Things to Do in Tennessee

The Johnny Cash Museum may be new to Nashville, but visitors to this Mecca devoted to the Man in Black say the place feels like it’s been around forever. Bill Miller, one of Cash’s closest friends, has gathered and cataloged the country singer superstar’s memorabilia for decades, resulting in a relatively small space that still manages to hold one of the most impressive—and exhaustive—Cash collections ever.

Visitors can wander through museum halls lined with memories and artifacts from the singer’s impressive career, including performance highlights and television cameos. But what makes the Johnny Cash Museum truly unique are the personal effects only a close friend could collect—childhood report cards, military uniforms, and handwritten love letters to Cash’s wives.

Known as "The Birthplace of Rock and Roll," this former studio is Memphis's own Mecca of music. Opened in 1950, the studio was the recording site of what is supposedly the first rock and roll single - Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats' Rocket 88. From there, Sun Studio took off, signing iconic rock and country artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis to its label and continuing to serve as the recording site for these superstars.

Today, take a tour of the famous studio's headquarters and see the place where legendary performers laid down their first hit singles. Among the artifacts on display includes the microphone Elvis Presley used in 1954 when he recorded his first song, "That's All Right." After a tour of the studio, enjoy refreshments or pick up a souvenir in the ‘50s-style Sun Studio Soda Shop and Record Store. Sun Studio's musical heritage and collection of one-of-a-kind memorabilia.

Peabody Hotel has some unique permanent guests in the famous “Peabody Ducks,” who live on the hotel’s rooftop and perform a march toward the Grand Lobby twice daily. The tradition dates back to 1933, when the general manager of the time returned from a weekend hunting trip and placed several of his live duck decoys in the hotel’s fountain. The guests’ positive response prompted their stay, and now five ducks live and train in the Peabody Hotel.

The Peabody Ducks are led by their “Duckmaster” (an official position in the hotel) from their home on the roof, down in an elevator, across a red carpet, and over to the Italian travertine marble fountain. They march to the tune of John Phillip Sousa’s King Cotton March. The ducks live in the “Duck Palace” on the roof when they’re not playing in the water of the lobby’s fountain, and can be visited there in the off hours.

Nashville may be the country music capital of America, but the Schermerhorn Symphony Center brings a touch of class to a bustling downtown area that’s filled with gritty bars and live music venues.

Since 2006, the Center’s Laura Turner Concert Hall has been home to the Grammy Award-winning Nashville Symphony. Its natural lighting, 30 soundproof windows and custom-built organ make for a unique concert experience. The smaller Mike Curb Family Music Education Hall hosts performances for children, schools and families as part of the Center’s Music Education City initiative. While the symphony is one of the hottest tickets in Nashville, visitors say even if you can’t catch a performance, it’s still worth touring the grand space and wandering through the beautiful public Martha Rivers Ingram Garden Courtyard on a trip to Nashville.

Built in 1928, the Orpheum Theater is a historic theater and one of America’s few remaining “movie palaces” from the 1920s era. Before it was the Orpheum, it was the site of the Grand Opera House and home to vaudeville performances for nearly two decades. Since then it has withstood the threat of bankruptcy, demolition and being burnt to the ground to become known as the “South’s Finest Theater.”

Decorated with ornate crystal chandeliers, luxe draperies, carved moldings, and a large pipe organ, the theater was restored in 1996 to its former glory along with an expansion of the stage and backstage areas. Today, the theater hosts top Broadway shows, concerts, comedy shows, and special events year-round. Many famous faces have graced the Orpheum stage, and it continues to be a center for arts and entertainment and culture of Memphis.

All music lovers as well as those just looking for a fun night out on the town will not want to pass up an opportunity to visit Beale Street. This 1.8 mi (2.9 km) stretch of restaurants, bars, and clubs is more than just a place to get a bite to eat. It is now considered "The Official Home of the Blues."

From 1920 to 1940, artists descended on Beale Street and began to collaborate with one another, creating a new music style that blended smooth jazz with hard charging rock 'n' roll. This blend eventually gave birth to the blues, a new and distinctly American genre of music that gradually made its way into the American pop culture mainstream.

A visit to Beale Street today allows you to check out the blues clubs that served as the launching sites for some of the most famous American blues musicians of all time.

It’s impossible to escape music in a city like Nashville, which makes a visit to RCA Studio B—where it kind of all began—so memorable. More than 35,000 songs have been recorded here, including 200 of Elvis Presley’s rock and roll hits and some 40 million-selling singles by country and rock legends. RCA Studio B is a piece of music history in the heart of city that loves its music. Visitors can wander the halls where Dolly Parton and The Everly Brothers once recorded, and even sit at the piano Elvis played.