by Jeanni Ritchie
I remember my first trip to Nashville. It was just last year. I’d bought the 1-day Total Access Pass with admission to many attractions and I’d planned to see them all, starting with a Photowalk Nashville tour. This tour took you through the Gulch, snapping photos of you at iconic landmarks including the famous Kelsey Montague murals like the angel wings. After my tour I planned to take the Hop On- Hop Off trolley tour which had a pickup in the Gulch.
I missed the stop, however, and found myself so immersed in sightseeing that I’d made it downtown by foot and rounded a corner to…Broadway! I’d had no clue what awaited me there.
Standing in the middle of the street, mouth wide open at a site I hadn’t expected, I took in the scene. Blocks and blocks of restaurants and shops overflowing with people and live music, a continual stream of cars, and crosswalks that stopped all traffic to even allow diagonal passage, my first thought was, This must be what New York City is like! I saw name after name on buildings- Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places, Kid Rock’s bar, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean…the list went on and on!
The energy was palpable. Nashville is electric and I’ve been back four more times since then, most recently on an 11-day trip in May.
Feeling somewhat of an expert adventurer in Nashville now, I have a list of places I still haven’t seen (after 25 days total in Nashville, I still have barely scratched the surface!), and a list of places I do every time I visit. That list gets longer with each visit, my experiences lending more to becoming repeaters than one-and-dones.
The Total Access Pass was retired in 2024 but there are many deals available at visitmusiccity.
This time I was on a mission to see as much as possible.
Attractions I visited:
Patsy Cline Museum: I was one of the last visitors to this museum as it was closing permanently to make way for the expansion of the Johnny Cash museum later this summer. Cline was a true national treasure and the museum paid homage to her.
Johnny Cash Museum: On a previous trip, I took myself on a self-guided tour of Johnny Cash visiting his Hendersonville home, the cemetery he and his family are buried in, and his favorite BBQ joint. This time I went to the official museum filled with artifacts of the Man in Black.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: This was my second trip to this museum and loved it just as much. Plus the American Currents exhibit is a revolving one, featuring relative newcomers making an impact in country music. I already knew and loved many, like Jelly Roll and Megan Moroney but was interested in learning more about others like The Red Clay Strays and Zach Top.
Goo Goo Chocolate Company: This is a must on every Nashville trip, a gigantic chocolate cluster you can personalize with your favorite “goo.” I always get salted caramel nougat but vary the other ingredients (pecans, pretzels, peanut butter) for one delicious cluster. I also always say I’ll savor it over several days but that never works out either! You can also take a chocolate making class in addition to making your own cluster.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum: I’d been before but was with my friend Kim that day who’d never been so I went again. It’s always a treat. Such lifelike figures! There’s even a recording booth where you can cut your own demos right past Patsy Cline recording a song of her own!
Nashville Zoo: The Nashville Zoo served as a setting for Karen Kingsbury’s movie Someone Like You, which I’d forgotten until I went in the kangaroo enclosure. “I’ve been here before,” I thought, before remembering the movie scenes. It is a gorgeous zoo.
Third Coast Comedy Club: I never made an actual show but did see the venue on my trolley tour stop at Marathon Motor Works where the club is housed.
Ryman Auditorium: Like many tours, it started off with a short film about the history of the Ryman. It left me in tears and I felt the sacredness of the Ryman throughout the rest of the tour. I even stood on the stage where Johnny kicked the footlights out. I hope to see a show from one of the old church pews next time I go.
The Great Big Game Show/The Escape Game: Both of these attractions are in the Opry Mills Mall and I desperately wanted to play (think trivia mixed with minute-to-win-it skills in big buzzer game show fashion)!! Even though my pass was for two, I was traveling Party of One! Maybe next time..
There were a few more attractions I wanted to visit but ran out of time for so they are on my next itinerary: Adventure Science Center, Belle Meade Historic Site, Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, Frist Art Museum, and Musicians Hall of Fame.
I also did many tours.
Grand Ole Opry: The daytime tour takes you through the dressing rooms and onstage to the famous circle. Several stars have post office boxes backstage to receive fan mail. We toured the new WSM studio in the Roy Acuff House as well. It is a fun tour that complements, but should never replace, seeing an actual Grand Ole Opry show. More on that below!
Gray Line of TN: With multiple tours to choose from, I opted for the most touristy tour ever- the Celebrity Homes tour. Snapping photos and catching glimpses of how the other half lives, we saw the homes of 36 music moguls, singers, athletes, and politicians. Kelly Clarkson, Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift…we sang along as clips from each artist were played. We even got a wave from Kix Brooks as we passed his house making his ACM award later that week feel like a personal victory!
Hatch Show Print: THE poster printing company for Nashville (and other cities) this was a fun and informative tour of a printing press that still operates rather old school. I love the imprinting; it reminds me of my grandmother’s Bible imprinting shop in her Christian Book Store.
Old Town Trolley: My favorite “rideshare” in Nashville, the hop on-hop off trolley allows you to get a narrated tour and get on and off at your leisure. Destinations like Centennial Park are too far to walk to and parking costs can add up in Nashville. This is a fun Uber alternative! Stops also include Marathon Motor Works (home of Bang Candy), Midtown, Belmont Mansion, Union Station, Broadway, Cumberland River, and Music Row.
Historic RCA Studio B: This tour departs from the Country Music Hall of Fame via bus. The studio is small but there is a portion where an authentic recording of an Elvis session plays, complete with outtakes that would’ve normally ended up on the cutting room floor. Instead it became an artifact of The King’s life.
There are also many free attractions including the Nashville Farmer’s Market, Nashville Public Library (cheapest public parking in town), Music City Walk of Fame Park, Tennessee State Capitol, and more.
Don’t forget Centennial Park and the “Taylor” bench where you can bring a book to pose while you “sit and read in Centennial Park” just as she sang in The 1.
Speaking of songs, for me Nashville is also all about the shows!
The Grand Ole Opry is a must-see every time you go. Whether you know anyone on the line-up or not, it will be an amazing show. I just wanted to find the best date for my schedule, regardless of performers. Then I found out Charles Esten (Deacon, Nashville) was playing the night before I came home. I’d joked on a previous visit to the Bluebird Cafe that it wasn’t the same without Deacon there, feeling like I’d been in the iconic venue from the show alone. I had a 12-hour drive home the next day plus I was staying an hour north of Nashville that night. I’d have to drive into Nashville then back to Portland then home to Louisiana. I’d decided to skip the show. For two weeks I wondered if I’d be making a mistake and I knew I would get home and regret it. So I went ahead and bought my ticket in advance. FOMO Me knows how to outsmart frugal, middle-aged Me!
Bonus: I had great floor seats at the cheapest price ($59) because I was alone and there were many one-seaters spread throughout the auditorium. With a friend also on a budget? Split up and enjoy the show from the floor separately! Though there’s really never a bad seat at the Opry, even in the balcony!
Also performing that night were Maddie and Tae, the Opry Square Dancers, Mandy Barnett, Ron Pope, Connie Smith, Don Schlitz, and Whispering Bill Anderson.
Backstage Nashville: The venue at 3rd and Lindsley is a singer-songwriter showcase where you get to hear hits performed by those who wrote them. It’s a great show but only on Saturday afternoons. My trips usually started on Monday. Not this time. I came down on a Friday evening just so I could catch this show. Host Devon O’Day is hilarious and also from Central Louisiana! We had a great time chatting post-show!
Performing were Katelyn Myers, Jill Colucci (who co-wrote Travis Tritt’s Anymore and the theme song to America’s Funniest Home Videos), Ray Stephenson, Wyatt McCubbin, Marla Cannon-Goodman, and Heidi Newfield, who sang her hits Johnny and June, Pour Me, and On a Night Like This). Heidi had no problem giving all her praise to Jesus from the stage- something you see often in Nashville- and was the most humble, down to earth person as we chatted as well after the show.
Listening Room Cafe: I went to Monday night’s all-female show, Song Suffragettes, on the stage that once launched the careers of Lainey Wilson and Kelsea Ballerini. I met singer-songwriter Emily Ortega, originally from Opelousas, who sang a song called Nothing Hurts Like a Mother just in time for Mother’s Day. With a 5-year old daughter, she’s learned that the pain that comes from your child’s hurts far surpass your own.
The Station Inn: With a big sign up front declaring they are a music listening venue and not a honkeytonk, I knew I’d be right at home. The vibe was mellow- quite like we were still teenagers listening to vinyls in the darkened basement in the 70’s. We appreciate the artistry; we love the music. But we no longer have the time or the patience for the nonsense. The show I attended was a James Taylor tribute concert by Dennis Parker and Friends. It was an intimate performance that turned strangers into friends.
Music City Rollin’ Jamboree: This oft-sold out tour doesn’t even advertise. Word of mouth makes it the most sought after tour in Nashville. Between Jenny Nashville’s hilarious spot-on passenger roasts and Canadian Music Hall of Famer Gil Grand serenading you through the streets of Nashville, you get a musical performance, comedy club, and narrated tour all wrapped up in one bus ride. After Gil sang us the song he wrote for his daughter’s wedding (cue the tears!) Jenny grabbed random passengers for a microphone sing-along. They also have a stage show a few times a year so check that out next time you come to Nashville. You’ll love it!
The Holy Grail of Nashville lodging is the Gaylord Opryland Resort. Open to the public even if you aren’t staying overnight, it is a destination unto itself. I spent one evening there, soaking up every experience. I played in both arcades, sat by the lazy river of the Soundwaves waterpark, indulged in both a wet and dry steam in the spa, and enjoyed an evening silent disco boat cruise as we wound through the hotel with glow-sticks and headphones set to varying frequencies. Every once in a while you’d notice someone tuned into the same frequency and you bop your heads along together, experiencing the same song in relative silence.
I strolled through the gardens and ate at The Cascades while live music played nearby. Even from the balcony in my room I could hear the live music below joining voices with the rushing waters of the waterfall in the atrium below. There was an entire shopping village in the resort as well, full-scale stores not just souvenir shops! There were multiple restaurants and a downloadable map if you got lost trying to get back to your room!
I plan to go back at Christmastime and experience ICE! their winter wonderland and see many of the Christmas shows in Nashville.
If Nashville is the NYC of the South, East Nashville is its Greenwich Village. With its artistic and bohemian vibe, it is eclectic and unassuming. It is here that I spent the rest of my stay in a hip boutique hotel called The Gallatin Hotel. The colorful hotel didn’t have a reception desk or daily housekeeping but they did have those $400 Dyson hair dryers in your room and a snack basket that didn’t come with additional charges. They were attentive and prompt with any questions and the beds were downright hard to get out of, they were so comfortable. Parking was free and it was cheaper to take a Lyft to and from the hotel than to drive in and pay for parking. I’d highly recommend this hotel and look forward to returning.
There was no shortage of food on this trip either! From my first ever slice of cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory in Opry Mills Mall to a hot chicken and waffles pizza at Portland Pizza and Pub in nearby Portland, TN, I stayed full the entire trip!
Favorite restaurants were McNamara’s Irish Pub (where co-owner Kirk Orndorff gave me an Irish culinary masterclass while live music played in the background), Peg Leg Porker (best bbq in Nashville, down in the Gulch), Bob Evans Farmhouse Kitchen (if you like their sides in your grocer’s deli case, try it fresh!), Loveless Cafe (another destination unto itself- homemade jellies and jams, fresh biscuits- check out the shops as well as the restaurant), BoomBozz Craft Pizza and Taphouse (with an outdoor playground for the kids who invariably finish before you), East Park Donuts and Coffee (the modest building belied its multiple accolades but that’s East Nashville for you! They had this caramel coffee toffee seasonal donut that was amazing!), Baja Taco (a quick, delicious meal in the Country Music Hall of Fame building), and The Pharmacy (best burger in Nashville- dip it in one of their many homemade sauces like curry ketchup and chipotle avocado aioli).
While visiting the Nashville Farmer’s Market, I took an ice cream rolling class at The Roll Academy in Rolled 4 Ever Ice Cream. Rolled ice cream was invented in Thailand in 2009 and arrived in America around 2013. A little over ten years later, I learned how to mix cream and toppings on a frozen slab to make the tasty treat myself.
Of course, I spent time on Broadway, preferring to “window shop” mostly. Occasionally I’ll go in for a quick meal or a Coke, but mostly I like to keep moving. I would like to check out Jelly Roll’s Goodnight Nashville sometime as well as the line dancing at Luke Combs’ Category 10. One place on my itinerary that I missed was the Gospel Hour at Robert’s Western World on Sunday. I’d love to see that one day. Robert’s is the home of the famous recession special: a fried bologna sandwich, bag of chips, Moon Pie, and drink for only $6!
I spent my last two days north of Nashville in Portland TN for the annual Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival. Last year I’d seen Deana Carter perform as well as a Garth Brooks tribute band, Ultimate Garth. This year the festival’s headliner was Bizz & Everyday People who led us through some of my favorite playlist hits: Celebration, Uptown Funk, Don’t Stop Believin’, Purple Rain, Dancing Queen, and a really cool I Will Survive/Flowers mash-up. Music surrounds you no matter where you are in Tennessee.
Nashville is one of my favorite spots in the country. It is where dreams come true and dreamers can roam free.
Jeanni Ritchie is a music-loving contributing journalist from Central Louisiana. Check out her video of the Opryland Hotel at https://www.tiktok.com/t/
