Lower Broadway in Nashville is four blocks of fun known as the Honk Tonk Highway. Country music, food, lots of adult beverages, and thousands of music fans. There are also an incredible number of bachelorette parties, in matching glitzy outfits, cruising the strip in party buses. The buses compete with theme-related transports vying for attention and sharing the road with “pedal pubs”, and regular traffic. As daylight fades, police block off the streets and create a more pedestrian-friendly area for the throngs of music fans pouring in. Nashville is called Music City for a reason.
Meet Us at The Oasis
Reportedly, there are more than 32 Honky Tonk bars in this part of Music City. We decided to be selective and after surveying the area, entered Garth Brooks’ new venue – “Friends in Low Places” or #FILP as they like to call it.
It was about 6 PM and a good group was performing on the first floor. After the set was over, we headed up to the third level – known as the “Oasis” (something all Garth Brooks fans will recognize). A terrific DJ was spinning all sorts of music. The rain of earlier had cleared and the temps were perfect at this rooftop location. It was enjoyable to simply be a voyeur and watch the antics on the street below as well as other rooftop bars.
Stars of the Future – the Huffer Brothers
On our way to another venue, we were stopped in our tracks by an incredible band on the first level of #filp. The Huffer Brothers were so entertaining, we were glued to our seats for the next two hours. Yes, they played without a break. And they covered country, rock, and even rap, along with lots of humorous segues and banter. As a Tennessee grad, I am qualified to say it was the best rendition of “Rocky Top” I have ever heard. The fiddling was over the top. The guitar solo during the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic “Free Bird” was also beyond belief. Incredible talent, wonderful performers, and so much fun!
An Ice Cream Nightcap
By the time we left, crowds were surging. We left the night to the youngsters and, walked around to take in the late-night sights. A successful ice cream hunt found Jeni’s Ice Cream, providing a nice nightcap.
Walking back to our hotel, the historic Union Station, we passed a number of significant early Nashville sites. We saw the old Customs House, first school, Ryman Auditorium, churches, and (for my hockey fans) the Predators’ Arena.
I’ll let the pics try and convey a bit of the Honky Tonk Highway atmosphere.
Of note: on the Honky Tonk Highway there are NO cover charges and they are open 10 AM – 3 AM, 365 days a year.
During our recent visit to Nashville, we stayed at the renovated Union Train Station in Nashville Yards. It is very conveniently located a few blocks up Broadway from all the popular honky-tonk country music bars and clubs.
Union Station is beautifully restored and repurposed. The ornate ceiling features 128 panels of original curved glass manufactured by The Luminous Prism Company (a competitor of Tiffany Glass). Bas relief sculptures surround the Grand Lobby illustrating the history of transportation from the beginning of time until 1900 when the building opened to the public.
The seven-story hotel is now a Marriott Autograph Collection property. If you go, be aware they have first-floor rooms with an enclosed patio that would not be my choice. Ask for a larger room with a view. Rooms are varied in size and some are small. Suites are located along the fifth-floor balcony level and have ceiling heights of 18-22’.
My husband is a train fanatic, and he enjoyed having a view of the tracks and watching freight trains come and go. Sadly, Nashville is no longer a stop for passenger trains.
Another Historic Property Saved
A nice bar and restaurant are on-site and a chamber quartet was playing in the expansive lobby. Slated for destruction, a “Save Our Station” effort was successful. Nashville’s train station reopened as a boutique hotel in 1986 and is now listed as one of the Historic Hotels of America. I suggest visitors stop by the front desk and pick up a brochure for a self-guided tour. It’s a good overview of this beautiful National Register of Historic Places site.
My favorite trivia fact: To entertain travelers, baby alligators were imported from Florida and placed in two pools located on track level. The baby gators spent the winter inside the warm train station in a temporary lobby pool. I just wonder what they did when those baby gators reached adolescence?
You read it right. Florida is the only state with an embassy in our Nation’s Capital.
Appropriately named Florida House, it’s a beautifully restored historic 1891 row house, located across from the Supreme Court with picture-perfect views of the Capitol, just one block away. I knew about Florida House but had been unable to visit during the pandemic years. I finally got there a few months ago and couldn’t help feeling pleased to see my home state show off a bit.
Florida House serves as a meeting place, gallery, museum, and ambassador for the Sunshine State. Everyone who crosses the threshold is offered a free glass of cold Florida orange juice.
The beautiful work of iconic Florida environmental photographer Clyde Butcher is currently on display at the house. You can also enjoy old Florida maps, sports memorabilia from state championship teams, classic Florida furnishings, discover fun Florida facts, explore state-wide travel information, and visit the small gift shop.
Owned by the people of Florida, no state or federal tax dollars support Florida House. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, it is supported by donations from generous Floridians and Floridians-at-Heart. Funds collected from rental fees for meetings and events held onsite bolsters the annual budget to staff and maintain facilities.
During the 1960s Rhea Chiles and her family were on vacation in DC and found themselves lost on Embassy Row. One of her young children suggested going to the Florida embassy for directions. The kids had a lesson about only countries having embassies, but a seed was planted in Rheas’s mind. During her husband Lawton’s first term as a US Senator, that seed sprang to life when she walked past what was then a crumbling derelict – with a for sale sign in front.
Rhea (who eventually was First Lady of Florida), had the vision to purchase the site in 1973 and launched a volunteer army of supporters, and along with $5,000 of her own money, raised the necessary $125,000.
When originally constructed by Edwin C. Manning, an architect working on the nearby Library of Congress, the Supreme Court had yet to be built. There was an unobstructed view straight to the Capitol.
Industry groups, associations, and elected officials book facilities for meetings, school groups visit for tours, families on vacation stop by, and art lovers come to see the latest exhibit by Florida artists. A non-partisan venue, all visitors are welcome free of charge, Monday-Friday from 9 AM until 5 PM. The site is closed during Federal holidays.
I’ll be back with my family sometime soon. The next time you’re in DC, join the 10,000 annual guests and check out our Florida hospitality. www.floridahousedc.org
The rain has passed, the sky is clear, temps in the 60s and we are in another little slice of heaven. Linville, NC.
