They don’t call Nashville the Music City for nothing. From honky-tonk dives to the highly respected Nashville Opera, there’s always a melody in the air. Book a Nashville hotel and follow this guide to the top 10 musical things to do in Nashville.Tap your toe to the best guitar pickers, banjo strummers and fiddle players ever to perform on a visit to the Grand Ole Opry. Since 1925 performing at the Opry has marked the epitome of any country musician’s career.
2804 Opryland Drive 37214
Flawless acoustics mark concerts at the Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music. The 1892 church-turned-concert hall has hosted singers from Elvis Presley to Elvis Costello and was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.
116 Fifth Ave. N. 37219
Listen to Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” and Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum while browsing collections of musical instruments, sparkling costumes and Elvis’ opalescent car.
222 Fifth Ave. S. 37203
Feast on mouth-watering barbecue to the sounds of Nashville’s finest songwriters at the Bluebird Cafe. Accompanied by a single guitar or a piano, the city’s best up-and-coming and established writers perform original music every night.
4104 Hillsboro Road 37215
A red neon guitar marks downtown Nashville’s Ernest Tubb Record Shop. The small shop was founded in 1947 by the Texas Troubadour, Ernest Tubb. Buy Tubb’s “Walking the Floor Over You” or browse shelves of CDs, ideal souvenir shopping and one of the 10 best musical things to do in Nashville.
417 Broadway 37203
In a city that seemingly can't get enough over-the-top costumes, soaring duets and maudlin soliloquies about unrequited love, the Nashville Opera gives the Grand Ole Opera a real run for the money in the Music City.
Noah Liff Opera Center, 3622 Redmon St. 37209
Before you return to your Nashville hotel, visit Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge for a honky-tonkin’ good time. Grab a Pabst Blue Ribbon, head to the dance floor and shake it up to the sounds of a live band. Broadway is Honky-Tonk Highway, with toe-tapping music day and night.
Browse concert posters advertising Roy Acuff, B.B. King and Bruce Springsteen at Hatch Show Print. Hatch still produces posters using equipment from 1879.
316 Broadway 37203
Pass from one live music venue to another, listening to over 80 live performances in Tin Pan South, an annual festival of song writing. Up-and-coming writers share stage time with pros like Carole King, Art Garfunkel, Garth Brooks, Loretta Lynn and Donna Summer.
A piano, old music stands and antique microphones still occupy RCA Studio B, where legends like the Everly Brothers, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton recorded some of the world’s most recognized songs.
222 Fifth Ave. S. 37203
