Image “Nashville, TN” by Ron Reiring on Flickr.com.
I recently wrote a post about American cities and their nicknames, but I forgot to mention that the American city Nashville, Tennessee has a nickname too, it is called ‘Music City.’ Today we are taking a (virtual) trip to Music City to see all it has to offer and find out why it has this nickname.
Nashville is famous for being the “home of country music.” Nashville became the center of country music recording in the 1950’s and it still is the place where many young musicians go to try to become famous. Nashville is a music recording and production center for big studios and also independent labels. It is also home to the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage show that has presented some of the biggest stars in country music since 1925. A visit to the Grand Ole Opry is a must when visiting Nashville. The Country Music Hall of Fame is a museum where musicians who perform at the Grand Ole Opry hope to someday end up. Only the most famous people make it into this museum. You can learn all about country music stars at this big and beautiful museum in downtown Nashville. If you have a love for Johnny Cash, one of America’s most famous country singers, you can also check out the one and only Johnny Cash Museum too.
Most of the tourist attractions in Nashville revolve around music, after all it is ‘Music City.’ Nashville’s “honky tonk” bars are another music related experience you don’t want to miss. Honky tonks are a type of bar that provides live music and Nashville is known for having a lot of these. Once in a while a famous artist will get his or her start singing in a Nashville honky tonk, but even the singers who don’t make it famous are amazing in Nashville.
Other than music, Nashville is also known for its food. The city is famous for its “hot chicken” and the “meat and three” platter. Hot chicken is a type of fried chicken that is soaked in buttermilk, breaded, spiced with cayenne pepper, and pan-fried. A “meat and three” platter is a meal in which you choose your type of meat (bbq, brisket, chicken, etc.) and three side dishes (macaroni and cheese, corn, green beans, coleslaw, etc.) and it is all served on one big plate. Let me warn you now, you won’t leave Nashville hungry and you might leave Nashville with a few extra pounds too.
There are also a number of universities in Nashville, but the most famous by far is Vanderbilt University. Nashville is a small city, but it really has a lot to offer, especially for those who want to hear good music and eat well.
If you want to see more pictures of Nashville, read more about it, or maybe even plan your own visit to America’s Music City, check out this website. http://www.visitmusiccity.com/
