Nashville

The capital of Tennessee and the world capital of country music — around 700,000 people in the city proper and 2 million in the greater metro area. The nickname "Music City" was put on air in 1950 by the WSM Radio announcer David Cobb. Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and Taylor Swift have all recorded here. Nashville is a major tourism hub for the south-eastern United States, with a boom period in the 2010s–2020s (Brentwood, Franklin), a thriving food scene, and Greek Revival architecture that earned it another nickname — "Athens of the South."

Top Sights

• Broadway (Lower Broadway / Honky Tonk Highway) — the city's main strip, lined with bars and live country music around the clock, 24/7. Highlights include Robert's Western World, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Layla's, and Legends Corner.
• Grand Ole Opry — the flagship weekly live country radio show (running since 1925), the longest-running radio broadcast in American history. Guided tours of the Opry House are available.
• Ryman Auditorium — the "Mother Church of Country Music" and the Opry's home until 1974, celebrated for its legendary acoustics.
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum — the definitive country music museum, with 2.5 million artefacts.
• Music Row — the district of recording studios and production houses, including Studio B (RCA Studio, where Elvis recorded).
• Johnny Cash Museum — the largest private collection of Johnny Cash artefacts in the world.
• Centennial Park and the Parthenon — the only full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon in the world, housing a gilded statue of Athena inside.
• The Hermitage — the plantation home of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States.
• Frist Art Museum — an art museum housed in a 1930s Art Deco building.
• Themed tours — Pedal Tavern, Hot Chicken Tour, Honky Tonk Tour.
• Tennessee State Capitol grounds — monuments and state symbols adjacent to the Capitol building.
• Music Valley — the Opryland district, home to the Opry Mills mall.

Food and Prices

The cuisine is Southern: Nashville Hot Chicken (try Hattie B's or Prince's, where the dish was invented), BBQ ribs, biscuits and gravy, meat-and-three plates, pecan pie, and Tennessee whiskey (Jack Daniel's distillery is 110 km away). A café lunch runs $18–28, dinner at a restaurant $40–80. A hot chicken combo is $15–25. A litre of petrol is around $0.90, and a taxi or Uber across town costs $12–25. WeGo Public Transit buses cost $2.25. Prices are as of 2026.

Getting Around

Nashville International Airport (BNA) is served by Southwest, American, and Delta, with direct flights from London. The WeGo airport bus costs $2.25; a taxi or Uber into the centre is $25–35. Around the city, use Uber, taxis, Pedal Taverns (group cycle-bar rides), or simply walk — the downtown core is compact. Memphis is about 3 hours by car, Atlanta around 4 hours.

When to Go

April through October brings temperatures of 15–30 °C. Summer (June–August) is hot and humid, reaching 28–35 °C. The CMA Music Festival in June is the biggest country music event of the year. December brings Christmas at the Opry and a run of festive live shows. Winters are mild (0–12 °C). Other major events: CMA Awards, GMA Dove Awards, and Bonnaroo Music Festival (June, about an hour's drive away).