IWNA Issue 1, 2019

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44 INTERVAL WORLD n Issue 1, 2019
AREA RESORT
Situated a mile from the Grand Ole Opry and
the Opry Mills outlet mall, Wyndham Nashville
Resort is centrally located and just a short drive
from downtown. Visit the legendary Ryman
Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame
and Museum, and explore the nightlife on
Broadway. At the resort, enjoy indoor and outdoor
pools, a hot tub, exercise facility, grilling area,
playground, basketball court, and occasional live
entertainment.
Accommodations at WNV are available for purchase through the Getaway program and generally will
not be available for exchange.
prominent local talent, like Third Man Records artist Joshua Hedley.
The Station Inn is the pièce de résistance of the Gulch and
has long been known for showcasing some of the world’s greatest
country and bluegrass artists. Seats are first-come, first-served, and
gigs are known to sell out, so get there early. Across the river in
East Nashville, The Basement East (affectionately referred to as The
Beast) plays host to a wide array of mid-level local and touring acts.
Its original counterpart, The Basement, is smaller and dive-ier, and
makes for a great place to catch a truly intimate set. And don’t miss
the chance to see a show at The Bluebird Cafe. Everyone from John
Prine to Garth Brooks has played this tiny hotspot — a must-see
for any fan of well-crafted songs. Be sure to make reservations,
though — the room fills up fast.
For an authentic “local” experience, check out Honky Tonk
Tuesdays at the American Legion Post 82, which always features
some of the best players in town. The Listening Room Cafe and
Douglas Corner Cafe are great places for discovering up-and-
coming songwriters. And hey, it’s Nashville, so if you hear music
drifting out of an establishment, chances are it’s going to be good.
Wander on in and listen up.
CREATIVELY SOUND
Nashville is also home to many prominent cultural institutions that
aren’t related to music. The Frist Art Museum, located up the hill
from the bars of Lower Broadway, houses a rotating roster of
internationally renowned art exhibitions. The Carl Van Vechten
Gallery at Fisk University is home to a biennial exhibit: the private
art collection of Georgia O’Keeffe, which features works by Paul
Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and O’Keeffe herself.
On the first Saturday of each month, Nashville hosts the First
Saturday Art Crawl, which takes place downtown on Fifth Avenue
of the Arts. Prominent art-crawl galleries include the Rymer
Gallery, as well as over a dozen more inside the historic Arcade.
Wedgewood-Houston gets in on the art action, too, with Arts & Music
at Wedgewood-Houston, a similarly styled event that also takes place
on the first Saturday of each month.
The Tennessee State Museum recently
opened an expansive facility on the outskirts
of Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood.
The museum comprises thousands of square
feet of permanent and visiting exhibitions
about Tennessee history, and is free to the
public.
Mike Wolfe, from the TV show American
Pickers , has a Nashville storefront in the his-
toric Marathon Village complex, where visitors
can view (and buy) “picked” items, check out
show merchandise, and on lucky days, meet
one or both of the show’s hosts.
ON THE RECORD
You can’t leave Nashville without a bag full of records and CDs. For
history buffs, Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Lower Broadway is a
must-visit. Opened in 1947, the store now carries new releases,
used vinyl, music books, and music merchandise. Grimey’s, which
moved to a large new East Nashville location last fall, is a music-
collector’s dream, with an expansive selection of new music, used
gems, and a stocked calendar of live in-store events, with local and
touring musicians.
Also in East Nashville is Fond Object, another independent
record shop that is a pillar of the Riverside Village community and,
in addition to music, sells vintage clothing, housewares, and origi-
nal artwork. The Groove record store is convenient to much of the
neighborhood’s nightlife and dining, and is a great spot for music
nerds who love sifting through crates in search of hidden treasures. n
Brittney McKenna is a freelance writer based in Nashville. Her writing has
appeared on NPR and in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and American Songwriter
magazine.
Seats go fast at
Bluebird Cafe,
where Grammy
Award–winning
musicians, such
as songwriter
Don Schlitz and
singer Vince Gill,
are regulars.
National Geographic Image Collection/Alamy Stock Photo