Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, is a relatively small city — 713,000 people — that has played a big role in the region and in the country. After the destruction of the Civil War, Nashville remade itself into a center for arts and education, such that it earned the sobriquet “Athens of the South.” It also boasts the state’s tallest building, home to AT&T and affectionately known as the “Batman Building” for its twin peaked towers that resemble the character’s sharp-eared cowl.
Music, of course, is the big draw here, and for anyone interested in America’s rich heritage of country music, Nashville is the place to go. Among the key attractions are the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the historic Ryman Auditorium, where the Grand Ole Opry began its radio broadcasts in 1943. On weekends, Lower Broadway — known as the Honkytonk Highway — closes to vehicle traffic and turns into a raucous neon-lit street party.