Honky Tonkin’

NASHVILLE HONKY TONKS. According to those-in-the-know, a honky tonk must 1) Provide adult beverages, 2) Remain open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. and 3) Provide live music. There are more than you can count here in Music City and it seems every entertainer now has their name in neon on Broadway these days in Nashville. From Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Johnny Cash, Miranda Lambert, John Rich and George Strait’s soon-to-be honky tonk; to Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson, Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks’ recently opened, Friends in Low Places. On Lower Broadway, the five-block stretch between the Bridgestone Arena and the Cumberland River will yield no shortage of honky tonks at which to dine and imbibe.

While Lower Broadway has changed dramatically since my first visit in 2008 as today’s Country musicians renovate establishments where old school honky tonks and businesses have weathered the years, I continue to enjoy walking this area to hear musicians who share their music with the 16 million visitors who flock here annually. One of the best, longest standing and not-to-be-missed? Be sure to swing into Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, connected to the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium.

Note: This was an Airstream-free excursion. While Jim attended his high school reunion in Ashland, Oregon, I jumped on a (smooth!) flight from Medford-SLC-Nashville.