The Honky-tonk Highway of Nashville

Day 1

Day 1: Sunday, August 27, 2023
Join us this morning from the available departure location of your choice, meet your friendly onboard Trailways host and driver, then settle in for a day of travel as we make our way to Paducah, Kentucky. Enjoy rest and refresh breaks along the way, as needed, as well as a stop for lunch, on your own.
Arrive at the Holiday Inn Paducah Riverfront and have time to rest and refresh before an included dinner this evening at Broussard’s Cajun Cuisine, where good food and great times connect! Guests at Broussard’s expect great Cajun food – and they deliver. All their dishes are prepared fresh daily, using only top-quality ingredients. Their chefs are taught authentic family recipes and ensure guests have amazing experiences time after time.

Day 2

Day 2: Monday, August 28, 2023
Have breakfast at the hotel this morning before departing for Nashville, Tennessee this morning.
Arrive for a tour at Historic RCA Studio B in downtown Nashville. Historic RCA Studio B – once home to musical titans such as Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton, and the Everly Brothers – is one of the world’s most famous recording facilities and one of Nashville’s oldest remaining studios. Gather around the legendary microphone for a recording session with a professional sound engineer. Then, it’s off to the museum to complete your tour experience.
Enjoy lunch, on your own, on Honky Tonk Row! For those who don’t know, a Honky Tonk is an establishment that contains at least one rockin’ stage, cold beverages, and a party that lasts all day, every day. Nashville’s Honky Tonk Highway, located on Lower Broadway, is a row of honky tonks pumping live music into the streets from 10am to 3am. One of the best parts: it doesn’t cost a thing. Meaning no cover charge. Meaning save your money for more important things like the tip jar! Because in Music City, they understand music should be shared to all.
Mid-afternoon, tour the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world’s largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and the interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amassed one of the world’s most extensive musical collections. The Museum tells the story of popular American music through artifacts and interactive exhibits.
Check in to the Drury Plaza Hotel Nashville Downtown at your leisure and enjoy a kickback dinner reception at the hotel featuring delicious drinks and food items.
Meet the group in the lobby this evening to enjoy dinner, included, at Merchants. The architecturally significant building dates back to 1892 and has a torrid history that mirrors the electric events that have shaped the personality and character of this downtown area.

Day 3

Day 3: Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning before meeting the group and your step-on guide in the hotel lobby to depart on a melodious City Tour of Nashville with a real singer/songwriter!
Stop for lunch, on your own, at Assembly Food Hall on Broadway, an innovative culinary and entertainment destination in the heart of downtown Nashville. Isnpired by the city’s diverse culture, Assembly Food Hall brings together an unrivaled collection of the best sights, sounds and tastes of Music City under one roof. Featuring more than 22 artisanal eateries, nine uniquely themed full-service bars, two full-service restaurants, and three live performance stages, including a rooftop concert venue, Assembly Food Hall is a place for everyone.
After lunch, tour the National Museum of African American Music. NMAAM is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans. The museum’s expertly curated collections share the story of the American soundtrack by integrating history and interactive technology to bring the musical heroes of the past into the present.
Next, visit the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum. Each exhibit tells the story of a musician that you may have heard but may have never seen. The Musicians Hall of Fame is a premiere Nashville attraction and the one and only museum in the world that honors the talented musicians who actually played on the greatest recordings of all time.
Return to the hotel to rest and freshen up before en

Day 4

Day 4: Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Have breakfast at the hotel this morning before embarking on a guided tour of the Ryman Auditorium. After a $48.5 million renovation, this National Historic Landmark and former home of the Grand Ole Opry has once again stepped to center stage as a premier performance facility. By day, displays inside the Ryman visually tell the stories of its rich history. By night, the sounds of musical productions fill the air!
Enjoy lunch, on your own, on Honky Tonk Row, before departing for the Johnny Cash Museum & Café. Featuring the largest and most comprehensive collection of Johnny Cash artifacts and memorabilia in the world, this museum is located in the heart of downtown Nashville. The museum is one of only six attractions in Nashville to receive the coveted AAA Gem Rating and is ranked number #1 music museum in the world by Forbes, Conde’Naste, and National Geographic Travelers.
Housed in the same building, you’ll also explore the Patsy Cline Museum. Though she left the world tragically at the age of 30 in 1963, Patsy Cline made an indelible mark on Country Music and remains one of the biggest names in Country history. The Patsy Cline Museum celebrates the life of the legendary songstress and features hundreds of never-before-seen artifacts, personal belongings, videos, and much more.
We return to the hotel to rest and refresh before departing to enjoy dinner at Ole Smoky Moonshine. Ole Smoky, the makers of award-winning moonshine and whiskey, have opened the doors of their 30,000 square-foot distillery and retail complex at 423 6th Avenue, at the corner of 6th and Peabody, in Nashville’s SoBro neighborhood.
Launched in partnership with Yee-Haw Brewing Co., one of Tennessee’s top craft breweries, the new location features a distillery, brewery, bars, tasting areas, merchandise, games, plus beer and bottle shops. Prince’s Hot Chicken, the originator of hot chicken and a beloved Nashville institution, feeds hungry visitors from a food truck on site. Inside, a White Duck Taco Shop serves up the brand’s innovative take on a diverse range of food classics. The massive corner complex spans multiple buildings, providing both expansive indoor and outdoor seating areas, a rarity in downtown Nashville. Inside, couches and tables provide a comfortable vantage point for takin’ in Nashville teams on one of the largest TV screens in the city.
Tasting areas and two bars offer 13 varieties of Ole Smoky Moonshine and whiskey along with a range of Yee-Haw beers. Exposed rafters, brick walls and poured concrete floors are in keeping with the site’s original industrial use, and over-sized factory windows and roll-up doors provide an easy flow to and from the outdoor seating areas and stage.
After dinner, it’s time to raise the curtain! It’s time for an engaging and exciting live musical performance at The Grand Ole Opry. Welcome to the true home of country music! The Grand Ole Opry is the stage that showcases the past, present and future of country music. For 95 years, they’ve been the home to the art form’s growth and change, from the first broadcast in the National Life Building on WSM’s Barn Dance in 1925 to the move into the new Opry House in 1974, and now to audiences across the globe on Circle TV and host to the 55th Annual ACM Awards in 2020. The Opry remains the platform that connects artists and fans to the music they love. Their live performance, radio and television broadcast show brings rising talent, superstars, and country legends together on their stage every week, along with great bluegrass, family-friendly comedy, and more. The Opry is never rehearsed, and never the same show twice. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment, it is the longest-running radio broadcast in US History.

Day 5

Day 5: Thursday, August 31, 2023
Enjoy one last breakfast with your fellow Trailways Travelers this morning and then tip your hat and wave ‘goodbye’ as you depart Nashville and begin your journey home. Sit back, relax, and take in the scenery as we make our way back to Iowa today with great memories made in Nashville!