kurlanddrake

I'm going to Nahville with my 80 year old mom. We want to stay in a nice central location (Union Station is full) and go to some music venues that will be comfortable for her (no standing). Any recommendations? Also restaurant recommendations would be appreciated.

jent103

When is your trip? Any particular kind of music? What is your budget for and what type of food? There's all kinds here, but I don't want to recommend the local dives if you're interested in more fine dining (or vice versa).

Will you have a car?

The Bluebird Cafe is one of your best bets for music. They take it very seriously there, meaning they frown on chit-chat, phone use, etc during a performance. I'd recommend buying your tickets in advance - the Bluebird is featured on the show Nashville and it's been even busier than usual thanks to the exposure. The Station Inn also has seating and generally has the most "true" country/bluegrass around town. It looks like a complete dive but it's a lot of fun. Any of the honky-tonks on Lower Broadway will have some seating, though people generally go there more for the atmosphere than the music. Of course there's the Opry (out at the Opryland complex, except in winter when it's at the Ryman) and the Ryman Auditorium. The Ryman is a really fantastic venue and has acts from all kinds of genres.

As far as hotels, I live here so I haven't stayed in any, but most places downtown (south of the Capitol, north of the Country Music Hall of Fame, east of Union Station) are pretty central. You might check out this free bus - it's fairly new and I haven't used it yet, but sounds like it could be very handy, especially if your mom has any mobility issues. The Blue line is probably most helpful.

http://www.nashvillemta.org/Nashvill...ty-Circuit.asp

kurlanddrake

thank you! We're staying at Union Station. I'll definitely make a reservation at the Bluebird Cafe.

crystalp

If you have a car and don't mind a short trip to the outskirts of the Nashville area, check out The Loveless Cafe. The food is great , and the atmosphere is quaint, down home, with a little cute shop attached. Also, East Nashville has lots of local, yummy places, especially around Five Points close to downtown. I recommend Pizzareal at Five Points for pizza, Sweet 16th for a breakfast sandwich and sweet, and a little further from Five Points, there's Mitchell's Deli, for a fresh ingredient, local sandwich shop. Or, Marche, close to downtown, for some artisan, yummy, local food.

yestravel

Any recommendations on places to stay under $200 a night? I keep checking hotels and they are over $200. Would like someplace that is central with parking. We'll be there the beginning of June. Thanks

jent103

yestravel, you might want to start your own thread to avoid confusion with the OP, but - downtown and Vanderbilt-area hotels tend to be pretty expensive. You could try bidding on Priceline or Hotwire, but the downtown area on Hotwire could land you in a couple of not-so-nice areas. (The Vanderbilt/Music Row area would all be fine, but it's not really walking distance to downtown, if that's important to you.)