Mapping Out Music City Text and photos by Whitney Burdette/Riverside High School I’ve always been a big country music fan, so visiting Nashville has been a dream of mine for a while. Recently, that dream came true when I was able to spend a weekend in the city. I was actually there for a youth newspaper conference, but I still found time to get out and explore a little. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the city’s biggest attractions — the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium. However, I did get to see some pretty cool other things. Nashville is a fun, vibrant and artsy place. My trip was an experience that I’ll truly never forget.

 

Nashville is a city of art — not just music. Here, a street artist on Broadway paints the facades of buildings across the street.	This bridge was built so football fans could park downtown and walk across the river to Titans Stadium to catch a game.	Line dancing is a popular Nashville pastime. Here, dancers show off their skills at the famed Wildhorse Saloon.	The author with one of the city’s numerous guitar statues, which honor Nashville-based guitar makers Gibson.	Nashville isn’t just for country music. Here, an accordian player provides music for diners at Blackstone’s Restaurant and Brewery.
A local blues band performs at B.B. King’s Blues Club, which like many other Nashville venues, hosts live music on a regular basis.	Although the weather was chilly during my visit, flowers like these were in bloom all over the city.	The historic Union Station Hotel is housed in the former Louisville & Nashville Railroad train depot. Converted into a hotel in 1986, the building still displays the station’s slate board train schedule, which hangs behind the registration desk.	Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge is a Nashville hotspot where many famous musicians, including Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline, have performed.	This is perhaps the most famous record shop in Nashville. It was founded by legendary bluegrass singer Ernst Tubb 58 years ago.