Tennessee

In Nashville, country music is religion, and while famed concert halls like the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry may draw more disciples than this historic house of worship, the city’s Downtown Presbyterian Church—just a two-minute walk from the Ryman—is an icon in its own right.

Discover the origins of this Southern kitchen essential

Break free of the city’s rowdiest thoroughfare and get to know greater Nashville, in every sense of the word.

The Peabody Hotel truly keeps its ducks in a row. Each morning at 11, its five resident North American mallards depart their “Royal Duck Palace” on the hotel’s rooftop and waddle to the elevator, riding it down a dozen floors until the doors open to reveal a red carpet lined with guests.

“Bristol: A good place to live,” proclaims a giant glowing sign arching over State Street. In 1921, citizens of Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, voted for the modest slogan.

Travel is multisensory by definition, and after months at home living in a two-dimensional world of screens, a visit to the Joseph in downtown Nashville is a welcome jolt.

Nestled on a picturesque riverbend in the Appalachian foothills, this cheerily named town has long delighted the young at heart.

Many a song has been written about Tennessee. Countless artists have dedicated their work to her beauty, drawing inspiration from her mountains and waterways. And now, the Volunteer State can claim another love letter of sorts—a luxury hotel called the Tennessean that honors its birthplace at every turn.

The historical heft of Thistletop Inn strikes me right at the door. Seemingly every bit of this building has a backstory.

It would be easy for Vince Gill, to quote from his chart-topping 1995 ballad, to “rest high on the mountain” of his forty years of success. Instead, he takes pleasure in the everyday trappings of the life he shares with fellow singer-songwriter Amy Grant.