Beginning on New Year’s Eve, Nashville starts each new year on the right note with amazing parties, packed with great music and delicious food. Every month is full of events that are worth the flight to Nashville, like the world’s largest songwriter festival in February or the CMA Fest and CMT Awards in June. April is bursting with entertainment, and ushers springtime in with food, spirits, comedy, fashion, and the Rock ’N’ Roll Marathon. Music City lights up like nowhere else on the Fourth of July, and the summer fun continues with the soul music festival, jazz festival, and bluegrass at the Ryman. As fall melts into winter, there are more music festivals and conferences; hundreds of art events fill October, along with Nashville’s film festival. The Christmas season brings plenty of events, parades, markets and concerts, and the entire downtown area glitters with holiday twinkle lights.

Music City

Over 180 live music venues are dotted throughout Nashville, with some standouts that are particularly beloved by locals. The Bluebird Cafe is a 90-seat venue that opened in 1982 and requires reservations. This unassuming, intimate venue hosts singer-songwriters and boasts truly incredible nights of music. This small cafe was featured in the hit TV series “Nashville”, and has gained worldwide recognition as a preeminent listening room. Across town, in the SoBro neighborhood, The Listening Room Cafe has become a local favorite for late night dining and great music. Also featuring singer-songwriters, the audience enjoys a good meal while being drawn into the stories behind the music. Nearby, the Lower Broadway honky tonk clubs like Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Robert’s Western World offer late night entertainment in classic honky tonk style. Stars such as Willie Nelson, Gretchen Wilson, and Dierks Bentley began their storied careers in the holy tonk clubs of Lower Broadway.

The heart of the music scene is centered on 16th and 17th Avenues South. Referred to as Music Square East and Music Square West, these two streets (along with several side streets) comprise Music Row, where major record labels, publishing firms, recording studios, and booking agencies make their home. The 1950s was a historic growth time for the country music industry, full of fabled personalities such as Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers recording in RCA’s Studio B (now listed on the National Register of Historic Places). Nashville’s unique sound and far-reaching influence are rooted here in Music Row. Tours are available to make sure you don’t miss any of the special attractions or photo ops. Stop in to The Row Kitchen & Pub or the Midtown Cafe for a delicious lunch served up with Southern hospitality and live music.

World-Famous Auditoriums

What began as a radio broadcast in 1925, the Grand Ole Opry has given rise to some of country music’s most epic performers, like Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Loretta Lynn. The radio show was initially broadcast from a small studio inside an insurance company building, but quickly needed a venue large enough for an in-person audience. After trying a few options around Nashville, the Opry moved into the historic Ryman Auditorium. With its near-perfect acoustics and 2,300-seat capacity, the Opry’s popularity soared and made its home in the Ryman for around 30 years. Then, in 1974, the Opry moved into a venue built specifically for the show: the Grand Old Opry House. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people come to Nashville to attend a live staging of this famous program. Taking in a show at the Grand Ole Opry House is certainly at the top of the list of things to do in Nashville.

Nicknamed the “Mother Church of Country Music”, the Ryman Auditorium has seen legendary artists from diverse musical backgrounds and it is said that bluegrass was born on this stage. Built in 1892 specifically to amplify the voices of evangelists, the Ryman is still one of the most active concert venues in the nation in part because of its uniquely beautiful sound environment. After flying in to Nashville on your luxury charter plane, take a leisurely tour of the Ryman, enjoying the special, star-studded exhibits, and even record your own song in the Ryman studio. Just across the street from the Ryman you will find the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where interactive exhibits, archives, and shopping can easily fill an entire day. Pro tips: purchase tickets in advance and utilize the audio tour option for the full story-telling experience.

In Nashville’s Centennial Park is the world’s only full-scale reproduction of the ancient Greek Parthenon. While a marvel unto itself, this magnificent structure was built in 1897 for Tennessee’s Centennial Exposition and today houses the city’s art museum. Inside the museum you will also encounter the tallest indoor sculpture in the Western world, LeQuire’s Athena Parthenos. For an indoor day of fun, head over to the Adventure Science Center, just east of Music Row. Here you will find plenty of exhibits to keep kids engaged and learning through play with a planetarium, simulated weightlessness, laser shows, live science demonstrations, and more. Scheduled to open in Summer of 2020 in Downtown Nashville is the National Museum of African American Music. The 56,000 square-foot facility will draw visitors in to discover the complex history of African American music, interacting with exhibits to learn of its influence on all genres of music, from classical to jazz to country. And don’t miss the chance to dine and cruise on one of the largest showboats ever built, the General Jackson Showboat, that tours up and down the Cumberland River.

Southern Dining

Among the many things to do in Nashville, dining is truly an experience all in itself and you may consider flying in for a few days just to wander the food scene. From down home Southern classics to exciting fusion options, this city stands apart. Nashville is the birthplace of Hot Chicken and the locals are proud of their hometown dish. The original home for over 70 years to Hot Chicken is Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack. This spicy entrée is served all day long at a cash-only walk-up counter and the long lines will tell you the effort is worth it. Near the historic RCA Studio B in Music Row is an exotic dining experience, The Catbird Seat. Requiring advanced, prepaid reservations and offering delectable multi-course tasting menus, this restaurant’s menu is always changing and always magnificent. Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint features dry ribs and smoked pork you’ll only find in the south. Quickly becoming the “it” dining destination of East Nashville is Lyra, where modern middle eastern cuisine meets casual elegance. For an innovative steakhouse experience, book a table at Kanye Prime. The menu is farm-to-table, fresh and market-driven, and a winner of many national accolades.