Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC)

The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (commonly referred to as “TPAC”) exists to provide a place to take a lead in the arts in Middle Tennessee, sustaining and nurturing the performing arts, along with education in the arts, local arts groups and other organizations devoted to the arts.

TPAC is in the heart of downtown Nashville at 505 Deaderick St., in the James K. Polk Cultural Center, taking up the entire block bordered by 5th and 6th Avenues and Deaderick and Union Streets. The cultural center is also the home to the Tennessee State Museum.

TPAC contains three performance halls, ranging from the 256 seat Andrew Johnson Theater, to the James K. Polk Theater, with 1,075 seats, all the way to the large room, Andrew Jackson Hall, with a capacity of 2,472.

The historic landmark War Memorial Auditorium is located adjacent to the main TPAC building, just across 6th Avenue, and has a capacity of 1,661.

TPAC hosts Broadway shows, many special engagements,  as well as with the Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Opera, and the Tennessee Repertory Theatre.

If you’re planning a visit to Nashville, you owe it to yourself to check the TPAC event schedule to see what’s scheduled to play during your visit.

Musicians Who Played On Greatest Recordings Honored – The Musicians Hall Of Fame & Museum

The Musicians Hall Of Fame and Museum is the only museum we know of whose goal is to honor all of the musicians who actually played on some of the greatest recorded music, recorded here in Nashville as well as many other great music cities, of all time.  There are many museums set up to recognize the singers and leaders, but only The Musicians Hall Of Fame and Museum gives the musicians themselves their due.

The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is right near downtown Nashville, at 301 6th Ave. South, just a couple of blocks south of Broadway, and one block west of the Country Music Hall Of Fame.

Some of the musicians featured, like Jimi Hendrix are famous, while others  are not.  How about drummer Hal Blaine?  This LA session drummer isn’t well known, but has played on many many hit records.  The Museum is dedicated to the actual players on hundreds of hits from Elvis, Frank and Nancy Sinatra,The Byrds, The Mamas and The Papas and The Beach Boys, to name a few.  Also on exhibit at The Museum you’ll find the actual  instruments that were used in the recording of many of these classic hits.

They are always adding new exhibits, from all music genres, for you to enjoy.  The layout of the museum is based on the cities with a great recorded music history. Like Detroit, Nashville , Muscle Shoals, Los Angeles , Memphis and New York. In all these cities, there were musicians who were able to play any style that was needed,  back when the recording industry was evolving.  They had nicknames – The Swampers, The A TEAM, The Memphis Boys, The FUNK BROTHERS, and The WRECKING CREW.  You’ve heard of “Booker T and The M.G’s” and” TOTO”?  Guess what?  They started out as one of these studio bands. Up until the mid 1980’s, studio bands like these played on the majority of all the recordings made in these cities.

The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is proud of Nashville’s musical heritage also. Nashville, aka Music City, is well known for country music, but many other styles of music have always been recorded in Nashville. “Dust In The Wind” (Kansas), “Heart Of Gold ” (Neil Young) and “Lay Lady Lay” (Bob Dylan) – to name a few.

Whether you’re partial to Hank Williams Sr., or the Red Hot Chili Peppers, or anything in between, you’ll find something of interest at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum .

Fox Trot Carousel

Located in downtown Nashville at First and Broadway, in Riverfront Park, overlooking the Cumberland River is the Fox Trot Carousel.  Created by Nashville-born artist Red Grooms, the carousel is unique in that all of the figures fashioned by Grooms are famous Tennesseeans, along with a dancing fox.

There are 36 figures in all, including Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett, Wilma Rudolph, William Edmondson, Kitty Wells, Chet Atkins, the Everly Brothers, and many more.

The whimsical figures and riverside location of the Fox Trot Carousel make it a joy to behold and a joy to ride, for children of all ages.