A must for every fan of Country Music, the Rock´n Roll and Blues
And if you’re not necessarily a fan yet, you’ll become one after your journey to the two music strongholds of Nashville and Memphis at the latest. Tennessee is located in the southeastern part of the USA and belongs to the Southern States. Its size corresponds approximately to the area of Austria and stretches quite exactly from east to west. Besides music, the state offers many other highlights, such as Lynchburg (Jack Daniels Distillery), Jackson (visit the Old Country Store), Bristol (NASCAR car races), Knoxville (the university town), Chattanooga and Pigeon Forge in the midst of the fabulous Great Smoky Mountains.
Beate Hall has been Product Manager for North America for 8 years and will answer our 6 questions for you today and share your insider tips
1. What should you have seen in Tennessee?
A tour at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg should definitely be on the To Do list. Only here is the famous whisky produced. You can try it, but don’t buy it, as the sale of alcohol is forbidden by law in the immediate vicinity. In Lynchburg there is a big Jack Daniels flagstore and the “Miss Mary Bobo’s” restaurant (see insider tip).
The Historic RCA Studio B in Nashville is a cult place and one should definitely have seen it. Here music history was written in the 1950s and 60s, because so many famous and fantastic musicians recorded their songs in this studio. E.g. Elvis Presley. His piano is still here, and whoever can and wants to can strike the same keys as the man who is still an idol for many people, old and young.
2. What’s the insider tip in Tennessee?
On the way to Memphis you should stop at Brownsville, where the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center is located. In one part, the small Tina Turner Museum is located in her former classroom. The jewel shows and describes the life from her childhood to her world successes on the stages of this world.
A lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House, Lynchburg offers culinary delights of local dishes. The Southern charm atmosphere takes you back in time to the beginning of the 20th century, you sit at the big round table with other guests and learn a lot of interesting and historical things from the lady of the house.
Listening to the young, talented girls of the Song Suffragettes on a Monday evening in the Listening Room Cafe, Nashville, is wonderful and impressive. Great voices, incoming melodies with intelligent, creative and in-depth lyrics.
3. What do you need to bring from Tennessee?
When visiting Graceland in Memphis you should definitely go to one of the souvenir shops and buy some Elvis Presley souvenirs. Even if it seems kitschy, you have to bring at least one thing with the picture of the gifted musician with you or your friends.
4. what should you avoid at all costs?
Too little travel time for this diverse, almost all-inclusive federal state to plan in
5. When is the best time to travel?
From May to October. Nature shows its best side in the early summer and during the Indian Summer in autumn. In the summer months it can get very hot.
6. How long does the journey take?
There are no direct flights from Germany to Nashville or Memphis. The best way is with United Airlines via New York or Washington DC, or with Delta Air Lines via Atlanta. The journey takes about 11 – 13 hours, depending on the transfer time.
7. Did you know that…
… Whitney Houston’s world-famous song “I will always love you” was originally written by Dolly Parton, a cult figure from Tennessee?
