Music Legends for Tips & Beer c. 2011, Colleen Cowles
“I play 40 hours a week, either on the street or on stage. The tips of my fingers are flat, but they still hurt sometimes.” The Nashville street musician is open to talking about living life on tips, love of music and a dream of the big time. It can happen. After performing at Tootsies, Willie Nelson got his first songwriting job. Gretchen Wilson was discovered by John Rich when he heard her sing during her break as a bartender. This has been the launching pad for many a country artist.
We’re the beneficiaries of the Nashville dream. For the cost of a hotel room, a few beers & tips tossed in the jars, visitors to downtown Nashville experience some of the world’s best music with no reservations, no assigned seats, and no huge venues. If you want to splurge, buy a CD from a local artist. There’s something very special about a destination that requires no agenda or pre-planning to get quality entertainment, history and fun.
From late morning until bar time, simply walk from honky tonk to honky tonk, grab a drink and a bar stool and enjoy the music and the characters. The focus is country, but you’ll also hear blues, rock & jazz. Bands change frequently, and with 71 bars within a few blocks, never-ending variety is available. Take time to talk with and listen to the street musicians as well.
Historic Tootsies Orchid Lounge on Broadway is a good starting point. Stars ranging from Toby Keith to Pamela Anderson have been spotted at Tootsies. It’s rumored that Roger Miller wrote “Dang Me” in this bar. Part of the movie “Coal Miner’s Daughter” about Loretta Lynn was filmed here, as well as in Ernest Tubb record shop across the street. Tootsies, and this whole area of Nashville, is an active museum. Be sure to check out both the front and back stages. To access the back stage, go up the steps in the back. Many of the bars on Broadway have second stages which are often not obvious. On crowded weekend nights, these areas tend to be a bit less crowded.
Roberts Western World has great grilled burgers to accompany the foot stomping music. Legend’s Corner and The Stage are also
favorites on Broadway, but on any given night, your favorite spot will depend on who happens to be playing when you stop in.
After experiencing Broadway, hike a few blocks up to Printers Alley just past 4th Ave. N. This area is a bit dirty and seedy including strip joints and many places have cover charges, but there is history and character to be experienced here if you’re in the mood
– a bit like a small, grungy version of New Orleans’ Bourbon St. Rascal Flatts played here before their fame.
The Ryman auditorium, home to the Grand Ol’ Opry from 1943 to 1974, still hosts big name artists, and the Grand Ol’ Opry returns
to the Ryman from November through January of each year. I much prefer this venue over Opryland, a large resort complex 11 miles
NE of downtown -- large and impressive, but with much less character than the historic Ryman.
Wandering into the shops on Broadway is a visual treat. Lines of guitars are artwork in themselves, and the western shops with walls of hats and floors lined with multi-colored boots build on the overall character of the street.
It’s easy to spend an entire weekend just on Broadway, but if you’d like to expand your Nashville horizons, pre-book the ‘Nash Trash Tours’ for a lively bus ride through Nashville with the Jugg sisters. If you want a serious tour, this isn’t the option, but if you want a hilarious few hours of improv comedy while riding around Nashville in a pink bus, this popular tour is for you. Reservations can book up months in advance. Check availability at www.nashtrash.com, and call 615-226-7300 to book or to request being on the wait list. For small parties, it’s also worthwhile to show up at the south end of the Nashville Farmer’s Market prior to a scheduled tour to see if any cancellations have created openings. A New Murder Mystery Tour is also now offered by the same company.
A downtown hotel within easy walking distance of Broadway is recommended. My personal favorites are the Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown and the Hilton Nashville Downtown. Both are just a few blocks from Broadway. The Hampton has exceptionally comfortable beds, parking under the hotel and a full complimentary breakfast including eggs, biscuits & gravy, yogurt, waffles, cereal & pastries. Not gourmet and certainly not low cal, but a good base & significantly better than the typical hotel continental breakfast. Parking is $17, which seems high but is actually lower than average parking fees in downtown Nashville. The Hilton is a block closer to Broadway and is an all-suite hotel with recent renovations.
If you fly in, a car is unnecessary. There’s plenty to enjoy within walking distance of downtown, so a taxi to and from the airport is sufficient.
We’re the beneficiaries of the Nashville dream. For the cost of a hotel room, a few beers & tips tossed in the jars, visitors to downtown Nashville experience some of the world’s best music with no reservations, no assigned seats, and no huge venues. If you want to splurge, buy a CD from a local artist. There’s something very special about a destination that requires no agenda or pre-planning to get quality entertainment, history and fun.
From late morning until bar time, simply walk from honky tonk to honky tonk, grab a drink and a bar stool and enjoy the music and the characters. The focus is country, but you’ll also hear blues, rock & jazz. Bands change frequently, and with 71 bars within a few blocks, never-ending variety is available. Take time to talk with and listen to the street musicians as well.
Historic Tootsies Orchid Lounge on Broadway is a good starting point. Stars ranging from Toby Keith to Pamela Anderson have been spotted at Tootsies. It’s rumored that Roger Miller wrote “Dang Me” in this bar. Part of the movie “Coal Miner’s Daughter” about Loretta Lynn was filmed here, as well as in Ernest Tubb record shop across the street. Tootsies, and this whole area of Nashville, is an active museum. Be sure to check out both the front and back stages. To access the back stage, go up the steps in the back. Many of the bars on Broadway have second stages which are often not obvious. On crowded weekend nights, these areas tend to be a bit less crowded.
Roberts Western World has great grilled burgers to accompany the foot stomping music. Legend’s Corner and The Stage are also
favorites on Broadway, but on any given night, your favorite spot will depend on who happens to be playing when you stop in.
After experiencing Broadway, hike a few blocks up to Printers Alley just past 4th Ave. N. This area is a bit dirty and seedy including strip joints and many places have cover charges, but there is history and character to be experienced here if you’re in the mood
– a bit like a small, grungy version of New Orleans’ Bourbon St. Rascal Flatts played here before their fame.
The Ryman auditorium, home to the Grand Ol’ Opry from 1943 to 1974, still hosts big name artists, and the Grand Ol’ Opry returns
to the Ryman from November through January of each year. I much prefer this venue over Opryland, a large resort complex 11 miles
NE of downtown -- large and impressive, but with much less character than the historic Ryman.
Wandering into the shops on Broadway is a visual treat. Lines of guitars are artwork in themselves, and the western shops with walls of hats and floors lined with multi-colored boots build on the overall character of the street.
It’s easy to spend an entire weekend just on Broadway, but if you’d like to expand your Nashville horizons, pre-book the ‘Nash Trash Tours’ for a lively bus ride through Nashville with the Jugg sisters. If you want a serious tour, this isn’t the option, but if you want a hilarious few hours of improv comedy while riding around Nashville in a pink bus, this popular tour is for you. Reservations can book up months in advance. Check availability at www.nashtrash.com, and call 615-226-7300 to book or to request being on the wait list. For small parties, it’s also worthwhile to show up at the south end of the Nashville Farmer’s Market prior to a scheduled tour to see if any cancellations have created openings. A New Murder Mystery Tour is also now offered by the same company.
A downtown hotel within easy walking distance of Broadway is recommended. My personal favorites are the Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown and the Hilton Nashville Downtown. Both are just a few blocks from Broadway. The Hampton has exceptionally comfortable beds, parking under the hotel and a full complimentary breakfast including eggs, biscuits & gravy, yogurt, waffles, cereal & pastries. Not gourmet and certainly not low cal, but a good base & significantly better than the typical hotel continental breakfast. Parking is $17, which seems high but is actually lower than average parking fees in downtown Nashville. The Hilton is a block closer to Broadway and is an all-suite hotel with recent renovations.
If you fly in, a car is unnecessary. There’s plenty to enjoy within walking distance of downtown, so a taxi to and from the airport is sufficient.
