What would be better than seeing Garrison Keillor at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville? Well, hmmm, maybe a 3-night road trip to Nashville to take in the sights and sounds of the “Music City”!
In this post we will include Visit and Tour of Ryman, Prairie Home Companion live, Hop-On-Hop-Off places to visit downtown Nashville, Popular Eating Places, River Cruise includes Dinner and Show, Accommodation options, Bella Meade Tour of house & estate.
Ryman Auditoreum
We start our visit at the iconic Ryman Auditorium. The Ryman is known as the “Mother Church of Country Music.” Witnessing Garrison Keillor, Rich Dworski, Pat Donohue, Tim Russel, Fred Newman, and others with Heather Masse and Aoife O’Donovani was truly a spiritual experience.
A Prairie Home Companion
For A Prairie Home Companion (PHC) fans, it certainly is and was magical. (Garrison Keillor and The Prairie Home Companion) We sang, we laughed, and we all sat savoring the deep, mellow voice, and the long vibrating breathes coming from the man who made Lake Wobegon real for millions of us.
While I’ve never eaten rhubarb pie, I have been to a kitty boutique and I’ve listened to PHC hundreds of times over the decades. Sitting in the old wooden benches of the Ryman Auditorium is the perfect place for a PHC Revival!
The Ryman Auditorium was originally the Union Gospel Tabernacle. Thomas Ryman built the Tabernacle over 100 yeas ago after witnessing a tent sermon by a revivalist, Reverend Sam Jones. Eventually the Ryman became the original home to the Grand Ole Opry and launched the careers of hundreds of musicians, singers, and entertainers, as well as showcasing true American music – Bluegrass.
Being at the Ryman is a spiritual experience for many reasons—the auditorium itself is magnificent, the pews are well-worn with over a hundred years of service, and the accustics are good.
The band led by Richard Dworsky had Bluegrass great Sam Bush and Pat Donohue, and other “Prairie” favorites Fred Newman and Tim Russell. Great evening’s entertainment.
We booked for the show in advance, we suggest you check out what shows are on at the Ryman https://www.ryman.com/events before you arrive.
Boomer Alert : The seating at the Ryman is wooden church-like pews and they may be too close together for some. Suggest you try to book an aisle seat to stretch your legs and bring some sort of cushion.
Also great to see are any of the tours available from backstage, VIP, or self-guided tour of the Ryman. The history and memorabilia are what makes the Ryman more than a venue.
Nashville – Hop On Hop Off Trolley Tour
We recommend as with other boomer city road trips taking the Old Town Trolley Day Tour. This covers all the best sights and helps you get your bearings and a feel for Nashville, in comfort. It goes beyond the bright lights and music of Lower Broadway, and includes:
Centennial Park: This historic park had 132 acres of fun! This includes an arts center, bandshell, sunken gardens, a sports complex, a dog park, and a performing arts studio. It is known for its Parthenon Museum as well as a beautiful lake and walking trail.
Belmont Mansion: Located on the campus of Belmont University. The mansion is an Italianate villa-style building and largest in Tennessee prior to the civil war. It’s name was originally Belle Monte (beautiful mountain) and was designed by architect William Strickland, who also designed the Tennessee State Capitol.
The Gulch: Is a premier urban neighborhood and is a popular destination for tourists, locals and college students with music, food, fitness, and a lively bar scene. The Station Inn, a well-known concert venue for Bluegrass music, is located in the Gulch.
Country Music Hall of Fame: Located near the historic Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall of Fame honors legendary performers, songwriters, and others who made a significant contribution to country music. Patsy Cline, The Carter Family, Johnny Cash as well as Patty Loveless, Tanya Tucker, and a host of talent. Country Music knows no boundaries and blends into the Bluegrass, R&B, and Rock. The Museum is impressive.
Nashville Visit – History and Cultural Heritage
The Tennessee State Museum, showcases Nashville’s evolution from a tiny frontier town to a thriving, vibrant city. Exhibits bring to life the stories of Native Americans, pioneers and explorers, Civil War soldiers, and Black communities.
Famous Eating Places in Nashville
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken Starting as a chicken shack, Hattie B’s offers an array of heat and fire for their wonderful fried chicken, leave a lasting impression on your taste buds.
We enjoyed the dining experience at Husk. Husk is a charming restaurant that pays homage to Southern ingredients and traditions but with local produce and meets, all presented in a modern up-dated style. It is Southern food with a delightful array of choices from Choppee Okra Stew to South Carolina Shrimp.
To satisfy your sweet tooth, visit the Goo Goo Cluster Shop and immerse yourself in the history of Nashville’s beloved confection.
Live Music during Nashville Visit
For us boomers “the electric atmosphere of honky-tonks along Lower Broadway” can be a bit noisy and a little too busy. Not to say there isn’t some great talent onstage here, but we found ourselves looking for something less frenzied. And we found there are more some great venues with intimate settings scattered across the city. For example visit the well known Bluebird Cafe or go to the cozy confines of The Basement.
Dinner River Cruise – General Jackson Showboat
We pre-booked the General Jackson River Cruise and were glad we did. The food was impressive across all courses and the entertainment was top-notch. Turned out to be a very nice night out and we’d recommend it.
The General Jackson shares a parking lot with Opry Mills and there is no charge for parking.
Accommodation in Nashville
Nashville offers a range of accommodation options to suit every traveler’s preferences, from luxurious hotels to charming bed-and-breakfast establishments.
We stayed at Holston House in Nashville which is located just a few blocks from downtown Broadway and close to the Ryman Auditorium. We booked the hotel for the size and location and also the beautiful photo of the roof top pool. It’s a nice enough roof top complete with bar, but the size of the pool is deceptively large in the photo. The hotel has a boutique feel to it, and has a small but quality cafe / restaurant bar area downstairs. Good food and great wait staff.
Parking was available across the street with an overnight rate of $20.
Visit to Bella Meade Mansion & Winery
Bella Meade Mansion Tour is worth checking out. It tells the stories of the Harding and Jackson families as well as the men, women, and children who labored there.
Seven miles outside of Nashville, the tour includes history from early 1800s, to the fall of the Confederate forces and the mansion’s take over of the Union forces in 1862. The Mansion was known as a successful dairy and even more successful horse breeding farm before falling into debt. Belle Meade offers wine and bourbon tastings as well as great tours.
Trivia about Nashville
Nashville’s Centennial Park is home to the only replica of the Greek Parthenon. A sculpture of Athena Parthenos inside the Parthenon is the tallest indoor sculpture in the western hemisphere at 42 feet high.
The first FM-broadcasting License went to Nashville’s WSM radio station in 1941. David Cobb, a WSM announcer in the 1950s, known for calling Nashville “Music City” for the first time.
Elvis Presley recorded more than 200 songs at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio B.
Nashville is named after American Revolutionary war hero Francis Nash.
Most of Tennessee, including Nashville, is in the Central Time Zone. However, the majority of eastern Tennessee is in the Eastern Time Zone.
Bars in Nashville are known as Honky Tonk. What is a Honky Tonk? It’s an establishment that contains at least one rockin’ stage, cold beverages, and live music that lasts all day, every day.
Oprah Winfrey was raised in Nashville.