Monday 9/25/2023 - The Circle Continues

Today, we hopped on a bus and enjoyed a private tour of Nashville and its most historic places! Our first stop was the old wharfs and docks for the port of Nashville were located on the Cumberland River at the eastern end of Broadway. Second Avenue connected them to the vendor stalls on the public square. In 1875, Broadway was the setting for the first public high school in Nashville. After the turn of the 20th century, a portion of Broadway would be known as Auto Row because of the large number of car dealerships as well as tire and auto parts stores that lined the roadway.

Starting in the 1930s, Jimmy Rodgers began singing in the honky-tonks on Lower Broadway. As his fame grew, other aspiring singers and songwriters were drawn to the area. The heart of the country music scene, the four-block stretch of Broadway earned the nickname Honky-Tonk Highway, a moniker akin to Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Beale Street in Memphis. The bars and music venues launched the careers of many legendary performers. When the Grand Ole Opry moved out of the Ryman Auditorium in the 1970s, Broadway fell on hard times. About 20 years later, the reopening of the iconic music hall helped to revitalize the area. 

Many of the historic commercial buildings, like the Victorian-era former Merchants Hotel, lining the street now house a variety of country western-themed shops and restaurants as well as honky-tonks. These establishments serve cold beverages and have at least one stage where artists perform all day. The music starts early and plays well into the evening. You never know when a legendary performer will sit in on an impromptu jam session as you listen to an aspiring artist.

We stopped in front of the iconic Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. It boasts a unique purple hue exterior that was acquired when a painter accidentally used the color. This world-famous Lower Broadway honky-tonk has launched the careers of several legendary performers including Willie Nelson. Scenes from the movie Coal Miner’s Daughter were filmed inside.

Across the street from Tootsie’s is the world-famous Nudie’s Honky-Tonk. It resides in a 100-year-old historic three-story building housing millions of dollars of rare country music memorabilia, stage costumes, multiple bars, three stages and a stunning rooftop deck featuring the best live music in Nashville. On display is iconic pop culture clothing made by renowned tailor Nudie Cohn who created costumes for Hank Williams, Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Roy Rogers, Elton John, and dozens of others, including Elvis Presley’s famous gold lamé suit. You’ll marvel at Nudie’s own customized Cadillac El Dorado “Nudie Mobile” which hangs on the wall and is insured for $400,000. It also includes the longest bar in Music City measuring over 100 feet embedded with nearly 10,000 silver dollars.

Around the corner, it’s not exactly da Vinci’s The Last Supper, but the mural depicting some of country music’s biggest stars, both past and present, is just as iconic! The mural appears on the wall of Legends Corner on Lower Broadway. Any country music fan worth his or her weight in salt should be able to rattle off the mural’s cast of characters, which include Tim McGraw, Loretta Lynn, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, Keith Urban, Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Dolly Parton, and Garth Brooks. Taylor Swift's image was “retired” and replaced with Brad Paisley.

A four-story mural honoring the life of US Rep. John Lewis. It honors the accomplishments of Lewis and the Freedom Riders. After Lewis died, the city passed an ordinance to rename Fifth Avenue Rep. John Lewis Way, including a historical marker in his honor. The mural, which has his famous words "good trouble" written in big yellow letters at the top, is about his time in Nashville.

Our next stop was the Ryman Auditorium. Known as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” the iconic Ryman Auditorium hosted the Grand Ole Opry for three decades. Starting life as a gospel tabernacle in 1892, turned into a top-notch concert venue featuring headline acts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Some of the Grand Ole Opry’s most historic moments happened inside Ryman Auditorium: Hank Williams made his debut. Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Jeannie Seely, and Dolly Parton joined the Opry family. Elvis Presley made his only Opry appearance. Johnny Cash became a member, met his wife, and during one infamous show, broke all the footlights at the front of the stage.

The Opry broadcasted its last Friday show from the Ryman on March 15, 1974. George Morgan closed out the show with "Candy Kisses.” After the Opry, Johnny and June Carter Cash sang "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" on the following Grand Ole Gospel Time to end the evening. No one was crying, until Minnie Pearl started the waterworks!

Today, the Ryman is a combination of entertainment venue and museum. The historical artifacts that are housed here are priceless. Minnie Pearl still sits in the lobby here!

We climbed back on the bus and drove past the Woolworth Theater. It is a registered historic site of downtown Nashville’s Fifth Avenue Historic District. As one of the original “five and dime” stores, it’s the site of the first lunch counter sit-ins during the1960s that features the original storefront and displays. Today the Woolworth is transformed into a theatre.

We drove to the base of the hill where the Tennessee State Capitol stands today much as it did when it first opened in 1859. This structure was designed by architect William Strickland who considered it his crowning achievement. When Strickland died suddenly during construction in 1854, he was buried in the north facade of the Capitol. The cornerstone for the building was laid on July 4, 1845, and construction finished in 1859. It is one of the oldest working capitals in the US, the Tennessee State Capitol serves as home of the Tennessee General Assembly and houses the governor’s office. The building, one of 12 state capitals, does not have a dome. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

Located in the shadow of the Capitol is the Bicentennial Capitol Mall. It serves as a lasting monument to Tennessee’s Bicentennial Celebration, which was June 1, 1996. The 11-acre park shares many facets of Tennessee’s history including a 200-foot granite map of the state, a World War II Memorial, a 95-Bell Carillon, a Pathway of History, and the Rivers of Tennessee Fountains.

The bells are part of a "Carillon", which means the bells reside in towers and are played with either a keyboard or, in this case, an automated pattern. The 95-bell carillon represents the musical heritage of the citizens of Tennessee. There is a bell for each of the Volunteer State’s 95 counties. Each quarter hour, the carillon plays a portion of the Tennessee Waltz. At the top of every hour, the 50-tower carillon plays the entire song. A 96th bell on the capitol grounds rings an answer symbolizing the government answering the call of the people.

To honor Tennesseans that served and perished during WWII, the 2,800 square foot granite plaza contains ten vertical pylons, each with engraved images from war time years. The focus of the plaza is an 8-ton solid granite globe, engraved with countries during the 1940s. Lines stretch from Tennessee to distant destinations of the global conflict. The globe rotates in all directions on a thin cushion of water. Beyond the globe, is a grove of holly trees, recalling spaces sacred to the Greeks and Romans. A linear seat wall honors the seven Tennessee recipients of the Medal of Honor. The surface of the plaza is strewn with gold stars to honor the 5,731 Tennesseans who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Ya'll know, Nashville is the capital of country music, a genre symbolized by cowboy hats and guitars, and it’s that famous six string musical instrument that has earned the city’s minor league baseball stadium some notoriety. Greer Stadium, home of the Minor League baseball team, Sounds, is best known for its one-of-a-kind guitar-shaped scoreboard. The scoreboard was installed prior to the 1993 season, fifteen years after the ballpark opened. It sits about 80-feet above the ground behind the left center field wall. It is one of the most unique pieces of local flair found in any ballpark. The scoreboard is officially 115.6 feet long and 53 feet tall. The respective widths of the three sections of the guitar are 60’ for the body, 36’ for the scoreboard neck, and 19.6’ for the tuning key section. Ads, a clock, and basic game information fill up the guitar body, the complete line score is on the guitar’s neck, and balls, strikes and outs are recorded on the tuning key section.

We enjoyed lunch at Jack’s BBQ. I am calling this picture “When Pigs fly,” I could not resist challenging Barbara to climb on! In 2013 a 3rd location opened here, at the foot of Capitol Hill. For this location, Jack chose to use and trademark his full name, Jack Cawthon’s Bar-B-Que, taking it back to the early days of Nashville when neighborhood bar-b-que joints used the proprietor's full name. It was plentiful and delicious BBQ!

What is unique is, this location is on the historic site of what once was a corner of the first State Penitentiary of Tennessee from 1831-1898. 

We made a quick stop at the Parthenon. It stands proudly as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, Nashville's premier urban park. The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The building and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals. It was originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition. It serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The Parthenon also serves as Nashville's art museum. The focus of the Parthenon's permanent collection is a group of 63 paintings by 19th and 20th century American artists donated by James M. Cowan. Additional gallery spaces provide a venue for a variety of temporary shows and exhibits.

We drove past Hume-Fogg High School. It was completed in 1912 and resembling a medieval European castle, the Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School with its twin tower entrance is an easily recognizable Music City landmark. Designed by William Ittner, the Norman Gothic stone edifice features Tudor Gothic style ornamentation. Cut stone figures above the entrance represent fields of academic study, including literature, mathematics, science and fine art. They have their fair share of famous graduates, including actress and singer Dinah Shore.

Our final stop was the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Some call it the “Smithsonian of Country Music.” It is celebrated for its broad cultural impact, educational mission, and unrivaled collection of historically important artifacts related to country music.

It first opened in 1967 in Nashville’s Music Row. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum launched its current downtown location in 2001. In 2014, the Museum unveiled a $100 million expansion that doubled its footprint.

The Museum now encompasses 350,000 square feet of exhibition galleries, archival storage, retail stores, and event space. In addition, the Museum offers the Taylor Swift Education Center for students, teachers, and families, and dedicated performance spaces in the CMA Theater and Ford Theater, both of which regularly host nationally recognized live music and cultural events.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum collects, preserves, and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is among the most-visited history museums in the US.

Thanks for following along! #TwoLaneAdventures