Photo courtesy of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, NashvilleChamber.com

Perhaps your connecting flight gets canceled or a road trip goes wrong and you find yourself cruising I40 in middle TN with no actual plans. You can’t do any better than Nashville TN. Make sure to pick up a copy of the Nashville Scene to see the Who, What and Where of the Nashville life. Here you might find a few interesting suggestions available at any time.

Try an early morning run, or walk, in Centennial Park off West End. Flanked by restaurants on all sides and boasting some of the most beautiful scenery to be found in the city. The mile long trail winds along the pond and circles the Parthenon. If you are lucky, one of the many festivals will just be starting. After the morning exercise, only the best breakfast will do. While most say the Pancake Pantry is the best place to go, the Bongo Breakfast at the Bongo Java coffeehouse off Belmont Blvd is never as crowded and the taste won’t disappoint.

Depending on your inclination, Green Hills offers some of the best shopping in Nashville, not to mention amazing restaurants. Take your pick of any of the surrounding restaurants and get a real treat. Watch out for traffic however. The shopping really is excellent so everyone heads that way on a Saturday. If the idea of traffic doesn’t delight you, head over to Hillsboro Village and take a look at what the Belcourt Theater is playing. The only independent theater left in Nashville, a Saturday afternoon is the perfect time to catch one of their Film Noirs playing from that fantastic era of black and white films.

While the Frist Musuem has no permanent collection of their own, the revolving exhibits from all over the world attract locals and tourists alike. Students are free on Saturdays so don’t forget your ID! The Union Station hotel is just across the street and offers an amazing bit of history for those inclined, as well as a place to lay your head for the night, should a room be open. Just a little further downtown there is the Country Music Hall Of Fame, so don’t hesitate to stop in and pay Patsy Cline and Hank Williams a visit. The original home of the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium is just around the corner. On stage, you might just meet the original Patsy Cline.

For dinner, I would recommend the Chicken Gorganzola at Past Perfect, a small restaurant located off of Broadway in the heart of Nashville. The flavors are amazing and the location of the place could not be better. If you linger a little over your after dinner coffee, you might be able to eavesdrop on the Haunted Pubs of Nashville tour. Tickets are available in advance, but if you sit upstairs, you might be able to catch a few hair-raising tidbits.

Already in the heart of Nashville, after dinner take a stroll along the very heart strings of country music. Honkytonks will welcome you with some of the best and worst that country music has to offer. Wildhorse Saloon and Tootsie’s are a must, but jump into a couple others, to really get the feel for the town.

Riverfront is just a few blocks away and a nightly stroll across the pedestrian bridge will give you the best view of the Music City Capital of the World. I hope you enjoy Music City!