Friends in low places? Oui, merci.

The roof-top bar has great views and music too.

Music city, southern hospitality, cowboy boots and hats, whisky and neon lights. If you can’t find something to do or to enjoy, you are not even trying. The locals call downtown Nashville between 1st and 5th on Broadway “Nashvegas”, and they aren’t far from wrong. Single story buildings instead of high rise casinos, but there is still a carnival feel to it. Every bar has live music, all the time, which blasts out their open windows. As we walked down Broadway our first day, we passed by four bars in a row with different bands all singing Sweet Home Alabama! 

There is local beer, local whisky, and local moonshine. This ain’t your grandpappy’s moonshine. This is a high proof clear whisky that is quite easy on the tongue and palate, and can lead you very astray if you are not careful. Smith Creek is one local brand of Moonshine, and if you haven’t tried their apple pie moonshine over ice, what is stopping you?

The local shuttle will pick my up. Parking downtown is as hard to find as rap music in Nashville, and at $15 per hour likely to break the bank. The other benefit of taking the shuttle is the people watching. You really haven’t lived until you have heard 20 drunk French Canadians singing Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places en Français.

You can’t talk about Nashville without mentioning the Grand Ole Opry. The Ryman Theatre was the home of the Opry from 1943-1974, until it moved to its brand new custom theatre in Opryland. The Ryman is still a live entertainment venue, and from November until January the Opry actually moves back downtown to accommodate the Christmas shows in Opryland.

We were unable to make our schedules work for the Grand Ole Opry, sadly. We did see a show at the Ryman. Three talented singer/songwriter/musicians, all women: Lucy Davis, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. I had never heard of any of them, but was impressed with their original songs, their guitar and piano skills, and their amazing voices. The three were in varying stages of professional and personal growth, and their songs reflected the angst of becoming who you really are.

The Million Dollar Quartet. Can you name them?

There is no way to leave Nashville without a visit to the Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline museums, housed in the same building on different floors. Of course, the Man in Black is a legend beyond belief, being the only artist to chart songs over 6 decades. But, why is his museum so crowded you can hardly walk, and Patsy’s is so empty you have it to yourself? She died in 1963, at only 30 years of age. However, in 2005 her greatest hits album was certified as the longest charging album by a female artist, ever. Crazy, isn’t it?

Nashville was on my bucket list, and it did not disappoint.