In a Saturday night in 1927, the radio broadcast of an opera came to a close. Announcer George D. Hay followed with his live country music radio show of two years, "WSM Barn Dance" from Nashville, Tenn.\n"Folks," he reportedly said, "for the last hour you've been listening to music taken largely from the grand opera … well y'all just sit on back 'cause from now on you're gonna hear the Grand Ole Opry!" Thus the longest running live radio show was realized.\nIt moved to different venues to accommodate the increasing number of fans who wanted to watch the show live. Its stint at the Ryman Auditorium led the venue to be called the "Mother Church of Country Music." And the events that followed the Opry's success gave Nashville its nickname: Music City, USA.\nNot surprisingly, Nashville is a mecca for country music fans. But don't be fooled; the city also offers a number of unique opportunities for history, arts and nature enthusiasts.
Historic Sites\nThe Tennessee State Capitol, completed in 1859, was designed by architect William Strickland, who considered it his best work. Admission is free. Guided tours are available Monday through Friday at varying times. It is located at Charlotte Avenue between Sixth and Seventh avenues. For more details, visit www.tnmuseum.org/exhibitions/specialcollections/capitol.html.\nFort Nashborough, 170 First Ave. N., is a replica of the original settlement built by the pioneers who founded Nashville on Christmas Eve in 1779. Admission is free and there is a self-guided tour. \nBelle Meade Plantation is known as the "Queen of Tennessee Plantations." It was a world-renowned thoroughbred horse farm in the early 19th-century. Guides in period costumes give tours of the plantation daily. The plantation currently is hosting the Tennessee Jazz and Blues Society's "Concert on the Lawn" series through August. It is located at 5025 Harding Road. For admission prices and details, see www.bellemeadeplantation.com or call 1-800-270-3991.
Art Museums\nLocated at 919 Broadway, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts opened its 24,000 square feet of gallery space in April 2001. It is located in Nashville's historic former downtown post office. The Center hosts both traveling and themed exhibitions that last up to three years. Until mid-August, you can see Medieval and Byzantine art, Ottoman art and works by Alicia Henry. For admission prices and details, visit http://www.fristcenter.org or call (615) 889-1000. \nThe Carl Van Vechten Gallery on the Fisk University campus features a permanent collection of Modern American and European art that was donated by Georgia O'Keeffe in 1949. The collection, named after O'Keeffe's husband, Alfred Stieglitz, includes works by Picasso, Cezanne, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and others. A second gallery displays traveling and temporary exhibitions. Admission is free. It can be found at 18th North and Jackson streets. For details, visit www.fisk.edu or call (615) 329-8500.
Nature\nThe Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park is a 19-acre area housing sculptures that highlight Tennessee's history and culture, including an area containing 31 fountains, each representing a predominant Tennessee waterway. The park also houses a detailed World War II Memorial. Admission is free. The park is located between Sixth and Seventh avenues at the foot of the State Capitol. \nCheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art is located at the 55-acre Cheek family estate. In addition to the museum, the grounds hold 10 botanical gardens and the Woodland Sculpture trail that features sculptures by internationally recognized artists. It is located at 1200 Forest Park Dr. For admission prices and details, visit www.cheekwood.org or call (615) 356-8000.
Music\nThe Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is a place not just for country music fans. In addition to live performances and interactive exhibits, you can see rare costumes and belongings of country music stars, such as Elvis Presley's 1961 Cadillac. One of the museum's most prized possessions is a Thomas Hart Benton mural named "The Sources of Country Music." It was Benton's tribute to singing cowboy Tex Ritter. Benton reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack just before signing his work, and so it is absent from the piece. \nMusic Valley is an area of Nashville dedicated to everything music, including the Music Valley Wax Museum, the Willie Nelson and Friends Museum and the Music Valley Car Museum. There are a number of live venues -- including the Nashville Palace, which showcases different country music bands, and the Texas Troubadour Theatre. The latter shows both a two-hour musical and a musical tribute to Elvis Presley. It is also the home of the Nashville Cowboy Church. For information and tickets, visit the Music Valley Drive Information Center at 2416 Music Valley Dr., Suite 100 or call (615) 871-4005.\nThe Grand Ole Opry plays every Friday and Saturday night, and on Tuesdays between April and December. For details about times and prices, visit www.opry.com or call (615) 871-OPRY.\nThe list of attractions above is by no means exhaustive. It seems Nashville offers something to satisfy the most varied of interests from agriculture at the Agricultural Museum to doll collecting at the Hartzler-Towner Multicultural Museum, which holds a collection of 700 international dolls. At Centennial Park you can see the only full-scale reproduction of the Parthenon. It is also considered the tallest indoor sculpture. You can even learn line dancing at the Wildhorse Saloon every night of the week or take a ride on a paddle-wheel riverboat with General Jackson Showboat. For information about these attractions and more, visit www.nashvillecvb.org. \nFinally, if you want a taste of Nashville, eat a "GooGoo." Considered the nation's oldest combination candy bar, this chewy cluster combines peanuts, caramel, marshmallows and milk chocolate.
