Go to Nashville, and you're going to come home a fan of country music. I know - it happened to me. And I'm from New York City, for Pete's sake.
That's not to say that all Nashville has are shrines to crooners in cowboy boots. Its robust music scene embraces many genres, from classical to blues (the latter scene, in particular, is hot, hot, hot). Multiple universities keep the population young, so night life abounds, but so do compelling museums and monuments to the past-stately plantations, the only full-size replica of the Parthenon on the planet, a Civil War battlefield and more. The food is fabulous, though it's often deep-fried (dieters, beware); and if you're a shopper, you'll be pleased and possibly distressed by all the temptations here.
But the experiences that make Nashville a destination, rather than just a city, come with a twang. Like the Country Music Hall of Fame, a complex three times the size of most municipal art museums that takes an alternately scholarly and kitschy approach to its subject , which works surprisingly well. On the side of erudition are videos, wall panels and displayed artifacts tracing the genre's roots back to both the folk traditions of England and Scotland, and the music brought over by slaves from Africa. And for pop-culture thrills, it's hard to beat getting to take pictures in front of Elvis Presley's "solid gold Cadillac" (its 27 layers of paint were mixed with crushed diamonds) or watching a 1970s Loretta Lynn pitching Crisco on TV ads and the Dukes of Hazzard crashing their cars to a country soundtrack.
The museum's highlight, however, isn't actually in the building. Those in the know pony up a bit extra to visit what may well be the most famous recording studio on the planet, Studio B. Visitors are taken in a small bus to the studio, where they see the outside wall that Dolly Parton actually rammed her car into (she was so excited to record there, she hit the gas rather than the brakes when driving up); and the studio where some 1,000 hits were recorded (by everyone who was anyone in rock, plus a huge number of rock and gospel stars). Interestingly, this was the first place an "isolation booth" was used to better define the sound of one track (a coat rack was used) and where studio musicians created charts to replace more-traditional sheet music. And what could be better than learning that Elvis recorded "Love Me Tender" at 4:30 in the morning and insisted that all the lights be killed while he crooned (and yes, they turn off all the lights while you listen to the song).
Nearby the Hall of Fame is a shrine to the "Man in Black," the Johnny Cash Museum, which mixes the tale of this genre-spanning, incredibly successful musician with a history of Sun Records (his first label), stations where fans can "remix" the tracks of his hits, and listening stations where you can hear everyone from Miley Cyrus and Pearl Jam to Leonard Nimoy covering the great man's tunes. (Mr. Spock had no business cutting a record, in case you were wondering.)
Nashville's pinnacle experience is attending a performance of the Grand Ole Opry, either at the smaller Ryman Auditorium or at the massive Opryland. As it has been for decades, the performance is broadcast over radio, so it includes hosts cracking corny jokes, an announcer reading hokey commercials and a dazzling array of talented musicians. When we last went, the headliners were the Gatlin Brothers and Loretta Lynn herself (sounding terrific, by the way), but the most exciting performances were those by the young folks you just know will be huge names in coming years, like 23-year-old Parker Millsap, who blew the top off the joint with his rootsy howl and harmonica playing. And heck, who doesn't love seeing rhinestone-adorned square dancers perform? In conclusion: Yee haw!
If you go:
- The Country Music Hall of Fame is located at 222 Fifth Avenue South in Nashville, and is open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $24.95 for adults, $22.50 seniors, $14.95 for youth 6-12. You can find more information at http://countrymusichalloffame.org.
- The Johnny Cash Museum is located at 119 Third Street South in Nashville and is open daily from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission is $18 adults, $17 seniors and $14 children 6-15. More info at www.johnnycashmuseum.com.
- Grand Ole Opry prices and hours vary by date. For complete information about both concerts and tours of the two facilities, go to www.opry.com.
Note to the reader: Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. The information in this column was accurate when it was released, but prices are competitive, sometimes limited and can always change without notice.
Pauline Frommer is the Editorial Director for the Frommer Travel Guides and Frommers.com. She co-hosts the radio program The Travel Show with her father, Arthur Frommer and is the author of the best-selling Frommer's EasyGuide to New York City.
