Seniors Take In The Sounds of Music City

Nashville is the capital of Tennessee, “Music City”, and home of the famous “Grand Ole Opry” stage and radio show. Known as “country’s most famous stage,” what began as a simple radio broadcast in 1925 is today a live-entertainment phenomenon that many seniors enjoy.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and historic Ryman Auditorium are downtown, along with the District which is packed with legendary honky-tonks and dance halls.

The city is named after Francis Nash, an American Revolutionary War hero. There’s a lot of history in Nashville: settled on Christmas Day in 1779, Tennessee became a state later in 1796. The city became the Tennessee state capital from 1812-1815 and then permanently in 1843.

  Seniors Find a City of Culture and Natural Beauty

Nashville is the second largest city in Tennessee, after Memphis, and is the fourth largest city in the Southeastern United States. Senior travelers will find Nashville on the Cumberland River in the north-central part of the state.

Tennessee gets some ancient influence in Centennial Park, where inside of the full-scale model of the Parthenon you’ll be awestruck by the gigantic statue of Athena.  Three days in Nashville may be just what the doctor ordered.

Senior visitors will soon discover that there is more to Music City than the Grand Ole Opry. It’s a city of culture and history, haute cuisine, pro sports, outstanding academics, natural beauty and pure Southern charm.

Bring along your a best appetite and demanding palate. Located in a beautiful Victorian 1880s home in historic Germantown, Monell’s offers an all-you-can-eat spread. Long wooden tables seat up to a dozen people, making for a family-style dining experience. It’s a Nashville tradition.

 Seniors Experience Nashville’s Variety

The local Chamber of Commerce notes that with live music of every genre being performed any night of the week, more than 180 recording studios, and some 5,000 working musicians, Nashville is known the world over as Music City.

But it’s not the only claim to fame. Nashville has two major-league sports teams, an extensive park system, and the Ryman Auditorium, built as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892 by Captain Tom G. Ryman. It is one of the most famous music venues in the country.

The Hermitage the home of Old Hickory, former President Andrew Jackson is well worth a visit. The Parthenon in Centennial Park, a replica of the temple in Greece, houses timeless artwork and the grounds surrounding it are magnificent in the spring and summer.

Outside the city, homes like the Carton, Belle Meade and Carter House Plantations offer historical tours and make for an informative day trip. I just know that my wife and I would point our car to the Cheekwood Botanical Garden with lunch in the Pineapple Room.

Seniors, experience Nashville for yourself. It’s a great city.  -jeb