Car Hire Nashville - Mini guide to Nashville

Heralded as ‘Music City, USA’ and the country-music capital of the world, Tennessee's fast-growing capital city also shines as a leading centre of higher education, appropriately known as the ‘Athens of the South’. Nashville has prospered from both labels, emerging as one of the South's most vibrant cities in the process.

On any given night of the week in The District (downtown), you can hear live music in two dozen clubs and bars, and not all of the music is country music. There are blues bars, jazz clubs, 1970s retro discos, alternative-rock clubs, and even Irish pubs showcasing Celtic music. The local branch of the Hard Rock Café is packed with rock memorabilia from around Nashville and the world.

Nashville also has its share of shopping malls, theme restaurants, stadiums and arenas, but it is music that drives this city. However, Nashville attracts not only fans of country music, but just about anyone who enjoys a night on the town. With all the new developments taking place, it’s obvious that Nashville is a city ascendant, rising both as a city of the ‘new South’ and as Music City, USA.

Places of interest among Nashville’s modern office blocks are the State Capitol (1855), the Georgian-style Governor's Mansion, Belle Meade Mansion (1853), and Fort Nashborough, a replica of the city's original settlement. More famous are the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and Ryman Auditorium, site of the Grand Ole Opry country music performances until 1974.

The Tennessee State Museum, housed in the Performing Arts Centre, has exhibits on the rise of the state from the early pioneers to the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan. The War Memorial Building, opposite, houses the Military Museum.

The area known as Music Row, to the west of The District, is a haven for tourists in search of souvenirs of their musical heroes. Music Square is home to all the production companies and agents, and the nearby Country Music Hall of Fame has displays and video clips of top performers.

Riverfront Park is a lovely area for strolling and sitting and, together with the promenade along the Cumberland River, makes for an idyllic setting.

The major suburbs in Nashville are: Ashland City, Belle Meade, Brentwood, Goodlettsville, Hendersonville, Hermitage, La Vergne, Madison, Nolenville and Oak Hill.