Making Melodies and Memories in Music City

By Rosalind Stefanac

 

Home to country legends and modern music mavens, Nashville is one of those eternally vibrant cities that will leave you singing, regardless of your musical tastes. Not only is Music City—as it’s known world-wide—the ultimate interactive music lesson for you and your teen, it’s filled with interesting landmarks, funky neighbourhoods to explore and delicious southern fare (bring on the fried chicken!). Here’s a look at why Nashville is a real treat for adults and teens alike.

 

WHAT TO DO

Nashville’s museums are among the best we’ve visited across North America. We started at the Country Museum Hall of Fame, a 350,000 square-foot mecca of artifacts and information related to country music displayed in exhibits that kept our attention throughout. For Swifties, the museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center has song-writing stations where you can draw inspiration from Taylor’s own process to write lyrics and create melodies. There is also a Taylor Swift replica tour bus where visitors get a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road, with audio and video clips of Taylor discussing her touring experiences.

 

For another enlightening experience, check out the National Museum of African American Music where you and your teen can learn and listen to music spanning multiple decades and genres, from Duke Ellington to Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé. Upon entering, we each got a wristband we could scan at various exhibits to create our own personalized music journey to download and review later. There are numerous interactive stations here where we tried instruments, recorded music and made beats. Video clips and tutorials explain the art of music production in an engaging way that teens will relate to.

 

For a change of pace, try a workshop at Hatch Show Print, one of America’s oldest working letterpress poster shops. It has been operating since 1879 and creates show posters for major entertainers. We got a hands-on demonstration on the print-making process (they even mix their ink by hand), and made our own souvenir prints to take home.

 

WHERE TO GO

No visit to Nashville is complete without a visit to the Grand Ole Opry for a live performance. Started as a radio broadcast in 1925, the Opry is now an entertainment phenomenon featuring weekly performances by music legends and new artists alike. On top of seeing some amazing performers, we booked a behind-the-scenes tour for a chance to explore the backstage dressing rooms and “artist’s entrance” used by performers. We even got to stand backstage for a bit during the performance. Our tour guide offered lots of anecdotes about stars who have performed at the Opry. Dolly Parton made her debut there at the age of 23 and was so nervous, she forgot the words to her own songs.

 

One day we ventured just north of downtown and discovered a great neighbourhood called Germantown, which houses the Nashville Farmer’s Market. We also found Nashville Glasshaüs, a family-run glassblowing studio, gallery and café that’s well worth a visit for its beautiful art and great pastries. There are even glass-blowing beginner workshops open to teens and parents.

 

We also stopped at the Gallery of Iconic Guitars just south of downtown in Belmont, which is filled with rare and notable guitars and stringed instruments you can experience up close. Several instruments are available to play, while others (some dating back more than 100 years) are for observing only.

 

WHAT TO EAT

Teens will love the variety of foods available at Assembly Food Hall, which has more than 30 food vendors, the majority of which are local to Nashville. We found everything from sushi and burgers to Nashville classics like Prince’s Hot Chicken. We especially loved the 16-layer donuts at Five Daughters Bakery and sampled interesting flavors like Maple Bourbon Bacon.

 

For more genuine southern fare, head to Arnold’s Country Kitchen which is so beloved by locals, they convinced the family-run business to re-open after closing its doors during the pandemic. We loved everything, from the juicy roast beef and gravy to the fried catfish, cornbread and mac and cheese. Make sure to save room for the banana pudding too.

 

WHERE TO STAY

There are lots of options to choose from in the downtown core, and as of summer 2024, Nashville had 2,400 new hotel rooms in construction so there will be plenty more to come. We stayed at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel, just steps away from the city’s major attractions. It connects to the Assembly Food Hall for easy access to treats throughout the day and features a killer city view.

 

Find more information on tours and activities for parents and teens at https://www.visitmusiccity.com/. Or check out @visitmusiccity.