Nashville — Who needs Hollywood when stars may be spotted around practically every corner in Nashville?
You never know when – or where – you’ll run into celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Jack White, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Rae Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, Nicole Kidman or many others who call Nashville home.
Among them, of course, is country legend Dolly Parton, who lives in a tony suburb 20 minutes south and is honored annually on Aug. 5, Nashville’s designated “Dolly Parton Day.”
At the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, a new exhibit, “Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker,” showcases her signature style, from iconic outfits and instruments to rare photographs and handwritten lyrics. Timed tickets are available daily, through Sept. 30.
Dolly has been the talk of the town all summer, thanks to the pre-Broadway world premiere of “Dolly: A True Original Musical,” which formally opens Friday, Aug. 8 after several weeks in previews. It runs through Aug. 31 in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Nashville’s Belmont University.
Showcasing new songs and lyrics by Dolly herself, plus familiar hits including “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” and “9 to 5,” it tells Parton’s rags-to-rhinestones story with fresh insights, especially regarding her nearly six-decade marriage to Carl Dean, who died in March. The musical, with three actresses portraying Dolly, has its sights set on Broadway in New York in 2026.
Nashville, nicknamed “Music City,” boasts a Broadway of its own, the raucous downtown strip of flashy honky-tonks and star bars owned or fronted by celebrities such as Jason Aldean, John Rich, Miranda Lambert, and Blake Shelton. Nicknamed ‘Honky Tonk Highway,’ it is ground zero for Nashville’s country culture and a magnet for music fans, including roaming packs of bachelorette partiers in sequined T-shirts, cowboy hats and boots.
Beyond all the noise and neon, Nashville is a treasure trove of music history and attractions –and not just country.
Most everyone has heard of the Grand Ole Opry, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and the storied Ryman Auditorium, which once housed it, but my favorite attraction during a midweek stay was something of a sleeper, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
Located in the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, it celebrates the artists, engineers and producers who have shaped the sound of popular music across all genres. From Jimi Hendrix’s smoke-filled stage at an early Nashville gig, Glenn Campbell’s tartan kilt, and instruments galore to JFK’s stereo, Ringo Starr’s red vinyl raincoat and a fascinating exhibit on Motown’s Funk Brothers, the museum offers a comprehensive – and eclectic – look at the world of music.
Visitors can get into the act, too, in a sound booth and on a stage, singing back-up for Ray Charles, in the Grammy Museum Gallery.
Stepping onto the iconic stage and preening for a souvenir photo is a tour highlight at the nearby Ryman Auditorium, the churchlike former home of the Grand Ole Opry, also known as the birthplace of bluegrass. With original wooden pews and more modern stained-glass windows, the so-called Mother Church of Country Music started as a nondenominational tabernacle and has hosted thousands of musicians in its 133-year history; it continues to stage live performances.
You’ll learn about the musical legends who performed on the Ryman stage in its Opry era, 1943-1974, on tours, both self-led and guided. And, in the Rock Hall exhibit (in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), you may be surprised at some of the more than 100 rock stars, including Diana Ross and REM, who have performed on the legendary stage.
The Grand Ole Opry, the show that made country music famous, moved to the much-larger Opry House, 20 minutes away, in 1974. In keeping with century-old tradition, shows are broadcast live on the radio, typically at least three per week. Each show features a dozen performers, from country music greats to newcomers.
Throughout October, the Opry’s official birthday month, every show will feature special photo ops, plaza parties and more. To cap off the yearlong observance, the Opry’s actual 100th anniversary show, on Nov. 28, will commemorate Uncle Jimmy Thompson’s first Grand Ole Opry fiddle performance and celebrate the Opry’s 100 years of country music through the decades.
One of the newer attractions on the Nashville scene is the National Museum of African American Music, across the street from the Ryman. Opened in 2021, the one-of-a-kind venue traces the deep influence of African American music across a wide array of genres including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, hip-hop and rap.
Displays of instruments and stage costumes combine with touchscreen stations and interactive sound stations to tell the story in cleverly-named galleries such as Wade in the Water, One Nation Under a Groove and Rivers of Rhythm. Featured artists include Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Lionel Ritchie, and Beyonce.
Visiting all these attractions is sure to work up an appetite. Don’t leave town without trying some famous Nashville hot chicken — fried chicken whose flavor is boosted with a spicy cayenne pepper paste and other proprietary spices such as paprika and garlic and onion powders.
The best-known hot chicken versions are Prince’s, who created the concept, and Hattie B’s, a chain with multiple restaurants. But while wandering the Nashville Farmers’ Market one day, I stumbled upon Lilly’s Hot Chicken. I figured since my grandmother’s name was Lillian, I had to try it – and was glad I did.
I also chatted up restaurant owner Chris Lilly and his son, Chris Lilly II. The elder Lilly, former information technology director for nearby Murfreesboro, said the secret to their moist, crisp chicken is “love” — and listening to music while frying it.
Detroiters may be interested in a new Nashville restaurant, The Detroit Cowboy, that opened two months ago. It’s a collaboration between Kid Rock and Metro Detroit restaurateur Joe Vicari, owner of Andiamo, who has kept the Joe Muer brand alive.
With an upscale steak and seafood menu, plus music memorabilia from legends such as Eminem, Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Kid Rock himself, The Detroit Cowboy aims to “take the foo-foo out of fine dining,” Rock said in a statement before its June 3 opening.
Elsewhere around town, try a Goo Goo Cluster, a disc-shaped candy bar made of caramel, marshmallow nougat, roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate. Dating back to 1912 and designated Nashville’s official candy, it ranks as the first combination candy bar. You can even design your own at the Goo Goo Chocolate Co., just south of Broadway on 3rd Avenue, across the street from the Johnny Cash Museum – yet another fun Nashville attraction.
Visit Nashville
Dolly Parton play: dollymusical.com
Eats: lillyshotchicken.com; thedetroitcowboy.com; googoo.com
Attractions: Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, musicianshalloffame.com; National Museum of African American Music, nmaam.org; Ryman Auditorium, ryman.com; Grand Ole Opry, opry.com
Etc.: Check out the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center and all the shiny honorary plaques in the Hall of Fame rotunda. countrymusichalloffame.org
— Don’t miss Hatch Show Print, one of America’s oldest working letterpress shops, in the Country Music Hall of Fame lobby. Staffers have designed and handprinted show posters for generations of musicians including Hank Williams, Dolly Parton, and Johnny Cash since 1879. countrymusichalloffame.org/experiences/hatch-show-print
— Visit the Frist Art Museum in Nashville’s former main post office, a beautiful Art Deco building on the National Register of Historic Places, with a great gift shop and frequently-changing exhibits, currently featuring Venice, urban design, and quilts. fristartmuseum.org
— In the free Tennessee State Museum, near Nashville Farmers’ Market, you’ll find an exhibit about the city’s Kurdish population, the largest in the United States. Now estimated at nearly 20,000, Kurdish refugees first arrived in Nashville in 1976 and have since established a vibrant “Little Kurdistan” community in South Nashville. tnmuseum.org
— For a city overview, consider the hop on/hop off Old Town Trolley Tours, trolleytours.com/nashville
— For Nashville travel information, visit visitmusiccity.com
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.detroitnews.com ’
