re: Nashville trip help

Nashville is a great place, you will have a blast. When my wife and I went for our anniversary in March 2015, we stayed at the Hampton Inn at Korean Veteran's Blvd and 4th Avenue. We were less than four blocks from all of the major attractions/venues downtown, and maybe a block and a half off Broadway.

Must do things:
Country Music Hall of Fame + Studio B tour. The museum has some great rotating exhibits, when we were there they were featuring Kenny Rogers and Alan Jackson. The Hall of Fame section is my favorite part because of the layout and how it ties in to the history of the genre.

Ryman. Even if you just do the self guided tour, go in there. The history and the artists that have stood on that stage makes it worth the trip in and of itself. If you are there in December, I think the Opry should be there on Saturday nights (they come in from Opryland to the Ryman from sometime in November/December until early January I believe).

Johnny Cash Museum: Not nearly as big as the CMHOF, but very nice museum dedicated to all things Cash.

George Jones Museum: It wasn't open when we were there, but I have heard good things about it. Want to go back and check it out.

If the Opry isn't at the Ryman, still try to get tickets. It is worth the drive out to Opryland to see a show. I think our show was the 2615th consecutive Saturday night broadcast.

Things to do outside of the Broadway area:
I think someone has already mentioned the Parthenon. It is really cool.

If you are into history, take the time to drive out to Murfreesboro to Stones River National Battlefield. You can also go south to Franklin and see where Hood destroyed the Army of Tennessee.

The Jack Daniels tour is nice, but that is probably a day trip from Nashville, so decide if it is worth it to you.

Food: We ate at Jack's BBQ on Broadway. It was really good, and it puts you right in the heart of the honkytonks. If you want to grab a beer, there are a hundred places. I would suggest Tootsie's, only because it was a favorite of the Opry stars when the show was at the Ryman. There are stories of artists stepping out the side door of the Ryman, going in Tootsie's for a beer and being back in time for there set on the state.

Loveless Café out toward Franklin has a great reputation, especially for breakfast, but you have to get there early or else you will have a wait of 2+ hours to get a seat. Some folks say the food isn't worth the wait, others say it is.