Get into the Rhythm and Hop a Flight to ‘Music City’

A lot of cities are known for their music—from Chicago blues to New Orleans jazz—but only one is officially known as Music City. That’s Nashville or, as they say these days, “Nash Vegas” in recognition of its continually growing influence not only on country music, but really on all popular musical genres. When the wind blows in Nashville, locals say, it’s often due to the incessant strumming of guitars. And they aren’t wrong.

Located on the banks of the Cumberland River, Tennessee’s capital is home to 2.1 million “Nashvillian,” as they call themselves. But don’t let the name fool you, the locals are as gracious as they can be and are always happy to share their musical history with appreciative visitors who have wisely arrived for a good time.

Getting into Nashville International Airport (BNA) is quick and easy with nonstop service from Mitchell International Airport (MKE). Southwest Airlines offers multiple nonstop flights every day of the week, with fares as low as $97 each way. The short flight time of just 90 minutes makes Nashville a perfect destination for a long weekend visit or a longer stay. Find flights here.

Nashville attractions are a blend of Southern hospitality, country music, and maybe a little bit of history thrown in. In the best cases all three blend seamlessly, with a little bourbon and branchwater on the side.

• First and foremost, Nashville is best known as home to the Grand Old Opry, where a wide variety of country artists got their start. The country music stage show was first founded in 1925 by entrepreneur George D. Hay as the “WSM Barn Dance” and broadcast several times a week on WSM radio during its inaugural years at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Located on the Gaylord Opryland Hotel grounds since the early 1970s, the Grand Old Opry tour and performances is a must-see attraction, since it has driven so much of Nashville’s development for the past century.
• That said, the same historical cachet can be applied to the Opry’s birthplace, the Ryman Auditorium, still an active performance venue that this summer will feature performers such as Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Chris Isaak, Vince Gill and others. Couple your Ryman visit with a trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame and you will have hit several of the city’s high notes when it comes to attractions.
• Make time to visit the former Belle Meade Plantation, now a historic site and winery anchored by a beautiful Greek Revival mansion and once known for breeding champion races horses. Current tours feature the mansion tour and a complimentary wine tasting.
• Up for tours? In addition to numerous city tours, you can book a Nashville “Home of the Stars” bus tour that visits the homes of 30+ music and media celebrities living in the area. Or take a bus tour to the Jack Daniels Distillery and other such facilities along the state’s “whisky trail.” There’s not one, but two ghost tours of the city, as well as Nashville’s Speakeasy Secrets: Murder and True Crime Bar Crawl. Bring your walking shoes and put on your best imagination.

And make sure you book enough time for your stay. There is a lot do inside and outside the Music City’s boundaries, and you do not want to miss any of it.