Nashville switches gears a bit during the holidays to come alive in a way other Southern cities can’t because they don’t have the Grand Ole Opry House. During the Christmas season, the Grand Ole Opry show temporarily leaves its home at the Opry House to return to its former home, the famed Ryman Auditorium downtown, also known as “The Mother Church of Country Music.” While the Opry is doing its holiday thing at the Ryman, a slice of the Big Apple comes to Music City when the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, featuring the Rockettes, takes up residence at the Opry House for a special run of shows through Christmas Eve.
This Christmastime switcheroo has been happening for years, but it’s not the only noteworthy holiday tradition in the city. The 61st annual Christmas Parade through downtown occurs on December 6, and the Music City New Year’s Eve Bash takes place on Lower Broadway, featuring a free concert and fireworks at midnight.
Nashville has a rich heritage that predates country music, best experienced at the city’s handful of historic mansions and estates. Visitors can revel in the sights, sounds and traditions of a bygone era. At the Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson, evening holiday mansion tours are available on December 5, 12 and 19, when the house is decked out the way it was when Jackson lived in it. Take the tour to find why the family never had a Christmas tree and hung their stockings on the sofa instead of over the fireplace.
Belmont Mansion, built in the style of an Italian Villa and completed in 1853, is the largest house museum in Tennessee. To see what Christmas might have looked like on a grand estate of the Victorian period, Belmont’s the place, decorated in the elegant style of the era. A free Christmas concert, featuring a performance of Corelli’s “Christmas Concerto,” takes place on December 9.
Belle Meade Plantation, founded in 1807, also dons period-appropriate holiday finery at its Greek-Revival mansion and on its expansive grounds. And Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art contains yet another stately mansion and grounds dressed to the nines for the season.
The Cheekwood mansion was once home to the Cheek family of Maxwell House Coffee fame. That brand of coffee, incidentally, was named after the former Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. Visiting Cheekwood during the holidays is a tradition for many local families and tourists, never disappointing with its grand, themed displays and a plethora of activities for all ages, including this year’s “Martini’s and Mistletoe” event on December 6 and the family gingerbread workshops on December 7 and 14.
For a more modern Nashville holiday experience, head to Gaylord Opryland Resort for “A Country Christmas.” The resort adorns itself with over two-million lights and provides a multitude of events and activities, such as this year’s main feature, ICE! This interactive display of life-sized, hand-carved ice sculptures puts you right in the middle of the action of the favorite holiday children’s tale, “Frosty the Snowman.” The resort is adjacent to the Opry House, where the Radio City Christmas Spectacular takes place with the high-stepping Rockettes. On the other side of the Opry House, Opry Mills is a giant, indoor shopping mall — in the same spot where those of a certain age may remember the amusement park, now long gone — where you can get your last-minute Christmas shopping done.
If you’d like more of an in-town, city life atmosphere for your holiday shopping, the neighborhoods of Hillsboro Village and 12th South are hip, chic areas worth exploration, not only for their locally-owned boutiques and plentiful dining options, but also for the neighborly vibe.
But that neighborly vibe is felt all over Nashville, a big metro area with a great sense of community about it, from the honky-tonks to the city sidewalks. Families looking to hit the road this season and start some new holiday traditions together would do well to visit Music City, a sophisticated place with a rich heritage that goes well beyond country music, especially at Christmas time.
If you go
Nashville is approximately a three-hour-and-45-minute drive from Atlanta via I-75 north and I-24 west.
For tickets and info about the Opry at the Ryman shows, visit opry.com. For the Radio City Christmas Spectacular shows visit radiocitychristmas.com and click the “On Tour” tab.
Stay
Hermitage Hotel
Historic hotel property in the heart of downtown with elegant, luxurious accommodations. The Capitol Grille at the hotel is one of Nashville’s top fine dining spots. Room rates start at $259. 231 Sixth Avenue North, Nashville. 615-244-3121; thehermitagehotel.com.
Gaylord Opryland Resort
Large resort property next door to the Grand Ole Opry House, home to “A Country Christmas” festivities. Rates start at $159. 2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville. 615-889-1000; marriott.com.
Eat
Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant
The grocery part of the name is more of an homage to this legendary eatery’s original location in nearby Leiper’s Fork. This location, a block away from the Hermitage Hotel, is more restaurant than grocery, serving Southern comfort food for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as dishing up live music. Dinner entrees start at $11.99. 500 Church St. Nashville. 615-770-2772; puckettsgrocery.com.
Burger Up
Popular farm-to-table burger bistro in the trendy 12 South neighborhood with an easy-going vibe in its inviting, eye-pleasing space. Burgers with a side start at $9. 2901 12th Ave. South, Nashville. 615-279-3767; burger-up.com.
Visitor Info
The Nashville Visitor Information Center is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue South and Broadway downtown, inside the glass tower of the Bridgestone Arena. 615-259-4747; visitmusiccity.com.
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