music city!

if you’re headed to bonnaroo and have the time, try and set aside a day or two (preferably pre-festival so you’re not completely worn out) to explore the city of nashville.  the self proclaimed “music city” and birthplace of country music is home to the ryman auditorium (the “mother church of country music”) and a lively bar scene where you can listen to live music any day of the week.  broadway and printer’s alley are lined with honky tonks (what they call the bars that also serve as music venues) and just walking down the street the sound of guitar and country music twang will entice you to step inside. at bars like robert’s western world and legends corner you can feel the ghost’s of past musicians in the creaky wooden floors and beat up cowboy boots that line the walls.  it is easy to lose an entire day wandering from bar to bar and listening to music – plus a lot of the bands will take requests! i had a fun time trying to get one band to play some stones and the only song they knew was “honky tonk women”.  shocking :)

stay tuned for a post on the awesome vintage shopping scene in nashville!

first, third and fourth image source.