At the turn of the 20th century, Nashville was home to a mere 80,000 people — the city was much smaller than the vibrant and growing 21st-century metropolis. But a lot of beautiful Art Deco architecture from the early 20th century remains downtown, you just have to look up above street level to notice these buildings. This walking tour is about 1.5 miles one-way, and starts at The Frist Center for the Visual Arts at 919 Broadway.
I’ll be honest — I recognize Johnny Cash’s unique voice. I know ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, ‘Ring of Fire’ and ‘I Walk the Line’ (the latter being an ill-advised karaoke pick of the past). But other than the songs that are absorbed by osmosis by musicians, I frankly knew almost nothing about Johnny Cash’s life and work. So, it was time to pay a visit to the Johnny Cash Museum, nestled just off Nashville’s Broadway.
The Cumberland River runs some 688 miles from the Appalachians to Kentucky, and provides a scenic backdrop to downtown Nashville. Thanks to a stylish pedestrian bridge connecting the banks, you can explore both sides of the river on foot. The bustling honky-tonk strip of Lower Broadway on the west bank provides contrast to the quiet natural space of the Shelby Bottoms greenway on the east side.
