Nashville : Cowboy, Country and Camp
If any city truly has a soul, it would be Nashville, Tennessees capital. A notch on the countrys 'Bible Belt,' Nashville is also a modern city with a deep history - and of course, a strong love for music. Beyond that, it is a city that many gay men and lesbians call home. Along with straight allies, they are working hard to shape Nashville into a welcoming destination. And they are succeeding.
Nashvilles gay community is visible and active. Among the citys legislators is a gay County Council member, Keith Durban. Theres a new gay community center, and Nashvilles annual HRC fundraising dinner has been going strong for more than a decade, netting approximately $50,000 in 2008.
From the likes of Little Richand and k.d. lang to Dolly Parton and Kid Rock, many celebrities have found a welcoming home in Nashville and gay visitors will too.
StayNashvilles downtown hotels are in easy walking distance of the citys more popular attractions. The Renaissance and the Doubletree (a TAG-approved hotel), two large contemporary properties, offer quality service and accommodations. For a step back in time, the historic
Hermitage Hotel is a beautiful, ornate hotel. Opened in 1910, this five-star propertys guests have ranged from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Bette Midler.
Eat
For Southern cooking, Loveless Cafe doesnt disappoint. The fried chicken, hashbrown casserole and made-from-scratch biscuits are just a few items that will have you loosening your belt to make more room. Many locals also recommend Swetts, which is just outside the downtown core of Nashville (Loveless is about 30 mins from downtown). Representing three generations of ownership by the same African-American family, it too specializes in southern cooking but service is cafeteria style.
In revitalized East Nashville, Margot Caf & Bar, by homegrown chef Margot McCormack, offers superb French and Italian cuisine, and the nearby Mad Donnas draws a crowd as eclectic as its menu.
You have to get to the Pancake Pantry, located in the Hillsboro neighborhood near Vanderbilt University, early if you want to avoid a line. However, if you are late, its worth the wait. This place has some of the best buttermilk pancakes. In the same area, are two gay-friendly eats: Sunset Grill and Boscos.
And if it is a sweet or savory cold treat you need, Las Paletas Gourmet Popsicles is a hidden gem worth discovering. While enjoying one of these cool delights, be sure to stop by Katy K Design, a unique Western wear shop owned by Katy Kattelman. A transplant from New York City, Kattelman has dressed a wide variety of entertainers including a number of drag performers such as the legendary Joey Arias.
See/Do
You dont have to be a fan of country music to appreciate the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, as it not only pays tribute to great talent but also history as told through the music of the time. Much of that music was heard and continues to be heard in the Grand Ole Opry, from its current home adjacent to the Gaylord Resort and Opry Mills shopping outlets, and in the century-old Ryman Auditorium.
Although music shapes much of the city, Nashville has a commitment to the broader arts as well. There is the Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the Athenian original - complete with the statue of Athena; the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, which is hosting a Rodin exhibit through January 2009; and small private galleries, including the gay-owned Rymer.
Visitors should also make a point to stop by Hatch Show Print, one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America. Over the last century of operations, the shops iconic posters have been used to promote performers ranging from Johnny Cash to Elton John.
When it comes to a formal tour of the city, you can choose from mainstream companies such as Gray Line, or the campy NashTrash operated by the Jugg Sisters aboard their 'big pink bus.'
Play
Gay nightlife in Nashville is primarily concentrated in a few blocks of Church Street, west of the downtown core. There are a handful of bars and nightclubs alongside Outloud bookstore, Revive caf, and the OutCentral community center.
Blue Genesis a divey bar that attracts a laidback, neighborhood crowd. A few doors down is Tribe, a stylish video lounge bar, sandwiched between its sister establishments: Red, a staple for dinner and brunch, and Play, a dance club that has fantastic drag shows and a state-of-the-art sound and light system that rivals anything found in New York City or South Beach. In East Nashville, across from Mad Donnas, is the lesbian-centric Lipstick Lounge.
Gay or straight, Nashvilles famed honky-tonks along lower Broadway in downtown are a required experience. These heel-kicking joints have launched many a career and deliver outstanding live entertainment from morning to night - and always without a cover. Among the best are Tootsies Orchid Lounge and Legends Corner. For a more 'progressive, honky-tonk-esque' setting, the Bluebird Cafe offers some amazing acoustic performances, past gay notables have included Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls.
For more information about Nashville, call (800) 657-6910 or visit www.visitmusiccity.com.
Troy Petenbrink resides in Washington, DC and is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association.
