I will be going to Nashville in May (more training on the company $$$$)and I’m curious…what is there to do in Nashville that is not country music related? I’ll be there for 4 days and would like to have some fun while I’m there…Oh, yeah, and what’s the weather like there in May? Hot and humid? Coolish? Help me out here…
Go see the Parthenon. Really. It’s a replica and has an art museum inside. Plus a really big Athena on the top floor. There’s a nifty park outside it too with ducks and geese to feed. Or at least there were 5 years ago when last I was there.
-Tat
There’s tons of bars, nightlife, and the like on 2nd Ave. I don’t know if they are still doing it, but they used to have live music there by the river on Thursday nights.
Plus, expand your horizons a bit. Try Robert’s. It’s a western wear store by day and a honky tonk at night. It’s a LOT of fun.
Nashville is actually a really neat city. I live less than 2 hours south, and get up there every so often. There’s a huge music scene there, and not just C&W.
There are a lot of really good restaurants, museums, a zoo, Saturday night races at Nashville Speedway, and more. Opryland Hotel is nice place to check out - there are a lot of shops and restaurants, and there’s a gigantic indoor forest/botanical garden. Opryland Mills is next door - it’s a very large mall complex.
The Ryman Auditorium is a fabulous place to catch a concert - it’s a converted church from the 1800’s, and you actually sit in the original pews. It’s rated as one of the best venues in the country for seeing a show.
Check it out:
http://nashville.citysearch.com/
http://www.nashbest.com/
http://www.nashscene.com/cgi-bin/eats.cgi
http://www.wunderground.com/US/TN/Nashville.html
And in May, it’ll probably be in the 80s during the day, with comfortable nights. Humidity is maybe in the 40-60% range.
The Tennessee RenFair runs every weekend in May.
There are specialty record stores that carry out-of-print titles.
Live music from people who will be the big names someday is everywhere. Not just C&W, either. A good local Jazz scene. Rock , too. A Nashville band named The Shazam! is wowing them in England, & will soon be the big new thing here in the USA.
For a really cool [sub]and totally free[/sub] thing to do in Downtown, go to the State War Memorial Building. Go around the building to the statue of the Vietnam Veterans. Here, behind a small brass door , you will find the Tennessee State War Museum. It does not include the Civil War, that’s in the Main State Museum in the James K. Polk Building. But the often-overlooked War Museum is full of great exhibits on WW1, WW2, & the Phillipean War. Yes, we had a war there. It was sommetimes called the Huk Rebellion. (Spelling is correct).
The State Museum is a fun combination of art & history. We have a good collection of Early American Art. A terrific Civil War exhibit. An Egyptian mummy. And great travelling exhibits.
If you’re a smoker, there’s supposed to be a Tobbacco Museum somewheres Downtown.
For lunch, try the Gersthause, a popular Germantown restaurant. The Governor, most of the State Legislature, & all of the Metro City Government eat there, but it is affordable.
Or go to the Farmer’s Market, just off the Bicentennial Mall. (It’s not a shopping mall, it’s a park). The Market not only has fresh produce & imported foods, but some great little restaurants.
Or just try a Meat & 3. These are a type of eatery (not a chain) that provides platter meals of the day’s speciality in the meat department, your choice of 3 veggies & usually some biscuts or cornbread. It’s not expensive at all, & often very tasty.
Enjoy the town! 
Tattva, the ducks and geese are still there, at least the last time I checked, a couple weeks ago!
There’s also the new Frist Center, a big art museum downtown. Used to be the main post office, built in the '30s. Very art-deco. Nice stuff there, although either I missed a wing or two, or else it’s a lot smaller than I was expecting.
I’ve been in Nashville for about 6 months now. I’ll be keeping an eye on this thread, I’ve already learned about a few things!
The Tobacco Museum is actually across from (or very close to) the Farmer’s Market.
If you’ve got a car for the day, grab a map and take a drive out Franklin and Bellevue way. Very beautiful, with lots of farms (once you get past the urban sprawl) and old homes. Hop on the Natchez Trace Scenic Parkway (correct name?), if you’ve a mind to. Lovely drive and you can always just turn around and come home. Hubby and I used to love to just get on it and go. No semis allowed - cars, bikes, etc only.
When you get into Nashville, grab a “Nashville Scene”. It’s a great paper telling everything going on in town. Man, I miss the music scene there!
Well, certainly sounds like there’s plenty to see…however, I’ll be in training during the day and will only have evenings to have fun…
Thanks for the links, Dire Wolf, I’ll check them out.
BTW, I didn’t mean to imply that I though Nashville had nothing to do but C&W related stuff…just that that’s all I know about the place…I really appreciate all the replies.
It’s a lot like Knoxville, only bigger.
Oh, and you must worship the Titans rather than the Vols. Yikes.
But seriously, folks…
I’m a recent transplant from Knoxpatch and I began liking Cashville pretty quickly. Traffic’s hellish and the people are not quite as Mayberry-friendly as in East TN, but damn close. Any Nashvillians out there wanna gimme some pointers? I agree with the above advice about things to do…and the Scene is indeed a decent weekly. What else do I need to know?
Peace,
TN*hippie
Hey TN and Trouble,
I am moving to Knoxville next week !
Lets get together and have a Tennessee DopeFest . . .
Whatcha think ?
BTW TN, any insight into getting the full “K-ville Experience” ?
I second the vote to at least go see the Opryland Hotel. It is an absolutely unreal experience to see something so big - like an arcology of the future.
I’d be up for it, but I’ll be in Nashville, of course. How close is Knoxville? I’ll be there 5/22-25, busy in the daytime with the training thing. (I would love to meet the infamous TN*Hippie–and any other Tennessee dopers.)
I’m stuck in Nashville, too. But the Knox/Nash Dash is about 200 miles by I40.
Peace,
TN*hippie
I am still good on this, but seeing as how I am moving this week it may take awhile to come together.
First, are there any TN or neighboring states with Dopers who wish to join ?
Second, where do we do it ? I am assuming Nashville as you guys out vote me by two to one.
If we can organize this I would be very excited. At this point I know one person where I am moving.
Hmmmmmm.
- NM
I’m having ISP problems, so if there’s a Nsh/Doper-thon, E-Mail me.