Food, mounds of music, and an aggregation of art are just some of the things attracting visitors the weekend of June 3 through 5 to Nashville, Tenn.
Taste of Music City runs all weekend long and showcases 50 of the city’s best restaurants. Sure, there’s a bunch of BBQ, but other cuisines fare quite nicely in this sophisticated southern city too – as do beers and spirits. Apropos of the latter, take in the Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour Experience. As backdrop to all this serious noshing and sipping there’s live music all day long. Kids in tow? Head to the Kids Zone. In search of mobile diversions? Make tracks for Nashville’s Deaderick Street and Public Square Park. There’s free admission to the Saturday festival. Just pay as you go for food and drink.
Cheekwood Nights sets in as the sun descends behind Nashville’s rolling hills. Set on 55 acres of immaculate-tended landscape, Cheekwood is a local magnet for art and garden enthusiasts. On the first Friday of each month this enclave of elegance is also a setting for concerts. Friday June 3 the tunes will be turned out by the acclaimed alternative country band Lambchop, with Kurt Wagner as the group’s front man. Admission is $15. If you aren’t into moonlight and magnolias, head elsewhere.
Willie Nelson Country Throwdown Tour at the Woods of Fontanel headlines the redheaded stranger himself June 3. And he’s assembled a bunch of big talent: Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Brantley Gilbert, Craig Campbell and others. The Woods at Fontanel isn’t all that far away – just ten minutes from downtown Nashville. The 4,500-person capacity natural amphitheater is located in the Whites Creek valley area of town. Reserved-seat tickets are available via Ticketmaster and start at $43.71.
Nashville Sounds vs. the Iowa Cubs Want to experience baseball they way it was meant to be? Flee big league parks with their big buck prices. Find fiscal refuge in places such as Nashville’s Greer Stadium. The Sounds take on the Cubs beginning at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, June 3. Stick around for a feast of fireworks. Reserved seat tickets are $14.
First Saturday Art Crawl exhibits the easy, unself-conscious sophistication of this southern city. The first Saturday of every month art galleries host receptions and openings. About 1,000 folks attend, and the elbows you rub are worth it. Look at this as an eye-opening, mind-expanding free night on the town. Galleries open from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and the Downtown Nashville partnership provides free shuttle bus service among the galleries from 6:00 to 10:00.
If you’re looking for a good location to base your Nashville explorations consider the Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville – Green Hills. It’s at 2324 Crestwood Road, three miles from Music Row and comparatively close to Vanderbilt University and the Country Music Hall of Fame. No cookie-cutter hotel, this Hampton is a red brick affair with a limestone exterior. A king non-smoking will run $152, taxes not included.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Chuck Kramer)
