When contemplating where to start, we went back and forth on great topic ideas that we thought would be an interesting read; Manchu Picchu, Rome, Capri, Australia, New Zealand, Capri, Israel, Jordan, etc. However, the more we thought about it, maybe the best place to start was right here– at home. Afterall, we do happen to currently reside in one of the hottest tourist destinations in the country at the moment- Nashville (sorry Vegas).
So where to start? Well that’s a very open-ended question to say the least. We packed up and relocated to what I still consider to be the South without knowing much more than Broadway Street. We signed our lease online from a bar in Chicago on Christmas Eve and were in our new apartment the first week in January. With that being said, we had no idea as to what was instore for us in the great state of Tennessee.
Unless you happen to live west of let’s say Kansas or in the Atlantic Ocean, Nashville should be an approximate 7-8-hour drive for you. Long – sure. Well worth it – definitely! Plus, getting somewhere is part of the experience, is it not? Plus, if you do your research there is an abundance of awesome stops along the way. For one, the Natchez Trace scenic byway from Natchez Mississippi literally dead ends in Nashville. If you have the time, this is one of the most pristine road trip routes in all of America! Coming up from the deep south? How about stopping to see the enigmatic and mysterious Georgia Guidestones? Still mostly unexplained to this day… A stop in Biloxi for some 24-hour casinos and bars is perfect for some of you. Speaking of 24-hour bars, I think Bourbon Street in New Orleans is a given. Shoot over from the west and you’ll pass right through one of our most favorite places; the Home of the Blues, the Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll, and most recently Grind City- yes, the one & only; Memphis, TN.
There really is no reason you couldn’t make it here. Even flights are relatively inexpensive, and BNA (Berry Field, Nashville) international airport, one of the most user-friendly airports we’ve ever traveled through, is roughly only 20 minutes from the heart of Broadway Street downtown. An example of flight times are as follows:
O’Hare – BNA: 1:20
Miami Dade – BNA: 1:45
Cleveland – BNA: an annoyingly quick :45 minutes
Raleigh/Durham – BNA: about 1:50ish
McCarren Airport (Vegas) – BNA: 3:50
But let’s assume you agree that a trip to Nashville might do you some good and you’ve made it here or going to get here in the near future…
As it turns out, Lower Broadway is a country music fans oasis as there are about 30 bars all featuring arguably some of the best live music one could ask for. Nashville is likely the last place that a true musician can still be discovered playing at a bar on a random afternoon in March to a bar room full of out-of-towners. An incredibly famous country band that comes to mind has an awesome origin story. Lady Antebellum started as a couple that bartended during the days and played the Broadway live music circuit at night. Since then I have seen them at the Grammy’s… I’ve heard a story several times about Garth Brooks finishing a sold out show at Bridgestone Arena and walking half a block to Paradise Park (the quintessential dive bar of Broadway St.), asking if the band on stage minded if he got up and played with them. I hung out with Darius Rucker at Red Door Tavern on a random weeknight in October while Shelby had shots with Lauren Alaina; later to find out that Darius Rucker gave the bartender his credit card and paid every single persons tab in the bar! Shelby and I have heard stories of Kid Rock showing up at Santa’s Pub, Esquire Magazine’s #1 Dive Bar in America, to sing karaoke with the local hipsters from the neighborhood. On one occasion, I talked to the lead signer from Florida Georgia Line for half an hour without even knowing who he was. John Mellencamp & Meg Ryan having dinner right in front of me at Makeready in the Noelle Hotel-why not? John Rich from Big & Rich showing up at Redneck Riviera and buying a shot for every military veteran in the house, sure thing. These stories serve to illustrate the approachability that is Nashville. The artists that got their start here never seemed to have forgotten their roots, the legacy they are part of, and the country music fans that contributed to their success. Shelby and I have a friend, amazingly talented mind you, that was playing live at a bar just before Christmas. After her set finished, she thanked the crowd, collected her tips, and to her amazement found that someone tipped her in the form of a $10,000 check! And lastly, who could forget Luke Bryan, before anyone knew that household name, playing the bars night after night collecting his tips in a pickle jar until his train rolled in?
Sure, Nashville is not without its fair share of problems that any bigger city deals with. However it is still a city that embraces tourists with open arms, provides an amazing vacation destination, and has become the bachelor/bachelorette destination of choice for the thousands that appreciate a quality destination cushioned in the backdrop a simpler lifestyle, great food (which we’ll cover in another post!), more bang for your buck, and an overall sense of accomplishment in the form of successful trip planning.
Nashville is and continues to represent the better part of life but also the best parts of People. People that appreciate and seem to genuinely care about others. It is culture that cares about America and still stands for the National Anthem. People that open the door for a stranger or buys lunch for someone down on their luck. People that help one another simply because it is the right thing to do. Maybe with the world in the shape that it is as of late, perhaps we all could use a little Nashville in our lives. Maybe we all could stand to benefit by being just a little bit Country…