1st trip to Nashville
 

Hey Guys - just confirmed that the family and I will be headed to Nashville for a few days for the first time next month. We’ve already booked the oak ridge boys at the Opry but I would like to find some decent acts featuring acoustic guitars at smaller venues also - can you guys make some recommendations on some consistently good acts to check out?

Also plan on seeing the meccas at Gruhns, Carters, and Cotten's for sure!

It’s a tough ticket to get but the Bluebird Cafe is pretty great

There are so many places to hear music in Nashville that you can just walk into and listen. Most places have not covers, the artists work for tips and exposure. The smaller places tend to have more acoustic performances while the larger will have 4 and 5 piece bands.

Have fun and get ready for traffic. I only live about 68 miles from Nashville and last Saturday was my first time downtown in about a year. I don’t even recognize the place! It’s growing so fast that I had to really look to find the music city center because there’s too many tall buildings in the way! From 2011-13, the guys and I in our band would go downtown every so often to check out the bands in the bars to see what the latest and greatest songs were being played and to get ideas on medleys and such. I couldn’t wait to go every time. Last Saturday at NAMM, I couldn’t wait to leave. I hope you have a great trip, but I think all this progress has changed downtown Nashville for the worse.

I was in Nashville a few months ago and found a great place called the Listening Room Cafe. It was a relief to get away from the crowds on the main streets. The cafe is located on 4th Ave .
Its a sit down evening meal and a show establishment. Just be aware there is a small cover charge and a minimum spend if you don't order a meal. Great singer songwriters playing their tunes and the food was well priced and satisfying.
Have fun in Nashville....

The Country Music Hall of Fame is incredible - you don't even have to be a country music fan to be fascinated. You can spend a lot of time in there.

CK

Spend some time at the Station
 

Since I favor bluegrass over pop country, my happy place in my old home town is The Station Inn, in the urban housing redevelopment the call "The Gulch." Allison Krauss' Union Station band was like the house band here for years. Tim O'Brien plays there regularly when he's in town. I haven't been ther in three years now, but it seemed like the most unchanged place in Nashville.

Learn about the free "Green Bus", use it and don't drive into downtown.
IF .. and I say IF .. you find a place to park, it will be expensive.
And a Green Bus ride will give you the lay of the land.
The bus drivers are very cool and happy to answer questions.

The entertainment is largely centered in two very different places..
Opry Land and Downtown.

Downtown, Lower Broadway is the place to go, but I would highly recommend going in the afternoon VS the nighttime.
(details upon request)

Lower Broadway is were the little places TomB'sox was referring to are going to be...
Tootsies Orchid Lounge, Roberts Western World, Legends and many more on both sides of Broadway.
Take a wad of dollars for tips, wander in and out of a dozen little joints and listen to some fine pickin.
Check out the BBQ place for lunch, or any of the little joints serve up some pretty good eatin.
I'd find a player I like, order some grub, and have a truly fine time.
A grand entertainment value for sure and my favorite thing to do in Nashville.

And one block off Broadway is where the Ryman Theater is, home of "The Grand Old Opry" in its heyday.
On Thursday eve at the Ryman, there's usually a variety show called "Country Classics" that is always well worth the price of the ticket.
I highly recommend it.

Incidentally, the Green Bus goes over to "The Gulch" and the Station Inn.
There's usually a healthy cover charge, but well worth it no matter who is playing.
Even if you've never heard of them, it's gonna be really good.

Thanks for the tips - when we booked the oak ridge boys at the opry, the lady at the box office told my wife that based on the ticket prices there would very likely be another major headliner at our show. Just found out that the other headliner is Carrie Underwood! So stoked!

As long as you're going to be at the Opry at Opry Land, which is about 10 miles Northeast of downtown, check out the General Jackson Showboat sternwheeler.
It's docked around on the other side of the mall, maybe half a mile from the Opry.

It offers a couple hour lunch or dinner cruise on the Cumberland River with a lively stage show.
And there's usually a band up on the upper deck before the main show inside.

It's a pretty cool thing to do, and the musicians are, predictably, top notch.

Nashville trip.
 

Enjoy the trip, Nashville is a great city, I was just there in the spring.
I also sent you a PM.

Cheeseburgers at Roberts Western World are MANDATORY!

Get off the beaten path and check out some great musicians at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge.
Bluegrass, Americana, and it’s performed by some of the session pickers in Nashville.
This is the Nashville that tourists don’t get around to very often.

OK, now I am definitely jealous!!! She is incredible.

If anyone else Is going or considering a trip to Nashville, make sure you rent a car and take a couple of days to explore Tn. Around Nashville. I sent him a PM telling him about Fontanel, the mansion that Barbara Mandrell built that’s now open for tourists and which also has great concerts from time to time. Sutton’s General Store in Granville, Tn which has a great dinner and great bands playing. The Jack Daniels Distillery down the road is a must see for everyone. Nashville is fantastic but its real beauty is all around it too.