N is for Nashville

One of my favorite television shows is "Nashville" and since I live in the Nashville area, I thought it might be fun to give you a little background information about the city and some of the local sites seen on the show.

The Batman Building
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An easily identifiable building in Nashville's skyline is affectionately known as the Batman Building. It's really the AT&T tower and houses the offices of that company. Wikipedia says it is the tallest building in Tennessee too.

The Ryman Auditorium
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Built in the late 1800's, the Ryman Auditorium was the home of the Grand Ole Opry until 1974 when the Opryland theme park was built. Even though the theme park is gone, replaced by Opry Mills shopping center, the Opry remains in its new home there; it's known as the Grand Ole Opry House. However, the Opry returns to the Ryman downtown during the winter months each year. Known as the Mother Church of country music, it is a big deal for a country music star to play at the Ryman.

Like most Nashville residents, I've lived here all my life and never been to the Opry!

Tootsie's Orchid Lounge
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Another famous place you might see on "Nashville" is Tootsie's, a honky-tonk within walking distance of the Ryman. Up and coming musicians play on the stage there, and when the Opry was at the Ryman, stars would often stop by the bar for a drink after performing. If you fly into Nashville, you may notice Tootsie's bar in the airport. It features live music, but somehow it just not the same as the original location, still in business on Lower Broad.

Nashville's Musica Statue

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The Musica statue was the backdrop for a scene on the show recently. Located in the Music Row area where most of the recording companies have offices, it is sometimes referred to by local residents as the "naked statue."  (Be sure to pronounce that NECK-KID.)

On St. Patrick's Day and other holidays, you may find the statues dressed for the occasion. Dressing them is apparently a clandestine affair, done secretly at night! You can see them decorated with red Solo cups in honor of Toby Keith's song HERE.

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Scarlett and other characters on the show "Nashville" often perform at the Bluebird Cafe. The Bluebird is a live music venue located in a strip mall in the Green Hills area of town right next to a furniture store and a children's clothing shop. If you click THIS LINK, you can see that the show built a replica of the cafe for use in shooting those scenes! I guess filming at the real location would have caused too much disruption? If you visit Nashville and seek out the Bluebird, be sure to shop across the road in the Hills Center. The shops there are very upscale and it's fun to browse.

Hillsboro Village
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Last week on the show, some of the characters met on a street corner in Hillsboro Village. It is another good shopping area near Vanderbilt University with interesting, funky shops like Pangea and Fire Finch and fun restaurants like Fido (great coffee and muffins) and the Pancake Pantry (be prepared to wait in line.)

I think it's kind of cool to see familiar places in Nashville featured on the television show, so I'm linking this post to Alphabe-Thursday.

Several years ago, I painted the Nashville skyline. I think I like cattle better. They don't have so many tiny windows!

"Nashville"
24x36 oil on canvas