I went to Taylor Swift’s hometown — there was one thing I never thought I’d see | America | Travel

Well, we should all be in our Nashville Era now. In case you missed it, Taylor Swift’s two-year worldwide Eras tour took over the globe and – in Britain in particular – country music has been on the rise. So, for the growing number of fans there is only one place on the planet to go: Nashville, Tennessee.

Music City, as it is known, is now a growing metropolis undergoing a radical transformation. Infrastructure projects include a new stadium for the state’s NFL team in which they hope to host a Super Bowl.

Nashville is also home to seemingly endless live-act music bars dotted around town. And there is also an obvious, concerted effort to keep the old traditions well in place while continuing to grow.

And grow is exactly what the “Swiftie” movement has done in recent years.

After the idol moved there full time in her early teens to chase her musical dreams, the star’s impact can be seen all over Nashville – from the bench in her honour at Centennial Park (which she sings about in “Invisible String” on her Folklore album), to the Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville, which is home to the Taylor Swift Education Centre. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever see that, but if there’s a blank space to fill, country music fans know all too well how to sort that.

A Grand Ole place

Currently in its 99th year, the world-famous Grand Ole Opry – the longest-running radio show in the world – put Nashville on the map.

The Ryman Auditorium in the middle of downtown, which has seen a who’s who of world music superstars perform there, was the original host of the Opry before it moved to its new home in 1974.

While the new building may be modern with a neon-filled stage fit for the 21st century and current surroundings including a shopping complex and outlet mall, the Opry pays homage to its former home in more ways than one.

Guests still sit on church-style wooden pews just like in the Ryman Auditorium, with the design and layout almost a carbon copy of its former home. And there, set in the middle of the stage, is a 6ft circle of wooden floorboards taken from the Ryman, where acts such as Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Harry Houdini, Bob Hope and Charlie Chaplin – among many more – all performed.

On my visit there, a debut act belted out one of their biggest hits. Vince Herman, the lead singer of bluegrass band Leftover Salmon, managed in one sentence to perfectly sum up the Opry and Nashville as a whole.

“These are the brand new good old days,” he crooned to the 4,000 in attendance, each of them soaking up the incredible atmosphere during the two-and-a-half-hour, eight-act show with tickets available from just $50.

A modern act and good old-fashioned pricing sums it up nicely.

The musts of Music City

While in Nashville, Broadway is THE place to go for live music. Packed with neon-clad honky-tonk bar after honky-tonk bar, this singular street is overflowing every night of the year, with people pouring out on to the road after listening to hours of live country music of all styles until the early hours.

Top of my list to check out are The Stage, a saloon-type bar which has the look and feel of a watering hole from any of your favourite Westerns, and Robert’s, a typical honky-tonk joint, which also does great food. While in there, check out the aptly-named $6 Recession Special, which consists of a fried bologna sandwich, moon pie, crisps and a refreshing can of Pabst Blue
Ribbon lager.

Tootsies is another classic Broadway experience belting out more country classics.

And there are plenty of celebrity-owned bars from music stars like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Garth Brooks that give the historic street some showbiz style.

If the live music scene fills your evenings – and it will – there is still more than enough to fill your days. The excellent Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum had a $100million expansion in 2014, which doubled its size. The building is essentially the complete history of the genre, detailing its roots in African American folk music right through to memorabilia from every notable country music star in American history, including Swift, the Carter Family, Hank Williams, Shania Twain, Loretta Lynn and current sensation Combs.

A short walk away is the interactive National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), which is another wonderful place to soak up just how intertwined the music scene is in America – and my visit there was, at times, a very moving way to spend an afternoon. Across the road from the NMAAM is Ryman where you can also take a brilliant tour and explore just how the “Mother Church” of country music came to be. Walking up to the stage, where you can smell the wooden pews which line the stalls, is a humbling experience

Seeing the light stream through the stained glass windows at the back of the room, while looking out from an artist’s perspective, makes you appreciate the history of that famous theatre even more.

Speaking of famous, one must-do away from the Broadway bars is the historic Studio B tour, where you can see the very spot and piano where Elvis recorded hits like Heartbreak Hotel and Are You Lonesome Tonight.

Places to stay

W Hotel in The Gulch neighbourhood was the perfect base. There are plenty of shops, bars and breakfast spots around and it is just a 15-minute walk to Broadway and the middle of downtown.

The modern, spacious rooms have possibly the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve ever slept on, while its own superb coffee shop in the lobby means your day can get off to a fast start. There is also a gym and fantastic L-shaped outdoor pool, which is perfect for those hot summer Nashville afternoons – or for waking you up on a brisk autumnal morning like it did for me – plus funky rooftop bar Proof where I sampled a punchy negroni.

Where to eat

As with most cities in America, there are influences from all over the world in Nashville cooking. One of the very best places I visited was Bad Idea in East Nashville. Bad Idea? It was anything but.

Newly placed on the New York Times “America’s Best Restaurants 2024”, the Laotian-inspired dishes are simply incredible and available until around 10pm when service switches over to a late-night, family-style sharing menu.

Set in what could be a bar from Batman’s Gotham City (perfect considering the AT&T Building in downtown is called The Batman Building by locals thanks to its looks) I tucked into the Nam Khao crispy rice with cashew and mint, chicken curry pot pie and larb radishes and apples which were all a delight. But the undoubted star of the show was the scallop stuffed crepe.

During the day there are food options everywhere but you need go no further than Hattie B’s for the best fried chicken around. With six different levels of spice there is something for everybody.

I was fearless and braved “hot”, which was delicious but as first-timers our server knew all too well and warned us off the “shut the cluck up” level, a true taste test for even the bravest diners.

Howdy y’all

Southern hospitality in Nashville was on show at all times, with people always ready to stop and chat on early-morning walks in the city – usually with a dog in tow.

People from all over the US come here for either a sports and music-filled weekend – or they move here to live the dream and, as one local told me, “there is more talent here pouring your water than in most other cities in the States”.

I was completely enchanted by my time in Nashville. And the world would be a bit better and brighter if more of us were as well. Nashville is a love story of music and food and, as Taylor says, are you ready for it?

Book the holiday

British Airways flies direct from Heathrow to Nashville. ba.com

In April, both Icelandair and Aer Lingus will begin non-stop routes from Reykjavík and Dublin with connections from UK airports. Visit icelandair.com and aerlingus.com

Rooms at the W Nashville hotel start at around £270 a night. marriott.com

More info at visitmusiccity.com