When we ran the original Nashville the Speight Way, Rich granted us permission to share the list of hometown recommendations he keeps for friends visiting the city. Now that FanWorld has made the trip, we have some suggestions of our own.
One place that made both Rich’s list and our's is Tootsies Orchid Lounge. Situated on Broadway, near the Ryman Auditiorium, it’s hard to miss this historic honky tonk, due to its pastel (“orchid”) purple exterior. Inside, you’ll find three floors, each with a different musical act. There’s also a rooftop bar. If it’s a dry night, order some food and cocktails on the roof, and enjoy the best view of the neon down the strip. Tootsies has no cover charge, but each band has a bucket for tips. Heck, drop in a twenty and they’ll play your request! You never know, you might just catch a future country legend on your visit – legend has it that Willie Nelson secured his first song-writing gig after performing here.
From one giant of country to another, and our first museum recommendation. Off Broadway, at 3rd Avenue South, is the Johnny Cash Museum. Artifacts, instruments and memorabilia tell the story of The Man in Black, from his 1932 birth in Arkansas to his final music video, the shattering Mark Romanek clip for “Hurt”. Highlights of this small but jam-packed museum include the denim jumpsuit from quite possibly the most iconic Cash image of all-time - Jim Marshall’s “flipping the bird” shot from San Quentin in 1969, and a heart-wrenching poem to June Carter Clash, handwritten by Johnny on the order of service from her funeral. Other notable pieces are perhaps the largest and smallest artifacts on display - a stone wall from the Cash lake house in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and a crucifix ring received by Johnny as a 70th birthday gift, the latter of which closes the exhibition.
If that’s whet your appetite for more country music history, then our next recommendation, The Country Music Hall of Fame is for you. Set across two expansive floors, the museum’s core collection (a rotating treasure trove of 2.5 million items) and various temporary exhibitions form what’s been called a Smithsonian of Country Music.
And whether your idea of a country icon is Mother Maybelle or Taylor Swift, there will be something to interest you here - from the former’s 1928 Gibson L-5, to the latter’s hand bedazzled Taylor GS6. On display until May 2025 is the exhibition “Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country Rock”, which surveys the rise of country influenced West Coast acts like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Linda Ronstadt and The Eagles.
The centrepiece of this installation (and Rain’s museum highlight) is the reunion of the Flying Burrito Brothers’ suits from the “Gilded Palace of Sin” album sleeve. Designed by Nashville icon Nudie Cohn (whose sewing machine forms part of the museum’s permanent collection), they include what for many is the Daddy of all rodeo suits – Gram Parsons’ white wool biker cut jacket and bellbottom pants, embellished with chainstitched marijuana leaves and pills.
If visiting the museum, don’t miss taking a moment of reflection in the skylit Hall Of Fame Rotunda, which showcases HoF members on bronze plaques, while the title of a beloved Carter Family song – “Will the Circle be Unbroken” encircles the room like an embrace. Hatch Show Print is, of course, also housed at the Hall of Fame. We would heartily agree with Rich’s recommendation of this Nashville icon and perfect shopping destination.
"HERE LIVES COUNTRY MUSIC: IT'S SPIRIT, IT'S SOUL AND ITS HISTORY, ITS PEOPLE AND ITS SONGS" - Paul Ackerman
Our final sight-seeing recommendation is a budget-friendly option (well, provided you stay firm as you drop into Imogene and Willie and Reese Witherspoons’ Draper James). 12 South is a great area to grab a takeout coffee (White Bison is tasty and cheap) with friends, and get snap happy with the many murals that run the length of the street. Here you’ll find many ‘grammable pieces, including the original ‘I Believe in Nashville’, ‘Make Music Not War’, the Draper James postcard and bench, “Looking Pretty, Music City” a set of floral wings, and more. It’s a great way to spend a morning, but particularly with a Christie Cookie Co. chocolate chip for company. And if you *do* have shopping on your mind, Draper James is a fun place for gifts to take home - from “What Would Dolly Do?” tumblers, to “Bless Your Heart” stickers. And if gifting *yourself* is the focus, then I recommend Imogen and Willie’s denim coverall jumpsuits for the ultimate in relaxed style.
On the food front, we sampled both BBQ at Corky’s and Nashville Hot Chicken from Prince’s (those pickles are addictive). But if you’re looking for something less meat-oriented, we enjoyed affordable and hearty Italian fare at Amerigo on West End Avenue. Another strong vegetarian showing can be found in The Assembly, a foodhall opposite The Ryman Auditorium. Here Pharmacy Burgers run two kitchens - one with standard meat fare, and a sister counter, Pharmacy Garden, serving every burger on their core menu in a meat-free incarnation.
A shoutout too, to Roma Pizza and Pasta, East Nashville, for a piping hot delivery to the sidewalk outside Exit/In while we queued for the show. And for something sweet, Nashville’s own GooGoo Chocolate Co. has a storefront opposite the Johnny Cash Museum on 3rd.
Finally, if you’re looking to take home a more permanent reminder of your trip to Music City, Team FanWorld recommends East Tattoo Collective. Whether it’s your first, or your eighteenth tattoo, Aaron Hassler will ensure that you get your ink to the very best soundtrack, and that you leave with crisp lines and a list of recommendations for the area. Aaron, we’ll think of you every time we hear Sturgill.
