The city of Nashville is synonymous with country music and this is certainly what the city is traditionally most famous for. It was in 1925 when the famous ‘Grand Ole Opry’ first aired with weekly shows from downtown Nashville, thus starting the city’s country music scene.

Aside from this, some visitors might be surprised to find a slick modern city with strong commerce and financial communities. Tennessee, like the southern states generally, is famous for its hospitality and visitors will generally find the locals to be warm and friendly.

Nashville has a rich and interesting history with Native American settlements dating back to the 11th century. For a short period, the French established a trading post here, prior to the appearance of the first permanent settlement in 1779.

The spring is perhaps the best time to visit Nashville, with the weather and flora particularly pleasant. It is also popular to visit in the summer, although the weather can be hot and humid.

There is plenty to see and do in the city and families with children will also find a number of excellent children’s activities. One of the city’s major attractions is the remarkable and perhaps slightly bizarre life size replica of the Parthenon of ancient Greece, which houses the art museum.

Aside from the vast country music scene, there are a number of good entertainment options in the city with a good theatre, music, and opera scene, plenty of restaurants as well as outdoor activities for the more energetic visitor. Nashville also has a busy calendar of events and festivals and it is worth checking out what is on during your stay.

There are plenty of accommodation options in Nashville to suit various tastes and budgets and while historically most of the best hotels were focused on one small area, this is fast changing, with good hotels to be found across the city.

The first known settlers in the Nashville area were Mississippian Native Americans, believed to have lived here from 1000 to 1400, until they mysteriously disappeared. They were followed by other Native American cultures who hunted in the area. The French established a fur trading post around the site of modern Nashville, trading with Native Americans, but this trading post was short-lived.

The first permanent settlement was established in 1779, when a group of pioneers cleared the land on the banks of the Cumberland and named it Fort Nashborough. The community began to grow steadily, and in 1784 the town’s name was changed to Nashville. In 1796, Tennessee became the 16th state in the union, although it wasn’t until 1843 that Nashville was chosen as the state capital. Construction of the Tennessee State Capitol building began, modelled on a Greek temple and took 10 years to complete.

Nashville began to thrive, but the city was devastated during the civil war. Tennessee was the final state to join the Confederacy and during the war, the city of Nashville was occupied by Federal troops for three years. The battle of Nashville in 1864 saw the Confederate forces badly defeated, retreating to the Tennessee River.

The city quickly began to recover after the war and again saw considerable growth in its economy and population, as well as the first roots in the country music scene, which has become so synonymous with Nashville. By 1900, the population had grown to over 80,000.

During the early 20th century, Maxwell House coffee was inadvertently born as a result of comments from President Roosevelt. While staying at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Roosevelt commented on the delicious coffee served and the hotel owner promptly sold the blend to General Foods, soon becoming one of their biggest brands.

Nashville played a significant part in the US civil rights movement during the 1960s, with a number of protests eventually helping to end racial segregation. A number of Nashville’s civil rights protestors were involved in the establishment of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, one of the most influential bodies in this era.

One of the most serious urban tornados ever recorded occurred in Nashville in 1998, with huge amounts of damage and shattered glass resulting in the city’s business district being closed for four days. Today Nashville is a modern city, the second largest in Tennessee, with an ambitious plan for the future development of the city.

Nashville’s weather follows a humid subtropical pattern, with hot and humid summers and relatively mild winters. Temperatures in summer generally hover around the high 24°C, with occasional hotter days, although the added factor of the humidity can make it uncomfortable at times.

Spring is perhaps the best time to visit Nashville, with the weather extremely pleasant and the foliage at its most attractive, with cherry blossoms, azaleas, dogwood and camellias throughout this region. The foliage in the fall is also particularly beautiful in this area. The one draw back of this time of year is the occasional severe thunderstorms.

Winters in Nashville tend to be relatively mild, with periods of colder weather and rainfall. Snowfall in Nashville tends to be limited to January and February and winter temperatures tend to average in the below 10°C.