First GQ called us ‘Nowville,’ then Conde Naste Traveler listed us as a ‘must-visit city.’ Soon after, The New York Times hopped on board, dubbing Nashville the nation’s newest “It City.” Not long after those articles had been published did Nashville make Huffington Post’s list of 20 cities that are ‘must-visits’ in your 20s. These days, Nashville is no stranger to receiving glowing reviews in big time publications. No longer just ‘Music City,’ in more recent times, people are beginning to understand something we have long know about this place we call home: that it is overall just a really cool, unique and awesome place to be.
Join us in our Nashville: The ‘It’ City blog series as we give our top 10 reasons that Nashville is indeed the ‘it’ city that many have dubbed it. This week is week one of our new series! Read on for the first of our 10 reasons that we love Nashville.
How do we love Nashville? Let us count the ways…
Reason #10: The Historical Sights
Nashville is a city rich in history that dates back to more than 200 years. It is home to many historical sights such as The Hermitage, The Parthenon, Belle Meade Plantation, Ryman Auditorium, and more.
The Hermitage was built by President Andrew Jackson for his beloved wife, Rachel. Today, the plantation resides on almost 1,100 acres, all belonging to Jackson 200 years ago. Over 95 percent of the furnishings are original to the home and to the Jackson family, even the wallpaper in the grand foyer is authentic. To the right of the home is Rachel’s private garden, where an acre of trees and flowers still blooms. The grounds of The Hermitage contain replicas of slave cabins, a smokehouse and the first Hermitage home.
The Parthenon, the world’s only exact replica of the ancient Greek temple, was originally built for Tennessee’s Centennial Exposition in 1897 and was reconstructed permanently in 1931. Inside the temple stands the gilded goddess of wisdom, Athena. At 42 feet tall, Athena Parthenos is the western hemisphere’s largest indoor statue. Housed in the downstairs gallery is the city’s permanent art collection.
Belle Meade Plantation, which includes a 150-year-old antebellum home, tells the history of the Old South from slavery to prosperity to the Civil War. As one of the few homes that can claim to have had a Civil War battle fought on the lawn, Belle Meade captures the essence of life during a tumultuous time. As a tragic reminder of those times, craters embedded in the columns of the front porch mark the explosion of cannon fire at the Harding family’s home.
The Ryman Auditorium first opened its doors as a church in 1892 as a vision of Captain Thomas G. Ryman. With the coming of the Grand Ole Opry show in 1943, the Ryman found its identity as the “Mother Church of Country Music”. In 1974, the Opry moved to its current home by the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center and left the Ryman vacant. It was not until 20 years later in 1994 that the Ryman was restored to be the national showplace that it is today. The Ryman was named Theater of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2010 by Pollstar and Venue of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. Musicians ranging from Roy Acuff to James Brown and Patsy Cline to Sheryl Crow have performed on the Ryman stage, making it a historical as well as a current-day icon for people everywhere.
We could go on and on, but it is clear that Nashville’s historical sights are sights to be seen. Thank you so much for tuning in to our Nashville: The ‘It’ City blog series and be on the lookout for our next series!
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