In Nashville, Tennessee cowboy hats and fancy boots are costume de rigueur for guys and gals. Bumper stickers that read “Viva Nashvegas” and “Eat More Rhinestones” hint at the glitzy public face of Music City, while the pervasive country crooners express a more intimate tale of heartbreak and life’s tribulations. At first glance, visitors might assume that the whole city revolves around music but Nashville business is more diverse than it might appear.
Industries that have put down roots and grown successfully in Nashville include publishing, finance, professional sports and health care. In addition, Nashville has become a major destination for conventions, tradeshows and meetings. The enormous new Music City Center that just opened this year brings 353,000 square feet of exhibition space to downtown Nashville, making Music City competitive with Las Vegas or Atlanta as a destination for the largest conventions in the country.
Nashville offers plenty to see and do, so conventioneers and business travelers should make time to visit Nashville’s landmarks. Country music fans should start downtown with the Ryman Auditorium, the “Mother Church of Country Music” and original home of the Grand Ole Opry.
Continue to the nearby Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to learn how the megadollar industry evolved from its rural south roots. See stage costumes, listen to recordings and see an impressive wall of gold records.
There’s no shortage of places to hear live music in Nashville. Look for guitar pick-shaped signs throughout the city – these indicate which establishments are live music venues. To hear yet-to-make-it-big-but-trying-hard-to-get-there talent, visit the honky tonks on Lower Broadway – Tootsies Orchid Lounge being one that has launched its share of celebrities into stardom. Most are open all day, but the liveliest from 11pm-1am. The Blue Bird Café in the Green Hills area is another where many stars got their start. The Wildhorse Saloon is the boot-scootin’ club with live music seven nights a week. Travel Maestro tip: If your line dancing is a little rusty, they give free daily lessons, but the Wildhorse recommends you get entertainment tickets in advance on site or from Ticketmaster.
If visual arts are more your speed, spend some time at the Frist Center, Nashville’s main arts center housed in the former art-deco post office building.
History buffs will enjoy Belle Meade Plantation, an 1853 Greek Revival mansion and 10 outbuildings that were devoted to raising Thoroughbred horses. Costumed interpreters give tours and tell of Tennessee life in that era.
The Parthenon in Centennial Park is a full scale replica of the Greek temple, complete with an astounding 42-foot tall statue of Athena covered in gold leaf. The building, was originally constructed in temporary plaster for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897 but proved so popular it was rebuilt with permanent materials in 1931.
U.S. President Andrew Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, is open to the public. Visitors can see many original furnishings in the 1800’s Greek Revival home and tour the formal gardens. Jackson’s tomb, restored log cabins and a church are also on the grounds.
About 20 minutes northeast of downtown in the area known as Music Valley, the impressive Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center is a destination in itself that has to be seen to be believed. Nearly 3,000 rooms and three massive indoor gardens reside under a glass dome: tropical plants in the Conservatory; a waterfall and manmade mountain in the Cascades; an indoor river with boat rides in the Delta. The new Grand Ole Opry (shows on Friday and Saturday only) and Opry Mills, Tennessee’s largest outlet mall are adjacent to the Convention Center.
If sports is your ticket, Nashville is home to NFL’s Titans, NHL’s Predators and Minor League Baseball’s Nashville Sounds. Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities’ basketball teams often host one of the NCAA March Madness rounds.
Nashville’s culinary scene is in overdrive with some foodie-types proclaiming, “Nashville is the new Charleston.” Progressive cuisine, along with Nashville’s cultural diversity and strong tourism infrastructure makes it a perfect place to mix a little fun into a business event. For help adding a little vacation to your next conference or business meeting in Nashville, contact Covington Travel.
All images courtesy of Nashville Tourism & Convention Corporation.
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