A straightforward internal flight from DC to Nashville, and we settled into our hotel around lunchtime. Staying at the Dream by Hyatt, near Printers Alley and a couple of blocks from the lively Broadway.
Went for a walk down Broadway, and couldn’t believe the number of “honky tonk” bars, all pumping out live music! Went for a walk in the local area, including Jack White’s “Third Man” recording studio.
Attached to the hotel is Stateside bar and restaurant, so we had dinner there. It was very quiet .. obviously, everyone down Broadway!
In the Printers Alley, is a blues bar called Bourbon Street. So we went in and watch Ping Rose and his band play. No cover charge, and ID required .. for everyone, including me!
Today is the Country Music Museum and Hall of Fame. It is very interesting, right from the beginnings of Country and Bluegrass music, through to present day such as Taylor Swift and Luke Combs.
Then an afternoon walk in nearby Bicentennial Park. Great views of the Capitol Building. It was very warm and humid this afternoon, so a nice cold beer was just the ticket. Happy hour .. $5 for a beer!
We decide to brave it, and head to Broadway for dinner and some live Honky Tonk music. Our destination was “Robert’s” but it was packed. The Pharts ended up in Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaretaville”, which was less busy, with a solitary singer and his guitar. Food was good, but way too much! We wandered up and down Broadway, got blasted by the music and large crowds, and lamely, headed back to our hotel.
Tomorrow is our bike tour, and in the evening, a concert in the Ryman Auditorium.
Bike tour time, and we meet our guide, Bee, mount our e-bikes, and we are off. There are 10 people in the group, and Bee does a great job of steering us around the city. Commentary is through a speaker in the helmet, so she can constantly feed us information, which she does. She lead us into the Gulch, which is a new and upmarket area of Nashville, and around the Music recording areas also. Excellent tour.
Bee had recommended the Tennessee State Museum, so we checked it out in the afternoon. It is near Bicentennial Park and the Farmers market, and it was most impressive.
Before our Larkin Poe concert at the Ryman Auditorium, we had dinner at a huge food hall nearby. Every conceivable type of food, and we chose Vietnamese, which was very nice.
Opening for Larkin Poe was Katie Pruitt, and she played a lively set of Southern Rock. Then the two sisters and their backing band, who are Larkin Poe. Once again, lively southern country rock and blues, with an acoustic bluegrass set halfway through. The band really turned it on, and the crowd in the small and historic venue, loved it! Last night in Nashville and an appropriate ending.
