I recommend visiting the Hermitage if you have a rental car and a couple of hours. Andrew Jackson’s home has been expertly preserved and the tours were pretty impressive, though it’s been a few years since I’ve been. Or, and this is a bit more of a drive, but the Jack Daniels’ distillery is only about an hour out of town, and their tours are really cool, even though you don’t get samples.

If you’re a music junkie, it’s probably worthwhile to spend a couple hours jumping from bar to bar on Broadway and 2nd Ave downtown. Nearly every place will have a live band going, and if you don’t mind hearing 5-6 different versions of “Family Tradition” and $4 Bud Lights, it’s a fun trip. It’s not something I would recommend doing regularly, but it’s fun if you’re visiting of haven’t been in a few months.

Finally, the Loveless Cafe is usually a must-see for visitors. Great food, scenic ride out, and a very country atmosphere. It’s a little bit overrated at this point, but the food is pretty damn good. http://www.lovelesscafe.com/

Hope that helps. Enjoy your trip down to Music City.

Where are you staying?

What kind of music do you like? There’s a bunch of different places to catch different types of live music. From the Bluebird Cafe to the Wildhorse Saloon to the Grand Ole Opry there’s a lot of country music here. But there’s a lot of other music as well. Check the Nashville Scene (free local paper) for a live music schedule. The Scene is available online or at most businesses. Also, there’s always the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Will you be able to go out after normal work hours other than the one day you have to really explore?

What type of history are you into – music related or maybe civil war? There’s plenty of both around the city (though some of the historical civil war sites are a bit further out of town (Franklin, etc).

Food wise, most people want to hit up Loveless Cafe (known for their country breakfast) or the Pancake Pantry. You can avoid the long lines if you plan well. There are tons of great local restaurants depending on what you’re in the mood for. I’m sure we could drum up a list of recommendations depending on what you want (BBQ, pizza, italian, etc.)

The Predators don’t start back up until March 2nd and Vanderbilt has a game Saturday March 6th, if you care to check out some sports. Alternatively, Vanderbilt might have a baseball game or two while you’re here…they’re pretty fun (and inexpensive to attend).

A couple of links that should help:

Nashville Scene
Visit Music City

If you like Bluegrass and history, can’t beat it. Saw a great Gillian Welch show there. It’s the only historic building left in The Gulch, but there’s some cool new restaurants around it.

I second the Jack’s BBQ and lower Broadway honky-tonk music scene idea.

Oh, and drop by The Parthenon if you have a minute. I mean, c’mon, a full scale replica of ancient Greek architecture in the heart of Nashville, TN?

Skip the JD distillery and just drink a bunch of it while listening to Nashville’s finest pickers at The Stage, Tootsies and Legend’s Corner…

And suggest Sunset Grill for a decent meal.

Sam’s is one of the best sports bars anywhere.

Pancake Pantry is every bit as good as its billing; only time I’ve gone when there wasn’t a line was when I stayed up from the night before and went when it opened around 6am.