Littman - Moon handbooks. Nashville

Lower Broadway.

When it comes to creative energy, nowhere compares to Music City. People come here to make their dreams come true. Even before Johnny Cash picked up a guitar or Elvis entered RCA Studio B, this was a city that attracted mavericks and iconoclasts. And whether you have a banjo in that overhead bin or you cant tell a harmony from a melody, it doesnt matter. Because Nashville isnt just about the music. People here are willing to try new things and do things differently.

Creativity of all kinds flows in the veins of folks who call this place home. Nashville is filled with hyphenates like chef-singer-songwriter and artist-poet-hula-hoop-maker. It fosters an entrepreneurial energy that results in funky music clubs for jamming, quirky boutiques for shopping, and one-of-a-kind roadside eateries for well, eating.

And the anything can happen attitude isnt limited just to residents. You dont have to be here more than a day or two to encounter truly talented musicians singing on the curb on Broadway or taste the creative genius emerging from the kitchens of the citys restaurantsboth upscale and down home. Whether youre in town for the weekend or for good, take advantage of that optimism, offered with a dash of Southern hospitality. Move to the quirky and always interesting Nashville beat.

Downtown is Nashvilles economic and tourism hub, not to mention the geographic center of the city. This is the heart of Music Citys beat. Lower Broad is lined with honky-tonks with Western Swing music playing almost any hour of the day. In addition to some of the citys biggest attractions, downtown is home to hotels, restaurants, and a great view of the Cumberland River.

Midtown is where the work gets done: Its home to Vanderbilt University, one of many institutions in Nashville that educate, populate, and sustain the city, and Music Row, where record deals are signed. 12 South is abuzz with activity: It boasts well-curated boutique shopping, compelling restaurants, and an active nightlife, from live music venues to comedy clubs. The area lends itself to leisurely strolls down neighborhood streets. The Belmont University campus brings youthful energy to the area.

East Nashville has a love-hate relationship with the hip moniker it has earned over the years. This gentrifying (or gentrified) neighborhood just east of downtown is home to stylish vintage boutiques and purveyors of handcrafted goods, not to mention many of the citys