years with Country Music adding empetus to the pop music engine, but New Orleans was an ingredient in the Blues/RocknRoll mix, not the fomentor of the form. (IMHO, of course!)

[MrBlues]

Thanks for the correction. I was apparently having a "senior moment" at the time, and would like to agree with you that Memphis is, indeed, the birthplace and home to the blues...and thank the Creator it's in Tennessee! I had thought later about it, and recalled so many of the greats of early blues came from some of the most rural parts of Mississippi, so possibly, we both should tip our hats to Mississippi as the birthplace of the genre, and to Memphis as the birthplace of the commercialization of the genre.
And I agree that New Orleans has had a positive impact on Rock and Roll/Blues, and possibly more so on blues, as musicians from the southern states seemed to lean more towards the songs of the soul to express their emotions, and many also settled around the New Orleans area, where a blend of Jazz/Blues came into being...Jazzy Blues or Bluesy Jazz...but a more typical New Orleans sound.

[harpoonalt]

Sounds like our Tennesee trip will be like going to disney. Always something to do around the next corner. Still curious though......what is a meat and three? Any other southern expressions I should know?

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by harpoonalt

Still curious though......what is a meat and three? Any other southern expressions I should know?

A meat and three is a type of restaurant that serves Southern/soul/homestyle food (whatever you wish to call it) usually in a cafeteria setting. The name derives from the common choice of picking a meat and 3 vegetable sides. Most places also have a roll or cornbread along with that, as well as a few dessert pies.


An example of a meat and three plate that I might get:
-meatloaf
-green beans
-mashed potatoes and gravy
-fried okra
-cornbread
-pecan pie
-sweet tea


Oh, and local pronunciation is "meat 'n three."

[teachbeach]

Reviving an older thread and wondering what advice you'd give for a 3 day, "experience Nashville" adventure in the Spring of 2018? We'll be flying in, so most likely renting a car, unless there are advantages to being in one particular area. We're from the east coast, so not intimated by traffic.

We like history, music, good food, craft beers, local artisan's~not looking for nightlife unless it's early. We're good with city tours to get our bearings and then going back to what we want to explore in depth.

Seeking recommendations on the "must see & must do" to say we've experienced Nashville. Also, areas to stay (hotels) that might have easy access to some fun restaurants (not chains or formula) that are unique to Nashville.

Thanks!