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July 2009
Nashville, Tennessee
July 1, 2009: It's a big holiday weekend in Nashville. Wynonna Judd will be signing autographs at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 4 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. She'll move on to Riverfront Park to headline Nashville's 25th anniversary of the Music City July 4th Let Freedom Sing celebration. Appearing with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra at 7 p.m., Wynonna will continue performing with the Gabe Dixon Band during the evening. Don't leave Riverfront Park early because the city's grand firework display will start here around 9:25 p.m. Touted as one of the country's best firework spectacles, it's a show that is immensely popular with Nashvillians and visitors.
June 24, 2009: The CMA Awards Show has been announced and it's scheduled for Wed., Nov. 11, 2009 at the Sommet Center. Our 2-night hotel/tickets packages (including Platinum, Gold, Silver, & Bronze) feature two downtown hotels that are within walking distance of the Sommet Center, the Courtyard and the Hampton, and one midtown hotel, the Guesthouse Inn Vanderbilt, located approximately 15 blocks from the Sommet Center. You can book online here: CMA Award Show 2009.
June 12, 2009: LP Field was rocking last night for the CMA Music Festival, even though there was a delay because of the second storm of the day that blew into Nashville. The fans hung out in the concourse until the all clear signal was given. They were rewarded for their wait: Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, and Brad Paisley delivered wonderful performances that didn't finish until after 2 a.m. For the final number, Brad brought Dierks back on to help him toast the occasion with a splendid rendition of "Alcohol."
June 11, 2009: In typical Tennessee fashion, the weather turned dramatic this morning—for a little while. A severe thunderstorm blew into town just in time to delay the opening of the CMA Music Festival. Gretchen Wilson was set to kick off the performances at Riverfront Park at 10 a.m., but the show was postponed due to the storm. Everything got back on track after a bucket or two of rain was dropped. According to news reports, the music began at Riverfront about 30 minutes later than scheduled.
The CMA has just announced that Kenny Chesney will be performing on Sunday, June 14 at LP Field. What a way to close the Festival!
June 7, 2009: The CMA has just announced that Kenny Chesney will be performing on Sunday, June 14 at LP Field. What a way to close the Festival!
June 5, 2009: Alan Jackson is celebrating his 20th anniversary in the music business by doing a free show on Wed., June 10 at the Cadillac Ranch on Lower Broadway in downtown Nashville. The show is scheduled for 8 p.m.. There is limited admission (one source says the Cadillac Ranch can hold about 1000 people) so wristbands for the show will be issued starting at 4:30 p.m. that afternoon. The line will begin to form much earlier than 4:30, but it's hard to estimate just how early you'll have to be there in order to secure one of those free prized wristbands. June 10 is, of course, the eve of the CMA Music Festival and Lower Broad will be wall-to-wall country music fans. See details here.
June 1, 2009: The CMA Music Festival is a little more than a week away and Nashville is gearing up for the biggest music event of the year for Music City. Looking for venue locations and events listings? Go to the new page we've just launched for Information to Help You Make the Most of the Festival.
May 30, 2009: Nashville's annual country music party is almost here. The CMA Music Festival begins Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Online sales of 2009 packages will end May 31, 2009 at midnight CST. If you are interested in a ticket/hotel package, hotels available are the Embassy Suites Opryland Airport and the Baymont Inn West. Seats are in the Lower Level in Section 135 (for the Embassy package and the 5-night Baymont package) or Section 133 (for the 3- night package at the Baymont). Upgrades to floor level seating is available for Section K, Row 40, Section F Row 3, or Section F Row 4. To see the virtues of these different sections (particularly section 135), visit our virtual tour of LP Field.
May 24, 2009: Thunderstorms are predicted for today and tomorrow, but as Nashvillians know, the weather is unpredictable and we may enjoy a beautiful holiday weekend after all. In Centennial Park tomorrow, the Nashville Blues Festival will be in full swing to help celebrate Memorial Day. For more information on the Festival, please call 615-271-2800.
May 19, 2009: Three weeks and counting until the CMA Music Festival opens its stages. We're excited that Wynonna, along with a special appearance of the Judds, is part of the 2009 lineup.
April 18, 2009: Honor your home: take time to attend the Earth Day Festival in Centennial Park, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There'll be all sorts of exhibits and demonstrations on the environment, clean air, water, food and farming, cooking demonstrations, organic gardening, and activities for children. Free and open to the public.
April 1, 2009: We've collected stories of some of the memorable April Fool's hoaxes of recent vintage. Enjoy!
March 29, 2009: Despite the cold front that came in last night to remind us that winter is not quite through with us yet, the delicate yet durable wildflowers of Tennessee are beginning to show themselves in abundance. An array of hikes and wildflower festivals will be happening all over the state during the next six weeks.
March 17, 2009: It's a beautiful day in Nashville with a high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) predicted and sunshine. Consider the contrast to St. Patrick's Day 1892 when Nashville received its largest snowfall in history, 17 inches. It's record that has not been broken. Read about this remarkable meteorological event in Nashville and how about town snowdrifts were marked with signs such as “In Memory of Dixie That is Froze” and “Where Are the Violets You Promised?”
March 1, 2009: Our 2009 Guide to Tennessee Wildflowers is now online with listings for wildflower hikes and events in middle Tennessee and the Smokies. Most hikes are scheduled in April, but Warner Parks have events planned for this month as well.
Feb. 28, 2009: It's cold and wet and overall, pretty gloomy, but here it is the last day of February and the wildflowers are in the wings, getting ready for the wonderful spectacle known as Spring in Tennessee.
Feb. 16, 2009: The spring concert season in Nashville includes Joan Baez on Feb. 27 at TPAC and Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley at the Sommet Center on March 14.
Feb. 14, 2009: The Nashville Ballet's production of Twyla Tharp's Sinatra Suite continues through Feb. 21 at TPAC's Polk Theatre.
Feb. 2, 2009: Paint Made Flesh, a new exhibit at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, has opened and runs through May 10.
Jan. 27, 2009: Look at what $1.00 will get you: through the end of January, you can view the exhibits of the art museum at Cheekwood and the wintry landscape of the botanical gardens for a mere buck. Until Feb. 1, the normal gate fee of $10.00 has been reduced to $1.00 per person. Featured among the current exhibits is a splendid Fabergé collection.
Jan. 20, 2009: It's a cold day here in Nashville (20 degrees F at 9:30 a.m.) and only a bit warmer in Washington, D.C. (23 degrees F). But the crowd of two million plus in the Mall at Washington seem to be braving the chill with excited spirits as they wait for the great spectacle of the Presidential Inauguration to begin.
Jan. 19, 2009: A candlelight vigil, a march, and a number of other special events mark the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Nashville.
Jan. 8 , 2009: The Grand Ole Opry is back at its winter home in the Ryman Auditorium--the music venue we favor above all others in Nashville. The Ryman is a small, intimate concert hall that is enriched by a long and remarkable history. Singers such as Enrico Caruso and Elvis Presley have performed there. Known as the "Mother Church of Country Music," the Ryman will play host to the Opry through the end of January and on Feb. 14 and Feb. 28. Our Gold Circle hotel/ticket packages for the 2009 season of the Opry will be announced tomorrow, January 9 and will be available for purchase online or by calling our toll free number 877-201-7663.
Jan. 1 , 2009: O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! It's a new day and a new year. The old year was ushered out with an historic win at LP Field yesterday afternoon: Vanderbilt University beat Boston College 16-14 at the Music City Bowl. It was Vanderbilt's first bowl win since 1955. O frabjous day indeed.
Dec. 31 , 2008: More than a hundred years ago, on Dec. 31, 1900, Thomas Hardy wrote a poem he originally titled "By the Century's Deathbed." It became one of the most famous and beloved of his works, although Hardy changed the title to something simpler, more literal, and, it turns out, more evocative. The poem's opening lines set a bleak and somber scene: "I leant upon a coppice gate When Frost was spectre-gray,/And Winter's dregs made desolate/ The weakening eye of day." But it is the improbable note of hope, in the midst of a death lament, that makes The Darkling Thrush such a wonderful poem to revisit--particularly as we close the book on 2008 and look toward the new year.
Dec. 30 , 2008: There's hardly a better place in Nashville to ring in the new year than the Ryman Auditorium and for the second year in a row, the talented Del McCoury Band will be headlining the show on Dec. 31. Tickets are available at the Ryman's website.
Dec. 23 , 2008: It's always a good time to think of others, but this year and at this time, it seems especially important to consider those less fortunate. There's a wonderful essay in the New York Times entitled Hard Times, A Helping Hand that is one of the best Christmas stories you're likely to read this year. Here in Nashville, there are those who are hungry and in need and you can lend your own helping hand by making a donation online to the local Second Harvest Food Bank.
Dec. 12 , 2008: It's opening night for the Nashville Ballet's production of the Nutcracker Suite. Featuring the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the Nutcracker will run through Dec. 21 at TPAC.
Dec. 1 , 2008: Nashville's 56th annual Christmas Parade is this Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m., with the start at 6th and Broadway. The parade, which includes marching bands, floats, and special entries, will progress to 2nd Avenue and then across the Woodland Street Bridge to LP Field. The lighting of the city Christmas tree will be hosted by Mayor Karl Dean at the Public Square preceding the parade at 6 p.m. and will feature live music. For more information regarding the Tree Lighting Ceremony and the Parade, see the sponsor's site at Piedmont Natural Gas Company.
Nov. 19, 2008: Football is on the minds of Nashvillians. Vanderbilt won its sixth game of the season this past weekend and became bowl eligible--for the first time since 1982. Can they make number seven happen this weekend when UT comes to town? And how about those undefeated Titans? Now 10 and 0, they'll be squaring off against the New York Jets this Sunday. It's going to be a great weekend for sports fans in Music City.
Nov. 4, 2008: It's a beautiful autumn day in Nashville and the voting stations are open. Take time to vote and to thank the volunteers at your voting station who donate their time so generously to staff the polls. For information about Tennessee elections, visit the TN Dept. of State's website on Division of Elections.
Nov. 3, 2008: On the eve of an historic election, let's remember what a poet named Emily Dickinson had to say about hope.
Nov. 1, 2008: Obama's website has a handy polling place locator: if you're looking for where to vote on Nov. 4, you can go here and plug in your home address and you'll be shown your polling place, along with a Google map and directions from your home. Here in Nashville, the weather forecast predicts a sunny fall day for Tuesday.
Oct. 31, 2008: It's Halloween and Friday to boot. There's a pumpkin full of free and inexpensive things to do in Nashville tonight to celebrate this holiday that began in European pagan traditions as All Hallows' Eve.
Oct. 22, 2008: Here's a BlueShoe special for significant savings on CMA Awards Show 2008 Hotel/Ticket packages.
Oct. 5, 2008, 8:12 p.m.: West End is celebrating! Vanderbilt has defeated Auburn for the first time since 1955. The 14-13 victory puts Vanderbilt at the top of the SEC with a 5-0 record (3-0 against SEC opponents).
Oct. 5, 2008: What a wonderful weekend to be in Nashville. There's so much to do and much of it is FREE, including the Festival of Cultures in Centennial Park, the free day of music at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and the free day of admission at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Check out the events at our Nashville Happenings page and our Free Things to Do page.
Oct. 3, 2008: Barack Obama and John McCain will debate at Belmont University next Tuesday and Nashville is gearing up to welcome the presidential candidates to Music City. There'll be a range of forums, parties, and special events leading up to the debate on Nov. 7. See a schedule of events at our Happenings page. This weekend is chockablock full of activities, particularly in the West End area. Auburn University is coming to town to meet the undefeated Vanderbilt Commodores (4 & 0) and it's Parents' Weekend at Vanderbilt.
Oct. 1, 2008: The first round of performers for the Nov. 12 CMA Awards Show has been announced. Artists who will be performing include Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban. See the full press release here.
Sept. 9, 2008: Tomorrow on Good Morning America, Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts will announce the nominees for the CMA Awards 2008. The Awards Show airs nationally on Nov. 12 from Nashville's Sommet Center. If you're interested in attending, read about our Awards Show packages that feature Gold level tickets and two nights hotel.
August 23, 2008: Martina McBride and Trace Adkins perform tonight on the Grand Ole Opry.
August 5, 2008: Free Things to Do in Nashville and our Music Guide have recently been updated.
August 4, 2008: Enjoy a summer evening outdoors and take a free tango lesson this Saturday (Aug. 8) in Centennial Park at the Events Shelter.
July 24, 2008: Summer is in full swing in Nashville and it's a good time to consider going out to a play. Our Theatre page with listings for live shows in town has been updated and includes links to the major acting companies in town. If you're traveling to Nashville, you'll be interested in the new promotion code we've released for a 25% discount for lodging at the Guesthouse Inn Vanderbilt. The code is an exclusive offer from BlueShoe and allows you to receive the discount through the hotel's online reservation system. The Guesthouse is located in the fashionable midtown area between downtown and Vanderbilt University. Click here to access the code.
July 13, 2008: Nashville has broken into the top 25 U.S. cities for population size. According to recently released figures by the U.S. Census, Nashville boasts 590,807 residents and has displaced Washington at the number 25 spot. Yes, we're growing, but there's an important point to remember. Nashville's population census encompasses not just the city core, but all of Davidson County as well. Most other cities do not include the population of their suburbs in their count. We are indeed shooting up the growth ladder, but in a more pleasantly modest manner than the 25th position might suggest.
July 1, 2008: Music City's Fourth of July celebration will be held at Riverfront Park this Friday and features live concerts and a stunning display of fireworks. The free music begins around 7 p.m. and the pyrotechnic display in the sky shortly after 9 p.m.
June 20, 2008: Summer's here officially and the weather is just splendid--it's 80 degrees in Nashville and the humidity is only 39%. Thunderstorms may be coming in, but even that is good since the gardens need a drink.
June 9, 2008: It's the day of departure for most of the 2008 Festival fans and the going is bittersweet for the travelers and Music City. After all the wonderful music played during the last four days and nights, something akin to a love affair has bloomed between Nashville and the Fan Fair fans. The memories are splendid, but it seems like such a long time until next year . . .
June 7, 2008: LP Field turned magical last night when the surprise performer Keith Urban took the stage. The last act up, Urban brought the house to its feet when he left the stage and climbed into section 136 on the west side of the coliseum. There he serenaded a delighted couple who looked on in astonishment as he took off his guitar, signed it, and presented it to them.
June 6, 2008: Alan Jackson, for the first time in ten years of the Festival, will sign autographs. Joined by his wife, Denise Jackson, author of the best-selling book, It's All About Him, Jackson will be in his fan club booth in the Convention Center from noon to 2 p.m.. He is also scheduled to perform at LP Field on Saturday evening, June 7.
June 5, 2008: It's hot. It's here. It's now. The Festival music begins this morning at Riverfront Stages and continues throughout the day and into the night at LP Field. Buy 4-day passes online. The BlueShoe promotional code to activate a 40% discount for purchasing online is BlueShoe2008. Copy and paste code in the appropriate field on this page. Pickup for tickets is at the Guesthouse Inn Vanderbilt (15 blocks from downtown). 
June 4, 2008: Nashville is getting ready for the biggest music event of the year. The CMA Music Festival officially begins tomorrow and the lineup for artists looks wonderful. Looking for good seats? We still have a few you can purchase online with this promotional code: 7D1D4N7R9R2I.
May 29, 2008: The old town is abuzz in preparation for the biggest event of the year. Fan Fair (a.k.a. CMA Music Festival) begins next week with a kickoff parade at 2 p.m. Wed., June 4 on Lower Broadway. BlueShoe is proud to have some of the most desired tickets available (Section 134 in the Lower Level) and floor level seats on the field.
May 17, 2008: Making plans to attend the CMA Music Festival? BlueShoe has hotel/ticket packages available at Nashville's two Embassy Suites, plus a limited number of desirable floor level and lower level seating.
May 9, 2008: It's Commencement at Vanderbilt University today and the weather is lovely (after predictions of a stormy a.m.). West End will be teeming with proud graduates and their families all day so expect the traffic situation to be challenging.
Tomorrow (Sat., June 10) is the 67th running of the Iroquois Steeplechase in Percy Warner Park. It will be a big days for fancy hats, sundresses, and tailgating.
May 2, 2008: The biggest event of the year in Nashville is just a little over a month away. If you're considering coming to the CMA Music Festival, BlueShoe has a range of hotel/ticket packages available. Our four-day passes include our own favorite Section 134, along with choice seats on the floor. If you're looking for a Nashville hotel room during the Festival (and already have your tickets), please give us a call. We have rooms available in the downtown, midtown, and Opryland/Airport area of Nashville. Phone: toll free 877-201-7663.
April 18, 2008: Although the precise date for Nashville's CMA Awards Show 2008 has not yet been announced, we have now opened our waiting list for our hotel/ticket packages.
April 16, 2008: Today the CMA released more names of the major artists who will be performing at the nightly concerts of the CMA Music Festival: Trace Adkins, Bucky Covington, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sara Evans, Little Big Town, Montgomery Gentry, Craig Morgan, James Otto, Kenny Rogers and Randy Travis. Other artists already confirmed to appear at LP Field include Rodney Atkins, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Jewel, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood and Dwight Yoakam. If you're interested in coming to the Festival, look over BlueShoe's offering of hotel/ticket packages. We have wonderful seats on the floor and in the lower level (sections 136, 135, and 134) available.
April 4, 2008: A new gallery of wildflower photos from a hike on the Mossy Ridge Trail in Percy Warner Park has been added to our Tennessee Wildflower Guide.
April 1, 2008: Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival begins today in Nashville. See what the folks over at Google are doing to celebrate the first of April.
March 31, 2008: Photos of the latest wildflower hikes from Edwin Warner Park show the early blooms of Virginia Bluebells.
March 27, 2008: Oh, merry month of March--you're all over the place with rain, snow, and lovely sunny days. What is certain in the midst of the variable weather is that the great spring display of wildflowers is starting right now in Nashville and the rest of middle Tennessee.
March 18, 2008: Spring officially arrives this week with the vernal equinox on March 20 and it's not too soon to start planning your Tennessee wildflower hikes.
March 15, 2008: CMA Music Festival 5-night hotel/ticket packages are now available for purchase directly online.
March 6, 2008 : This week the CMA issued their first press release on the artists scheduled to perform at the CMA Music Festival June 5-8, 2008. This is the lead-off announcement for the biggest musical event of the year in Nashville. See the lineup at BlueShoe's CMA Music Festival 2008 page.
March 1, 2008: Doing anything next Tuesday, March 4, at 5:30 a.m.? CBS’s “The Early Show” is inviting Nashvillians to a live concert featuring Miranda Lambert and Rodney Atkins at the Wild Horse Saloon in downtown Nashville. The concert will be televised as part of The Early Show's coverage of the Academy of Country Music’s nomination announcement. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will be announcing the nominations. The broadcast is live from 6 am to 8 am Central Time, but CBS is asking that you arrive by 5:30 a.m. They suggest that people send an email to confirm that they are coming, but the venue is large and can accommodate a large number of people if they simply show up. Please email Nicole Keller (kellern@cbsnews.com) for more information or to confirm you'd like to come.
February 21, 2008 : There was a break in the weather last weekend so we took to the trails for the first wildflower hikes of the season. On Saturday we joined the folks in the hunt for hepatica at Shakerag Hollow on the Perimeter Trail at Sewanee. We did find hepatica leaves, but it was still early for the blooms. On Sunday we hiked the Mossy Ridge Trail in Nashville's Percy Warner Park and found the remarkably tiny and lovely Harbinger of Spring in bloom.
February 19 , 2008: February has been a busy month thus far for BlueShoe Nashville. We've begun our Street View Tours of Nashville, starting with midtown and downtown Nashville photo tours. These easy-to-use virtual tours will lead you through Nashville with photos and annotated descriptions (including insights into Nashville hotels and restaurants). And even though it's still only February, we took the first wildflower hikes of the season this past weekend. Our photos of the walk at Shakerag Hollow on the Perimeter Trail at Sewanee and a hike on the Mossy Ridge at Percy Warner Park in Nashville will be posted in the next day or so. It remains chilly, but spring is definitely on the horizon.
February 14 , 2008: It's a cold, clear beautiful Valentine's Day here in Nashville. The Antiques and Garden Show opens today at the Convention Center and Suzy Bogguss and Raul Malo sing tonight in An Evening of Great Love Songs.
February 10, 2008: Take a virtual tour of downtown Nashville. The first segment of our street view photo tour of Broadway Avenue is now online. You'll begin your stroll at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and progress east, toward River Front Park and First Avenue. Along the way, you'll see prominent buildings and a number of historic markers telling the story of the founding and building of Nashville.
February 9, 2008: The Nashville Antiques and Garden Show will be in session at the Nashville Convention Center next week Feb. 14 to Feb. 17. The theme of Italian Gardens seems aptly chosen for the show's debut on Valentine's Day. And if you're looking for just the right evening event for a romantic occasion, consider Orchestra Nashville's An Evening of Great Love Songs-- featuring Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss, Gretchen Peters, and Raul Malo. Performances will be Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 at Grace's Chapel in Leiper's Fork.
February 4 , 2008: It's Super Tuesday and Tennesseans are going to the polls to cast their votes in the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. It's fun to imagine Anne Dallas Dudley's delight if she could see how the political world has evolved in the 88 years since she campaigned here in Nashville for the 19th Amendment.
Feb. 3, 2008: We've  long supported and loved the Nashville Farmers' Market so we're delighted to discover the burgeoning interest in community supported agriculture (CSA). At Nashville Gardens, we've begun a collection of some of the useful websites about sustainable gardening in Nashville and Tennessee. We're also pleased to announce that the TN Organics Farmers' Association will hold their 4th Annual Conference in Nashville on March 15 at TSU.
February 1 , 2008: The Nashville Shakespeare Festival presents Hamlet at the new Trout Theatre on the Belmont University campus. Final performances are Feb. 1 & 2.
January 30, 2008: Old Crow Medicine Show will be playing the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium this Saturday, Feb. 2.
January 28, 2008: It's still January, but the Tennessee State Parks are confirming that spring is coming. Fall Creek Falls and Standing Stone State Parks have announced their annual spring wildflower events and we've updated our calendar of hikes at BlueShoe's 2008 Guide to TN Wildflowers accordingly. Shall we utter a small "yippee"?
January 26, 2008: Our first annotated street view virtual tour is now online. This photo tour takes you along West End in midtown Nashville between 19th and 20th Avenues, turning onto 20th Avenue North and back at the next block on Hayes Street. Photos feature West End Avenue scenes near Vanderbilt University, including Nashville hotels and restaurants. This is the first in a series of street view tours of Nashville. A street map shows the route of the walking tour.
January 21, 2008: Yes, it's cold. Yes, it's January. Yes, we do need an upbeat musical number or two to help fight the winter doldrums. And obligingly, here comes Nashville Opera's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic masterwork, HMS Pinafore. It opens this Friday (Jan. 25).
January 18, 2008: We're just put our CMA Music Festival 2008 ticket inventory online for viewing. You can see precisely what floor level, lower level, and Gold Circle seats are available for BlueShoe's 2008 CMA Music Festival packages. BlueShoe's Virtual Tour of LP Field makes it easy for to see the view of the stage from each section (this is a clickable photo map). For more information about the events of the Festival, please go to our main CMA Music Festival page. The Festival takes place in downtown Nashville and at LP Field June 5-8, 2008.
January 13, 2008: It is always a pleasure to receive the Sewanee Herbarium's newsletter, The Plant Press, with its succinct and well-written articles about native plants in middle Tennessee. But the winter issue is particularly welcomed. Arriving in my mailbox sometime during the short, dark days before the winter solstice in December, it contains the early spring schedule for wildflower events at the University of the South. So even as we are shivering in the winter doldrums, we are given a date in mid-February to anticipate the first signs of spring. This year retired botany professor George Ramseur will lead the search for one of the earliest and loveliest of spring ephemerals--hepatica in Shakerag Hollow on the Perimeter Trail on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008. Read more about the coming spring botanical events at BlueShoe's 2008 Guide to Tennessee Wildflowers.
January 12, 2008: The CMA will be releasing, in a month or so, their first press announcement for the 2008 lineup of artists at the CMA Music Festival. We'll cover the February announcement here at BlueShoe and link to it. Meanwhile, if you'd like to get a sense of all that the Festival offers, take a look at the full entertainment schedule from 2007. For information on hotel/ticket packages, visit our Fan Fair 2008 page. We have downtown and midtown hotels, along with splendid seats in sections 136, 135, 134 and on the floor. Call 615-383-3012 for more information.
January 1, 2008: If the ghost of Bill Monroe was hovering in the air of the Ryman Auditorium last night, I think it would have grinned. Del McCoury's Band and a brilliant young group from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the Steep Canyon Rangers, offered up a blend of bluegrass tradition and innovation that had the audience enthralled. It was a night of superb pickin'.
The Ryman is known as the Mother Church of Country Music, but the old planks of its stage can boast another historic first: it was the place where bluegrass music was born. As Del McCoury reminded the New Year's Eve audience, it was here that a man named Bill Monroe created a new kind of music. In the 1920's, 30's, and 40's Monroe began infusing Appalachian mountain music with aspects of blues, gospel, and jazz. Much of Monroe's creative process took place at the Ryman where he starred as a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry. Bluegrass historians generally agree that the final ingredient to this new form of music was added on a Saturday night in 1945. That evening, a young man named Earl Scruggs joined Monroe and his band, including guitarist Lester Flatt, on the Ryman stage. When Scruggs stepped up to the WSM microphone and played his 5-string banjo with his innovative three finger roll, bluegrass music as we know it today was born. The audience that night, reputedly, went wild. Sixty-two years later, Monroe's creation seems to be thriving. Del McCoury's rich tenor rang out high and true last night. It was a good way to welcome the new year in Nashville.
December 26 , 2007: The first edition of our 2008 Guide to Tennessee Wildflowers, including hikes and events planned this spring, will be online soon.
December 21 , 2007: It's not too late to give a CMA Music Festival 2008 ticket/hotel package as a Christmas present. We can customize a gift certificate and send it to you via email as late as mid-afternoon on Christmas eve; the color document will be ready to print and give. Call BlueShoe Nashville at 615-383-3012 for hotel and ticket choices.
December 13 , 2007: Planning your New Year's Eve in Nashville? Consider ringing in 2008 at the Ryman Auditorium with Del McCoury and his superb bluegrass band. Tickets will go on sale here in the next few days. Meanwhile, if you're interested, give us at call at 615-383-3012.
December 8 , 2007:  If you're searching for a unique Christmas gift with a Nashville theme, go to BlueShoe's Nashville Web Store. We'll customize a gift certificate for any of your purchases and for last-minute shoppers, we'll send the certificate via email to your choice of the giver or the recipient. The certificates are in color and ready to be printed and wrapped. All of the current items are travel packages (including a train lover's excursion). Check back in the next week for some interesting additions to the store. There'll be cowboy stuff you can wear and, of course, something you can play (musically, that is).
December 4 , 2007: Nashville's 55th annual Christmas Parade is this Friday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. The Parade begins at Seventh Avenue and Broadway, marches east to Second Avenue, and then crosses the Woodland Street Bridge to finish at LP Field.
November 27, 2007: We have two excellent sets of floor level seats for sale for the little shindig Friday night at the Sommet Center (Gary Allan opening for Keith Urban). Seats are in section 3 and 4. Call BlueShoe at 615-383-3012 for details or go here for more information.
November 22, 2007: After a week of unseasonably warm weather, a front has moved into Nashville bringing chillier temperatures for Thanksgiving Day. Happy gatherings to all.
November 15, 2007: Keith Urban brings his "Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing" tour to Nashville's Sommet Center on Nov. 30. A limited number of 5-star Hermitage Hotel/ticket packages are available from BlueShoe. Packages feature premium floor level seats in sections 3 or 4.
November 1, 2007: The Americana Awards Show is tonight at the Ryman Auditorium and features Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, Joe Ely, Todd Snider, Old Crow Medicine Show, Emmylou Harris, Amy LeVere, the Avett Brothers and host Jim Lauderdale.
October 30, 2007: The song has ended, the music goes on: Sunday night Porter Wagoner died in a Nashville hospice. He was 80 years old. This past spring he celebrated his 50th year with the Grand Ole Opry. The rich voice, the rhinestones, the gentility...these defining traits of the legendary Wagoner are well-remembered, but did you know he admired the Grateful Dead (and the admiration was mutual)? Or that he relished new technology and carried an iPod in his inner breast pocket? We mourn the loss of this estimable man . . .
October 29, 2007:Middle Tennessee shows its own style in regards to haunted houses for Halloween tours, including a haunted woods and a haunted barn. A list of ghost tours and spooky places can be seen here. If you're hankering for an evening of fright AND fine music, consider the Oct. 31 performance at the spectacular new Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville. Lon Chaney's 1925 silent movie classic Phantom of the Opera with be shown to live organ accompaniment by Tom Trenney.
October 28, 2007: Looking for CMA Awards Show tickets for Nov. 7? We have hotel and dinner packages available here.
October 10, 2007: Ah, the  days are turning golden and the nights cooler. The trails at Warner Park beckon. Enjoy the early fall weather with a stroll or a visit to Nashville's Farmers Market.
October 1, 2007: Halloween hullabaloo: it's fall in Nashville and to celebrate the season we're offering a Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry Package. You'll get Gold Circle tickets to the Opry at the Ryman Auditoriumfor Tuesday, Oct. 30 AND for the following night (Halloween) you'll thrill to the chills of Lon Chaney's 1925 silent movie classic Phantom of the Opera with live organ accompaniment by Tom Trenney. This performance of the Phantom takes place at the spectacular new Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville. The Opry and the Opera come with two nights accommodations at the charming Guesthouse Inn Vanderbilt (about 15 blocks from both the Ryman and the Schermerhorn).
 Featured
photo: The Bellsouth "Batman Building,"
one of the landmarks in downtown Nashville, overlooks the old brick
storefronts of Lower Broad--a row of cowboy apparel stores and honky-tonks
such as Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.
 BlueShoe:
What's in our name?
Editor: Cheryl Hiers
BlueShoe Nashville Travel Guide is located in Nashville, Tennessee.
Copyright ©2008, BlueShoe LLC.
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