In recent years, Chattanooga increasingly has tried to capitalize on its music scene in the hopes of fueling arts-based tourism, but in the Volunteer State, there can be only one Music City, and Nashville has handily retained that title for decades.
Yes, there are many other reasons to visit Tennessee’s capital, located in Davidson County, just north of the state’s geographic center and cradling several bends of the Cumberland River. In the minds of many, if not most, of its visitors, however, Nashville is a music destination. Period.
Despite its well-earned, longstanding association with a line of country artists stretching from Hank Williams to Miranda Lambert, Music City is a sonic hotbed with plenty to offer, even to those who want nothing to do with boot scootin’. If you’re allergic to rhinestones and twang, you’ll find hordes of artists across a range of genres who call Nashville home, from The Civil Wars and Ke$ha to Miley Cyrus and The Black Keys.
And if country is your passion, welcome to your Garden of Eden. Whether it’s an up-and-coming singer/songwriter at The Bluebird Cafe, a pop-up concert at Grimey’s record store or the legends ensconced at the Country Music Hall of Fame, a trip to Nashville will thoroughly scratch that itch.
Whatever your particular poison, you can catch live music pretty much every night during your stay on any of the city’s dozens of stages, from indie clubs and punk rock dives to legendary venues such as the Ryman Auditorium and The Station Inn.