IN STEP WITH NASHVILLE
Tennessee’s capital city is having its moment, so strap on your boots and enjoy
NASHVILLIANS like to joke that the crane is the city’s unofficial bird.
After all, nearly 30 of the huge, steel species soar in the sky right now.
Music City is in the midst of a building boom, with 22 hotels under construction and more than 125 restaurants slated to open by the year’s end, according to the tourism bureau. At the same time, there’s a creative renaissance underway, as the city’s thriving music, fashion and food scenes gain national attention. Tennessee’s capital is so happening that both Frommer’s and Travel & Leisure included it on their lists of the best places to go in 2017 and Thrillist recently named Guitar Town America’s best weekend destination.
“Nashville has always been cool, but today people seem to be more proud of the city than ever before,” says Libby Callaway, founder of The Callaway, a branding and public relations company (and former fashion editor of The Post) based there. “We’re an alternative to the coasts.”
Over the past decade, the home of country music evolved into a hipster hub with a strong “maker” culture of craft and creativity. Visitors can explore funky neighborhoods like East Nashville, 12South, German
town and The Gulch, lined with specialty coffee shops, brew pubs, craft cocktail bars and critically acclaimed farmto-fork restaurants. Or scour the quirky lifestyle and clothing
boutiques for local labels such as Ceri Hoover (leather bags and shoes) and Imogene + Willie (heritage denim). Cowboy boots are e’er in style —
Boot Country on major thoroughfare Broadway has a crazy buy-one-get-two-pairs-free deal — rocked the Coachella way.
Speaking of all-star concert extravaganzas, the world’s biggest country music celebration takes place downtown from June 8 to 11. This year’s CMA Music Festival ( CMAWorld.com) will feature more than 100 acts, including legends like Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley. The best part: Seven of the 11 stages are free, and a number of them are outdoors.
Later this summer, produce and creativity will make beautiful music together at the 14th Annual Tomato Art Festival the weekend of Aug. 11-12.
Of course, Nashville doesn’t need festivals to be fun as hell. Cold beer and live music are on tap around the clock. Country, blues and rock acts perform nightly at the boozy, neon-lit Lower Broadway honky tonks — don’t miss Robert’s Western World ( RobertsWesternWorld.com) with its $2.50 Pabst Blue Ribbon and no-cover policy.
There’s also nearby Printer’s Alley, the historic nightlife corridor. Meanwhile, the Station Inn in the trendy Gulch is the premier club for bluegrass and roots performers.
Even if you’re not a country music fan, a visit to Ryman Auditorium ( Ryman.com), the former home of the Grand Ole Opry for 31 years, is obligatory. It’s worth paying extra for the guided tour, just to walk backstage where icons Johnny Cash and June Carter met in 1956. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum ( CountryMusicHallOfFame.org) is another must-see, with Elvis’ gold Cadillac, Gram Parsons’ “high”fashion pot leaf-embroidered “Nudie suit” and Taylor Swift’s (inset) “Shake It Off ” cheerleader outfit on display. Hatch Show Print ( HatchShowPrint.com) is the historic letterpress company in the same building that has cranked out iconic show posters since 1879.
Feeling hungry? Savor a meal at one of the restaurants opened by James Beard Award-winning chefs like Donald Link (Cochon Butcher), Sean Brock (Husk) and Maneet Chauhan (Chauhan Ale & Masala House, Tànsu and The Mockingbird, opening any day).
As Callaway lovingly says, “Nashville has gone way beyond barbecue.”