Nashville in One Day

If you are flying into Nashville for a day, you can do an excellent tour of the city in a few hours. Nashville International is a relatively small place. You can be off a plane and in a cab in about 10 minutes. The airport is just 8 miles from Broadway, which is where you want to go to see the country music sites of the city. Start at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge 422 Broadway

Tootsie's is not the greatest club on Broadway, but it is a legendary landmark for classic country fans. Roger Miller, Bobby Bare and Waylon Jennings would hang out between sets on the Opry in the old Ryman Auditorium which is just out the back door of Tootsie's. The music is inconsistent, a little too modern for a classic country lover but the memorabilia and signed photos on the wall are worth a look

A couple of doors down Broadway is Roberts Western World

This is the club where BR549 was the house band for a few years in the 80's and day or night, the music is consistently good. You can order a Pabst Blue Ribbon and a grill cheese on Texas Toast and get out of there for $5

Legends Corner at 5th and Broadway is another cool venue with live country and Honky Tonk which you can hear from the Street

Hatch Showprint is a few step back up the street at 316 Broadway. This is where some of the most enduring images of country music were created on a wooden letterpress. You can pick through a selection of newly produced posters for contemporary artists such as The Pixies, Bruce Springsteen and Keb Mo. You can also buy classic country and Rock & Roll posters of Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. Hatch Showprints only create a limited run for posters so if you don't buy one at the actual show advertised, you might be able to get a leftover the day after at the Hatch shop

Walk to the stop light at 5^th Avenue South and walk two blocks to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Admission is $19.99 to see displays such as Webb Pierce's silver dollar studded Cadillac, a Rhinestone Nudie suit worn by Gram Parsons and Hank Williams guitar. They have a nice (but pricey) gift shop with some of the nicer Music City souvenirs

The RCA Studio B Tour bus leaves from the hall of fame and takes you to the studio where Elvis recorded "Are You Lonesome Tonight," Waylon cut "Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line", and Connie Smith recorded "Once A Day" and many other hits in the 60's. Marty Stuart recorded his Grammy winning Studio B Sessions album here. This is a short video on the making of the album and the history of this landmark

Head down 5th Ave the The Ryman Auditorium for a tour of the most famous home of The Grand Ol Opry. The broadcast originates at the Opry House about 15 minutes down I 65, but through out the year The Grand Ol Opry is back at The Ryman, which is the place to see the show http://search2.opry.com/?view=events