Travel, Nashville, TN Country music in the big city

by Rebecca R. Bibbs

If you love country/western and bluegrass music, Nashville, Tenn., is the place for you. As you plan your trip to the Music City, consider dropping by some of the following places:

You never know who
Bill Cody will have on his
WSM radio program.

> WSM Radio: Located in the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, this was the radio station that put country music on the map. If your timing is right, you just might catch personality Bill Cody interview one of your favorite country/western music stars.

> The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: Located on Nashville’s Music Row, the museum, originally located in a barn-shaped building, moved to it’s $37 million high-tech digs in 2001. Witness the history and view the artifacts of country music legends like the father of country music Jimmie Rodgers, the coal miner’s daughter Loretta Lynn and the legendary Williams family.

> Music City Walk of Fame: Similar to the Hollywood walk of Fame, this stretch between Fourth and Fifth Avenue South pays homage to entertainers like Vince Gilll, Reba McIntire and the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Feel the history inside
RCA Studio B.

> RCA Studio B: Make it a point to visit the studio that brought you Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers and Connie Smith. Feel the history as you sit at the piano where Elvis recorded his Grammy-nominated hit “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”

> Ernest Tubb Record Shop: Visit the store that put country/western into the hands of fans to be played over and again.

> Bluebird Café: Spend an evening listening to original country music, often by the songwriters behind the hits. If you think you’ve got what it takes, get onstage at the Monday night Open Mic or Sunday Writers’ Night.

> Ryman Auditorium: Take in a show at the “Carnegie of the South,” a former church that was the longest running home to the Grand Ole Opry until its move to its current site.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

> Grand Ole Opry: No visit to Nashville is complete without a trip to the newest home of the Grand Ole Opry. Take a backstage tour, where you’ll see the post boxes of Opry members like Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner’s dressing room and the circle of flooring removed from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium that is the Holy Grail of every country music hopeful. Enjoy the Opry Classics show, featuring country music legends like Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seeley and Jean Shepard or take in the Saturday night program, featuring superstars like Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley.