The Ryman Auditorium was conceived in 1895 by a Nashville riverboat captain named Thomas Ryman, who had recently been converted to Christianity by a southern evangelist, and decided to build a church to serve Nashville’s revivals.  In 1892, the first part of the auditorium was opened, named the Union Gospel Tabernacle, which included the pews that remain there to this day.  Construction was completed in 1899, and the total cost – $100,000.

In 1943, the Grand Ole Opry moved to the Ryman Auditorium, where it remained full-time until 1974, when it moved to the Opry House, which was built adjacent to the Opryland Hotel for the purpose of being a dedicated auditorium for Grand Ole Opry performances.

The Grand Old Opry returned to the Ryman in 1999, for winter season performances, which continue to this day.

Of course, there’s much more than country music performed at the Ryman.  Virtually every type of music has been celebrated and performed here, and it’s been voted one of the best places to hear music in America.

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.

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 .

It’s the most colorful building in the 2nd Avenue Historic District (pink, purple, yellow, green, red & blue).  To be just a bit more noticeable, you’ll hear Dolly’s music coming from the store.

Fans of all ages will be able to find all sorts of Dolly Parton items and loads of Dolly’s music, too.

The store is open to visitors now, but there’s a Grand Opening event planned for Spring of 2010.

Located at 315 Union, the hotel has 87 rooms and 18 extended stay suites, and is located in the downtown business district, Printer’s Alley and 2nd Ave., close to all the major downtown attractions and entertainment venues.  Pets are welcome.

For more information, check out Hotel 315.

HOTEL 315
315 Union Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37201
Phone: 615.891.6001
http://thehotel315.com

Bluebird Songwriters In The Round

It’s off the tourist-beaten track, and it’s a place to gather for earnest listening, so they don’t tolerate blabbing during the performances.  If you’ve heard of the Bluebird Cafe but have not seen it in person, you may be shocked at how tiny it is.

Nearly buried in a characterless strip of stores along Hillsboro Road in Green Hills, with a scarcely visible sign, the Bluebird Cafe is a petite hole in the wall restaurant and cocktail lounge,pub,saloon,barroom, where four singer-songwriters perform from the middle of the venue, in the round. It’s a very folksy, up close and personal setting, in which to listen to a few of Nashville’s aspiring and established singer-songwriters.

Actually, the singer-songwriter in the round arrangement got its start at the Bluebird.  Artists Fred Knobloch (Used to Blue and Meanwhile), and Don Schlitz (The Gambler and Forever and Ever, Amen), according to legend after an evening of drinking, decided to place four chairs facing each other in the heart of the place, turn out the lights, and just watch what happens. This format proved to function so well, that you’re likely to encounter it at many singer-songwriter’s performances close to Music City.

Bluebird Cafe - Nashville, Tennessee

The Bluebird has not solely risen to be noted as Nashville’s most illustrious spot to enjoy musicians, but it has been the starting place for many acknowledged country songwriters, beginning back in 1983 when Kathy Mattea scored a record contract after playing at the Bluebird for merely a little while. As soon as that occurred, the Bluebird became one of the most sought after venues to play.  And this phenomenon would continue to recur again and again, as several of the Bluebird’s songwriter regulars proceeded to obtain recording agreements, and singer-songwriter after musician attained renown in the identical way. (There have been overly many popular musicians “born” at the Bluebird to list them all here, but do you remember Garth Brooks? – Yep, he got his big break at the Bluebird, as well,also.)

The Bluebird Cafe exhibits two shows every evening, and reservations are advised, which you can complete on the web (in all likelihood the best method) or by phone. But if you didn’t make reservations and want to travel over there before things start, you certainly ought to go for it – the folks there will do everything possible to get you into the show. The Bluebird definitely ought to be on any visitor’s list of Nashville attractions to check out.

Legends Corner Bartenders, Nashville, Tennessee

Your visit to Nashville won’t be complete until you take a stroll down lower Broadway, where you’ll run across many gritty little honky-tonk joints. One of Nashville’s best is Legends Corner, known as “Home of Honky-Tonk Lemonade”.

Loads and loads of country album covers, musical instruments and memorabilia (Johnny Cash guitar, KISS dolls, original 78rpm Elvis Presley records, Appalachian pickin’ stick, Australian didgeridoo, Russian balalaika) are all over the walls of the place, but the real draw is the live music and the great location, right across from the arena. Legends always has great live music.

Legends Corner Guitar, Nashville, Tennessee

Check out the awesome decorations, have a cool drink and relax, listening to some great live country music. And don’t be shy, get up onto the dance floor and kick up your heels!

Fox Trot Carousel, Riverfront Park, Nashville

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.

Everly Brothers figure, Fox Trot Carousel, Nashville

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.

Goo Goo Boy, Fox Trot Carousel, Nashville, Tennessee

President Andrew Jackson, Fox Trot Carousel, Nashville, Tennessee

Dancing Fox, Fox Trot Carousel, Nashville, Tennessee

Today’s revival of roller derby keeps the athleticism of the original sport and adds punk attitude and showmanship and sassy, feisty, aggressive competition.

The Nashville Rollergirls (NRG) are an amateur all women flat track roller derby team.  They knock each other down, they look good doing it, and they skate away smiling.  This sport is real, and the girls have real fun doing it.

The NRG started in 2006 and has three teams who compete with each other on an intra-league basis: the Assault Rivals , the X-Pistols, and the Damsels of Distress. Traveling to compete with other cities is the NRG’s all-star team, the Nashville RollerGirls.

The roller girls are completely do-it-yourself, running on the work of the skaters, friends, family, and volunteers.

The girls have all sorts of backgrounds, and get together with a single goal – to knock some skaters down and taste some blood. Most of them are college educated, some grad students, and some are moms.  They have all sorts of careers and lifestyles by day, and by night they don fishnets and miniskirts, when they hit the rink practice training and a good time.

The fan base is also a varied mix of characters, including all ages, with tatoos, mohawks, polos, biker helmets, cowboy hats, families and singles from all walks of life.

NRG’s cheerleaders, excuse me, “jeerleaders”, known as the Rhinestone Ruckus, entertain during the jams and at intermissions.

If you want some extra excitement you can sit in the “Suicide Seats” – set up on the floor right beside the track, (warning – you assume all liability for injury by sitting here…).

So come out to the historic Tennessee State Fairgrounds Sports Arena in Nashville Tennessee on a Saturday night when there’s a Nashville Rollergirl bout scheduled. You’ll be glad you did!

Two golf courses are here, too – Percy Warner and Harpeth Hills. There are many structures here that were built in the 1930’s as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), including 2 stone bridges, 7 limestone entrances, miles of retaining walls of stone, along with the drives, overlooks and trails, and even a steeplechase course.

Nashville’s oldest model plane flying field, dating from the 40’s is here, as is a short stretch of the Natchez Trace, a historic network of ancient trails used by early Native Americans.

This is a great place to walk, ride a bike, hike, picnic, and just enjoy the great outdoors, just a hop, skip and jump from downtown Nashville.

Located at 7311 Highway 100, the Nature Center at Edwin Warner Park is an environmental education center that’s open all year. Here you may enjoy the museum of local natural history, a library, an organic vegetable and herb garden, beehives, and a wildflower garden.  Hikers can go to the trailhead at the Nature Center for maps.

Map of Edwin Warner Park, Nashville

Map of Percy Warner Park, Nashville