The second is the Belle Meade plantation, which is now surrounded by one of Nashville’s toniest subu

There s plenty of buzz around the Music City these days thanks to a blockbuster new TV show (are you rooting for Connie Britton s Rayna James character, Hayden Panettiere s Juliette Barnes?), and TPG flew to Tennessee just yesterday to attend the Country Music Awards, so for today's Destination of the Week , we visit the hottest city down south: Nashville.
Of course, you can't come to Nashville and not visit some of country music's most famous sights. Start with a tour (and a show if you can catch one) at the Grand Ole Opry , the most famous stage in the country music world thanks to weekly radio broadcasts which first began back in 1925. Of course now the performances take place in a blinged out auditorium in Opryland, but you can still visit the Opry's original home of Ryman Auditorium downtown.
You can also visit Music Row between Vanderbilt and downtown around 16 th and 17 th avenues where you can see historical recording studios like RCA's Studio B where tons of stars launched their careers.
For something a little more intimate, visit the renowned Bluebird Café in the semi-suburb of Green Hills where the seating is limited to just 100, and everyone from Garth Brooks to LeAnn Rymes come to play their own songs from time to time.
To get an overview of the music scene and its history, you can also make a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum downtown which has exhibits car rentals anchorage on music publishing, instruments, interactive exhibits, films and even stage costumes. Afterwards treat yourself to a little shopping and live music along 2 nd Avenue with all its saloons and shops including the famous Wildhorse Saloon .
Those looking for a bit of non-melodic history have two major sights to see. The first was the home of the 7 th president of the United States, Old Hickory himself, Andrew Jackson. The plantation where he lived from 1804 until his death (except for his years in the presidency) is called The Hermitage , and is now a museum where visitors can see the stately mansion he built as well as strolling the beautiful gardens.
The second is the Belle Meade plantation, which is now surrounded by one of Nashville's toniest car rentals anchorage suburbs, and is open as a museum that explores daily life on a plantation in the Antebellum South and includes a visitor's center, stables as well as reconstructed slave quarters. The Belmont Mansion is another famous Antebellum house built in an eccentric Italianate style whose original owner was a double agent for both the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War.
For a bit of fresh air, spend an afternoon exploring the sprawling lawns of and artificial lake of Centennial Park about three miles west of downtown, at the center of which stands a majestic recreation of the Parthenon (Nashville is also called the Athens of the South) complete with a 42-foot statue of the Greek goddess Athena. The park and the Parthenon car rentals anchorage were both constructed for the 1897 Centennial Exposition and the building serves car rentals anchorage as Nashville's defacto art museum with a small collection of American artworks. Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in the heart of the city is another popular spot to wander for a few hours on a sunny day with interesting features like a 200-foot granite map of the state of Tennessee and a 2,000-seat amphitheater plus park rangers reenacting car rentals anchorage famous historical figures like Davey Crockett.
Those who have a car and are interested can drive about 75 miles south to the town of Lynchburg to visit Tennesse's most famous distillery, Jack Daniel's – the oldest registered distillery in the US – and take a guided tour of the whiskey-making process and facility.
Though he hasn't car rentals anchorage been in town long, TPG has already sampled some of Nashville's car rentals anchorage delicious downhome cuisine. He got breakfast at the casually hip Noshville diner-deli where he spotted country music's most famous redhead, Reba McEntire, enjoying the first meal of the day, then he stopped by Arnold's Country Kitchen downtown for a plate of roast beef, fried green tomatoes and mac 'n cheese for lunch.
car rentals anchorage Other recs from TPG readers include the Pancake Pantry for breakfast and Swett's for soul food at its finest. For some experimental fine dining, car rentals anchorage try The Catbird Seat , which only seats 20 guests four nights a week around the chef's car rentals anchorage table (there are 2 chefs, actually) for a seven-course supper of daring dishes like chile-flake-coated fried chicken all prepared before your eyes.
Destination of the Week pieces are not meant to be comprehensive guides to destinations since we don't have the time or funds to visit all these places in person and report back to you. Nor are they endorsements of all the hotels we mention. They are simply roundups of top destinations that we have specifically car rentals anchorage pinpointed for the opportunity they present to use your miles and points to get to and stay there. As always, we welcome your comments car rentals anchorage  to help enrich the content here, provide  opinions and first-hand experiences  of these destinations.
Nashville International car rentals anchorage Airport (BNA) is located car rentals anchorage about 8 miles southeast of the city center. Your best bet to get around is renting car rentals anchorage a car, however, the Nashville MTA s route 18 Airport/Elm Hill Pike bus runs between the Nashville International Airport and downtown for just $1.60. Visit nashvillemta.org or call 615-862-5950 for more information on schedules and pickup locations.
Southwest is the largest carrier serving Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham (AL), Boston,  Charleston (SC), Chicago-Midway, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale,  Greenville/Spartanburg, Houston-Hobby, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Newark (begins car rentals anchorage March 9, 2013), New York-LaGuardia (begins January 6, 2013), Norfolk, Orlando, Panama City (FL), Philadelphia, car rentals anchorage Phoenix,  Raleigh/Durham, car rentals anchorage San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, car rentals anchorage Tampa and seasonal service to  Fort Myers,  Oakland,  Seattle/Tacoma.
The airport is also served by Air Canada, American, Delta, car rentals anchorage Frontier, United and US Airways. When it comes to airline lounges, Nashville has two; a Delta Sky Club and an American Airlines Admirals Club. The Sky Club is located adjacent to gate B3 and American s Admirals Club is located above gate C12.
Radisson Hotel at Opryland : Just across the street from Gaylord car rentals anchorage Opryland, this hotel recently went through a multimillion-dollar renovation. The guest rooms include interior rooms facing the atrium of the hotel and exterior rooms facing outside. All of the rooms feature Radisson s  Sleep Number Bed and all rates offer complimentary high speed internet access and complimentary parking. The hotel has a fitness center and indoor swimming pool.  Rates in November begin at $119 a night or 38,000 Gold Points.
Hilton Nashville Downtown :  This hotel in downtown Nashville features all-suite accommodations car rentals anchorage with Hilton s Serenity Bed and Bath, flat-screen HD TV s, microwave, refrigerator and pull-out sofa. Guests may use the hotel s indoor heated pool and fitness center. The property has several restaurants which include The Palm specializing in steak and lobster. For breakfast, guests may dine at Marketstreet which features a full breakfast buffet.  Rates in November begin at $179 a night or 50,000 Hilton Honors Points since this is a Category 7 property.
Other Hilton properties in the area include car rentals anchorage the  Hilton Brentwood/Nashville Suites ,  DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Nashville Downtown ,  Homewood Suites by Hilton Nashville-Downtown ,  Hampton Inn Suites car rentals anchorage Nashville-Downtown car rentals anchorage ,  Hilton Garden Inn Nashville Vanderbilt ,  Home2 Suites by Hilton Nashville Vanderbilt, TN and the  Embassy Suites car rentals anchorage Nashville at Vanderbilt the last three of which are near the Convention Center where the CMA s took place.
Hyatt Place Nashville/Opryland : This hotel is located in the heart of Music Valley near the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center complex. The hotel has spacious guest rooms with Hyatt s Grand Beds, 42-inch plasma TV s, a sleeper car rentals anchorage sofa bed in the living room, and newly renovated bathrooms. The hotel provides complimentary wireless internet access and a complimentary hot breakfast for all guests.   The lowest rates we could find in November were  $124 per night . This is a  Category 2  hotel, so free night redemptions require  8,000 Gold Passport points
Gaylord Opryland Resort car rentals anchorage and Hotel : As of this week, the Gaylord Hotels and Resorts brand has joined Marriott. This massive crown jewel in their portfolio hasn t yet joined the Marriott Rewards program, but we ll update the information here as soon as they do. In the meantime, guests can still enjoy the sprawling complex car rentals anchorage s massive indoor gardens, the Relache Spa, twelve (yes, twelve) dining outlets including Old Hickory Steakhouse, 18-hole golf course and fitness center with indoor pool. The resort has a whopping 2,884 including 171 suites car rentals anchorage and 776 garden atrium view rooms, each with two queen or one king bed, work desks, armchairs, 32-inch LCD TV s and high-speed internet access for a fee. Rates in November start at $169.
Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University car rentals anchorage : This property is located on the Vanderbilt University campus, and has 301 rooms and 6 suites. Guest rooms feature plush pillow-top mattresses with luxurious linens, 32-inch flat-panel TV s and WiFi. The hotel also features a concierge level with concierge lounge which has a hot buffet breakfast, hors d oeuvres, desserts, and complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. For dining, the hotel contains the Park25, restaurant which is an American bistro serving Southern flare. They also provide a free shuttle service available to many downtown attractions.  Rates in November  begin at $149 a night or 30,000 car rentals anchorage Marriott car rentals anchorage Rewards points since this is a Category 6 property.
Union Station car rentals anchorage Hotel, Autograph Collection : This landmark hotel is located in a historic 100-year-old train station in downtown Nashville. The boutique property has 125 guestrooms outfitted with pillow-top bedding, LCD televisions car rentals anchorage and marble bathrooms with walk-in showers. The hotel has