Recently in Nashville Category

Nashville is without question one of the major music capitals of the south, but sometimes you've got to venture out of the city to experience Tennessee's true musical roots. Fortunately, you don't have to venture far, as one of the biggest music festivals in the state is less than an hour away. From August 8-9, some of the finest pickers, pluckers, fiddlers, and tub-thumpers in the country will gather in Adams, Tennessee for the 2008 Bell Witch Bluegrass Competition. Whatever bluegrass style strikes your fancy, you'll find it in the scenic outdoor festival grounds. Competition categories include harmonica, bluegrass banjo, fiddle, mandolin, flatpick guitar, and clogging. And as for the Bell Witch, it refers to a local legend involving the haunting of the Bell house by an evil spirit that sometimes emptied the sugar bowls and stole the comforters off the beds. That sounds strangely unnerving, but I wouldn't worry about any ghosts during the festival, because I'm sure bluegrass music keeps the spirit at bay. Guests at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel or any of Starwood's Nashville properties might want to check out this "spirited" celebration of homegrown music.

The first sweet musical notes of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival will ring out on Thursday, June 12, 2008 in rustic Manchester, Tennessee, kicking off four days of entertainment and fun on a 700-acre farm. First launched in 2002 as a showcase for jam bands, the festival has grown in popularity and broadened in scope in the years since, and this year's acts include musicians Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson, Solomon Burke and Pearl Jam; comedians Louis C.K. and Janeane Garofolo; and a range of inspiring and eclectic art exhibits that fall under the banner The Art of Such N Such. Perhaps the most beautiful art of all, however, is the striking view of sunset from this southern paradise. As far as the name is concerned, Bonnaroo comes from a Cajun slang term popularized by R&B artist Dr. John that means "a really good time." I thought it sounded kind of Australian at first, but apparently I was mistaken. The farm is just an hour's drive from the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel.

The tiny but tenacious town of Clarksville, Tennessee pulls out all the stops for its annual Rivers & Spires festival, which will take place April 17-19, 2008. You'll find something to do on every corner of historic downtown Clarksville during the festival, with interactive entertainment, southern and international food, and a wealth of live music options. With a population of just 113,000, Clarksville isn't a huge city by any means, which makes the sheer number of entertainment offerings nothing short of staggering. On Saturday alone, more than seventy performances will take place on five different stages, with everything from martial arts demos to belly dancers to the U.S. Navy band. Look out for local favorite Mark Evans and His Tennessee Cowboys on the Public Square Stage at 3:00 p.m. And if you fancy a glass of merlot to go with your music, drop by the Jazz & Wine area, where $10 gets you all the samples you like of wines from Tennessee and around the world. Rivers & Spires is one of the biggest yearly arts festivals in the south, and its a great time to visit this vibrant town on the Cumberland River. Don't miss the "Last Train to Clarksville." (Sorry, I had to.) Clarksville is less than an hour's drive from the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel.