I’ve been in the Nashville area for the entirety of my 34 years on this Earth. Specifically speaking, I grew up in Mount Juliet (even more specifically, Gladeville), and after bouncing around from Mount Juliet to Murfreesboro to Brentioch to Hermitage, I’ve found my home again in Mount Juliet. I never understood why people take issue with us Mount Juliet folks saying we’re “from Nashville.” Like, if you meet someone on a plane to New York and they ask where you’re from…you’re not going to say Mount Juliet, because then you’d have to follow it up with “around Nashville” anyway! That might be an essay for another day, though.
My point here is that I love this city for a number of reasons. I speak like a jaded local talking about pedal taverns and bachelorette parties. But, the reality is that I’m happy to see the profile of the Music City grow. My fiancé is from New Jersey, and I always love playing tour guide whenever her friends or family come to town, no matter how corny the circus gets in town.
We recently moved into a house in Mount Juliet, and her family’s eager to come visit as soon as Big Rona allows it. So, it got me thinkin’ about Nashville and what the city is most known for. I’m solely taking into account MY experience with visitors from the Northeast and the west coast (during my tenure with a certain San Francisco-based tech company, co-workers came to visit quite frequently). This is what those people most often associated with our fair city.
The Nashville Mount Rushmore
Booze – I wanted to go ‘bachelorette parties’ here, but the truth is that booze, as a whole, is more of the identity of the city. I’ve told family before that there’s hardly anything for families to do in this town. But, there are plenty of watering holes in town for ya to get completely shit-faced in. In fact, I dare say most people think of Nashville as one big party town. They’re not wrong….just…y’know, if you come to town, seek out the scene beyond the honky tonks. There’s some unheralded gems in this city.
Country Music – The bright lights of Broadway, baby! They don’t call us Music City for nothing. I had a friend visit from Seattle once, and as we were walking down Broadway, she shushed me for a minute. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was just “taking it all in,” commenting how there was music literally everywhere in this city. I guess I always took it for granted. But, I’ve had other friends tell me how hard it is to find quality live music back in their respective cities. Cowboy boots, cowboy hats, and country music – I’m rolling my eyes, but I don’t know that there’s one singular thing that people know more about Nashville than its music scene.
Hot Chicken – The story behind how Nashville hot chicken came to be is bona fide folklore around these parts. But, it’s always one of the first things visitors say they want to try. It’s become part-gimmick, part-culinary treat, and I don’t know that anyone’s going to argue with you if you say it’s the staple of our food scene in town.
Humidity – My dark horse selection – anyone that comes to Nashville in the summer time is greeted forcefully by the wet hot air. It smacks you in the face as soon as you step off the plane and it doesn’t let up one bit. It’s hot as hell down here, but it’s the humidity that gets you. I swear sometimes you can step outside in August and it’s like you’re breathing in steam. That’s Nashville, and it’s one of those things that doesn’t get all the attention as the glitz and glamour, but I swear it’s something anyone that’s ever visited in the summer time has mentioned (read: complained about) to me.
What say you, Patrons? What do you think are the four most well-known and recognizable things about Nashville? Hit those comments.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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