| Product: |
Nashville |
| Date: |
06/04/04 (52 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: A lot to do, Suitable for all ages
Disadvantages: One area to avoid
Nashville is a city at the heart of the state of Tennessee, in central United States of America. For me, the thing that sums the city up is the sign at the International airport when you arrive which simply says ?Welcome to Music City USA?, but although music is a huge part of Nashville?s heritage, there is much more to the city than this.
GETTING THERE
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Getting to Nashville from the United Kingdom is quite easy, although there are no direct flights available. The easiest way is to fly with American Airlines, via a gateway such as Boston or Chicago. Flights to Chicago are available from London Heathrow and Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Birmingham.
Alternatively, you can visit Nashville as part of a tour of America. Many escorted coach tours include Nashville as a stop, although to experience the best that the city has to offer, you are better off flying yourself there. Car hire is essential while you are there, as many of the attractions are just a little out of town and taxis can prove to be quite expensive. For example, a taxi ride from the airport to the city centre hotels will cost you approximately $25 each way. This might not seem much, but to hire a taxi to get you around to the many places you will want to visit will soon hike up the cost of your holiday.
WHERE TO STAY
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There are many hotels in and around Nashville of varying standards. The Embassy Suites in Nashville are very highly recommended, although if you are really looking for luxury and being involved in the culture of the city, I would strongly recommend the Opryland Hotel. This is about 8 miles out of town, but the road network is excellent and so getting to the attractions from here is very easy. This five star hotel does not come cheap, although it is well worth every penny you spend on it.
I would only advise against one accommodation, and that is the Scottish Inns on the main Interstate which runs past the city. This is an
extremely dodgy part of town, and is well worth avoiding. Nashville is a very safe, friendly city, but everywhere in the world has places you should not go to, and this is one. Don?t worry ? it is safe to drive through, but make sure you are not walking in this area. I speak from experience as I was robbed on the street here.
SAFETY
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As I have mentioned about, Nashville is a very safe city, and the main police station is just north of the centre of town and very easily accessible. The only area not to wander around in is to the east of Nashville, just over the Cumberland River. The extent of this dodgy area is not vast, and is very safe to drive through, but do NOT walk the streets here.
HISTORY
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There is a lot of history in and around Nashville. During the American Civil War, the state of Tennessee was divided in its support. The state supplied 100000 men to the southern army, but it also supplied 50000 to the Unionists. Even to this day, Nashville remains divided in its support of political parties and organisations. In fact, six years ago a statue was erected in the nearby town of Brentwood of Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was a cavalryman in the American Civil War. The city was divided in its support of this statue. Many protests took place, some in protest of the statue, and some in protest of the protestors!
Nashville is still a divided city with regards to race and segregation. Although the world is changing its views of the integration of blacks and whites in society, most churches in the city are segregated, as are most of the communities. North Nashville is considered to be ?black? while the west of the city is ?white?. This isn?t anything unusual for American cities from the central and southern states, but is worth knowing. Depending on your colour, you may feel out of place in certain areas of town.
Further back in history in 1920, the Tennessee State government, based in Nashville, had
to vote on the nineteenth amendment to the American constitution. The full history of this amendment is too complex to go into here, but it had come down to the fact that if the state passed the amendment, the whole of the USA would adopt it, but if not, the law would not be passed. A war called the war of the roses ensued, and Nashville was at the centre of the whole countries attention. This went down to a third vote, having been 48 votes each way on the first two counts, and then one man changed his vote, and the law was passed nationwide. This man was called Harry Burn, and because of this one man, women in America are today able to vote.
THINGS TO DO
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The city is situated on the banks of the Cumberland River, which is quite large and runs through the state. This provides many opportunities for watching nature at its best, and there are also very large ships on this river, which carry goods from state to state.
The whole area is known for its unrivalled beauty. Very son after leaving downtown Nashville, you can find trails to rival those of the Smoky Mountains (which are 6 hours south east). There are many national, state and local parks, with a variety of wild flowers, a diverse bird life, and many animals roaming around. The wild flowers are well known in the Nashville area, and there are some websites dedicated just to these. One of note is www.blueshoenashville.com/parks.html
Music is a big part of the life of Nashville, and there are many places to go to see people performing live. Nashville as a city appears to be divided in two parts. The east side is known as downtown Nashville, and the west is known as ?Music Row? as this is where all the music businesses are based. One of the top places to go to is called the WILDHORSE SALOON. It is on Second Avenue in downtown Nashville, and there is parking available on the same street, a little further north. There are regular live country music artists playing here, wi
th a huge dance floor for line dancing, or just dancing along your own way. There are bars in here too, although all the way along Second Avenue, you can find bars and shops to give you a flavour of the true Nashville.
Country music is not the only type of music that Nashville is famous for. Its Christian music base is just as large, if not larger. Both of these genres of music, and the mix of the two, are part of Nashville life. Other venues to see music performances that are worth mentioning include the RYMAN AUDITORIUM in downtown Nashville, and the GRAND OLE OPRY, which is about 8 miles out of town, near to the Opryland hotel which I have already mentioned. The Ryman Auditorium has a lot of the history of music with it, with tributes to some of history?s top music arts all around the building. It was originally a church, and so is certainly a unique music venue. The Grand Ole Opry meanwhile has live music every Friday and Saturday nights, without exception.
The COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME on fifth avenue south opened in May 2001, and although there are no concerts here, it serves as a top class museum of country music. Every year at the country music awards, country singers are inducted into the country music hall of fame, and so are incorporated into the music, so that nobody forgets their input to the music business.
As I have already said, music is not all there is to do in the town. There is a wide variety of museums and mansions. The most notable of these is THE PARTHENON which is in Centennial Park in Nashville. As its name suggests, it is an exact replica of the ancient temple in Athens. There is even a giant statue of Athena inside the building. The building itself is home to an art collection.
The TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM is on the corner of 5th Avenue and Deaderick Avenue, and has over 70000 square feet on museum artefacts. With the treasured history of the city, this museum is worth a visit as it contains the largest c
ollection of Civil War artefacts in the country.
If you like the wildlife, and like visiting gardens, then the CHEEKWOOD MANSION and BOTANIC GARDENS is the place for you. This is on Forrest Park Drive, and has a stunning botanical garden, a Museum of Art, and a sculpture trail and learning centre.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
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With so much to do in the city, I would recommend visiting the city for about a week. You will probably only spend one or two days in downtown Nashville, and you are more likely to spend your evenings there than your days. I would always choose to stay at the Opryland Hotel, but I would hire a car so I could get around this city easily. The Wildhorse Saloon is a must for country music lovers, but also for people who like to go to a club in an evening.
When you have had enough of the city, just outside, there is so much to do. Memphis is only 4 hours drive west, and there you can find Graceland, the home of Elvis. There are state parks, and all kinds of amazing views. It is a gorgeous, stunning part of the world, and visiting Nashville will be something you will never forget. I would highly recommend it to anybody.
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