Nashville Alternatives Round-up

What Ya Gonna Do Down in Nashville After You've Seen the Op-ry?

The start struck fan making his or her first pilgrimage to "Music City, USA" comes with a standard checklist of things to see and do in Nashville: attend a Grand Ole Opry performance preferably at the Ryman Auditorium - the "Mother Church of Country Music," pay homage to the pioneers of the genre at the new Country Music Hall of Fame, drive down Music Row - home of the recording companies, and "shop 'til they drop" at the enormous Opry Mills Mall adjacent to the equally gigantic Opryland Hotel.

A brief weekend visit offers just enough time to cover all these bases so as to be able to tell everyone back home, "Been there, done that." However, repeat visitors to Nashville and those with more time on their hands might want to look beyond the usual tourist attractions and see a little more depth and another side of this multifaceted metropolis.

This article compiled by the staff of Country Music Travel highlights just a few of the diverse and sometimes off-beat places to go in and around Nashville that present the tourist a different perspective from the typical itinerary and offer a range of culinary, musical, historical, cultural and yes, even unique religious experiences.  Also see this timely New York Times travel article: Going to Nashville

Elliston Place Soda Shop: 2111 Elliston Place in the funky West End of Nashville near Vanderbilt University, Music Row and the medical center. Open 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mon-Sat. (615) 327-1090.

The decor (a creaky lunch counter with inoperative jukeboxes at every booth) is 1950s, and the waitresses call you "Darlin'." If a "Southern" cuisine dining experience can be called "ethnic," then "meat and three" would be at its Epicurean core. No better place to dive into this home style cooking (an entree and a choice of three side dishes from a long list, plus cornbread or biscuits) than at Elliston's, a Nashville institution that locals hope will never disappear.

Why did Al Gore choose Elliston's as the site for a television interview and impromptu press conference during the height of the presidential campaign? What better place to display his Southern roots than at one of his favorite hangouts from his youth? Besides, he was quoted to say, "Best milkshakes in the world." Other celebrities including country music artists frequent Elliston's. Be prepared to circle the block a few times until you can claim one of the precious metered parking places on the street.

HotChickens.com: 7541 Old Hickory Blvd. Whites Creek, TN north of downtown off US 24. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tue. - Sun. (615) 876-9002

What a clever way to get free visibility for your restaurants web site - make your company's name a blatant URL. The co-owners, singers Lorrie Morgan and Sammy Kershaw who seem to get a lot of free publicity themselves through their multiple torrid romances, are one of the hottest couples in Nashville. Now they serve some of the spiciest fried chicken on the face of the earth.

Leveraging their recent marriage and her father's (the late Opry star George Morgan) recipes, Lorrie and Sammy opened HotChickens.com primarily for local clientele in a small strip mall just off Interstate 24 north of downtown. Nothing fancy, but tastefully decorated by Lorrie herself in country kitsch with autographed celebrity photos and gold records adorning the walls.

The 20 minute drive to HotChickens.com offers an escape from the bustling city, a glimpse into life in rural Tennessee and the opportunity to blow the top of your head off if you order too boldly from the choices of Plain, Mild, Medium, Hot, Extra Hot. If you are really adventurous, try the fried pickles a once in a lifetime experience. Pass on the thick slice of fresh white bread served underneath the fried chicken - tempting until you realize it is there to serve as both a heat sink and a grease trap. Nonetheless the food is all served with "a guarantee to put a smile on your face and some sweat on your brow." Lorrie drops in from time to time to ensure this principle is being followed.

Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie: Downtown between 3rd and 4th Avenue off Church St. in historic Printers Alley. Open 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. nightly. (615) 242-5837

During a business trip to Nashville a couple of years ago, a colleague from New Zealand quickly confessed that he had no interest in American country music as he broke off from our group that was headed out for a night at the honky tonks on lower Broadway. However, the next morning he boasted about the wonderful music he found on his own.

The place he discovered was The Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar which offers a variety of live blues performances seven nights a week in a New Orleans flavored surrounding. "Looziana" specialties including "Nawlins Po Boys" are available off the "menyoux." The establishment received the Blues Club of the Year award in 2000 from the National Blues Foundation.

The Hermitage: 4580 Rachels Lane, Hermitage, TN (Interstate 40, Exit 221). Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and the third week in January. (615) 889-2941

Numerous ante-bellum mansions and plantation houses are scattered throughout the Nashville region. One could fill an entire weekend exploring just a few of them. If there is only time to see one, then it should be The Hermitage, home of our nation's seventh president Andrew Jackson. This National Historic Landmark can be seen in about two hours.

Tours begin at the Visitors Center with a 15 minute film about the life of Andrew Jackson. The centerpiece of the tour is the mansion, completely restored to its appearance during Jackson's retirement years, 1837-1845. Walking the grounds on the pebble covered path through the split rail fence openings and under the ageless hickory trees takes you back in time and sets the mood for the next phase of the visit. Historically costumed guides greet you at the mansion door and invite you in for a spirited 30 minute tour that chronicles the life and times of Andrew Jackson. Also included in the tour are a museum, Tulip Grove Mansion, Old Hermitage Church, the original 1804 cabins, plantation tour, an original slave cabin, garden, and Jackson's tomb and family cemetery.

Nashville Parthenon: Centennial Park, downtown. 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tues. - Sat. and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays April through September.

Many a global traveler has trudged up to the Acropolis through the breath-taking smog of summertime Athens only to see the plundered remains of the once glorious Parthenon of ancient Greece. The guide urges you to look beyond the rubble and imagine its splendor.

After doing so, one might want to visit the world's only full-scale replica of an intact Parthenon which was originally constructed to house the art exhibition for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. The structure was intended to reflect Nashville's claim to be the "Athens of the South" a nickname that can be traced back to the 1840s. The name reinforces the city's dedication to education with many of the area's earliest colleges focused on classical education.

This Nashville Parthenon continues to perform its original mission today and displays works, all oils on canvas, dating 1765-1923 known as the Cowan Collection. The art museum also contains the largest piece of indoor sculpture in the Western world, a 42 foot tall statue of Athena, goddess of wisdom, warfare and the arts.

Nashville Cowboy Church: 2416 Music Valley Drive across from the Opryland Hotel. (615) 859-1001

After a big Saturday night on the town enjoying all that Nashville has to offer, you may be ready for some redemption. The place to go is the Cowboy Church on Sundays at 10 a.m. in the Texas Troubadour Theatre. The theatre, used for musical productions during the week, hosts this service under the direction of Dr. Harry Yates accompanied by a full country western band, complete with backup singers, lights, curtains, and backdrops.

The fast moving interdenominational service features many old time country music artists performing their favorite gospel songs. Headlining the musical line-up is Joanne Cash Yates, sister of the legendary Johnny Cash. The Cowboy Church has earned the reputation: "Nothing Else Feels Quite Like It!" Visitors from around the world are welcomed every Sunday and come away with a more literal appreciation for the phrase "pass the hat" when the offering is made cowboy style.

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