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Nashville Attractions
Sports and Recreation
Vanderbilt University's football team, the Commodores, has attracted a faithful crowd to Vanderbilt Stadium for years; phone (615) 322-4653 for tickets. Nashville's NFL Tennessee Titans host gridiron action at The Coliseum , 1 Titans Way, which is downtown on the east bank of the Cumberland River. For tickets phone (615) 341-7627 or (888) 313-8326.
Baseball fans root for the Nashville Sounds, a AAA team affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tickets to their games at Herschel Greer Stadium , near I-65 and Wedgewood Avenue on Chestnut Street, are available; phone (615) 242-4371.
The National Hockey League's Nashville Predators take to the ice in the Gaylord Entertainment Center , downtown at 5th Avenue and Broadway. Phone (615) 770-7825 for Predators ticket information.
NASCAR Winston Racing Series and special racing events take place at the Music City Motorplex on the Tennessee State Fairgrounds on Wedgewood Avenue between 8th Avenue S. and 4th Avenue S. (from I-65 use exit 81); phone (615) 726-1818.
Both the women's and men's Vanderbilt basketball teams are usually contenders in their conferences, making tickets a valuable commodity; phone (615) 322-3544.
The J. Percy Priest and Old Hickory reservoirs and a network of inner-city parks are the mainstay of many area sports.
Swimming is enjoyed at either J. Percy Priest or Old Hickory reservoirs and at Montgomery Bell State Park , all easily accessible from Nashville. The Metro Park System maintains eight outdoor and four indoor pools for public use; phone (615) 862-8400. Another indoor swimming venue is the Thomas F. Frist Centennial Sportsplex; phone (615) 862-8480.
Simulated waves offer a seashore setting at Wave Country, Briley and Two Rivers parkways, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day; phone (615) 885-1052. Water slides, sandy beaches and paddleboats can be found at Nashville Shores outdoor water park, near J. Percy Priest Dam, May through September; phone (615) 889-7050.
Boating marinas are at both J. Percy Priest and Old Hickory reservoirs. Water skiing also is popular on these lakes. The Harpeth Scenic River, southwest of the city off US 70, is popular with canoeists. For information on canoeing trips in the Nashville vicinity contact the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, 320 6th Ave. N., P.O. Box 23170, Nashville, TN 37202; phone (615) 741-2158.
Fishing for crappie, bass, catfish and perch in the lakes around Nashville is a favorite pastime. For non-residents a 3-day fishing license costs $20.50, while a 3-day fishing license excluding trout is $10.50. A 10-day fishing license is $30.50, or $15.50 excluding trout. For licenses write Fishing, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204; phone (615) 781-6500. Licenses also are available at discount stores and sporting goods stores, bait shops and marinas and in those convenience stores where fishing supplies are sold.
Indoor and outdoor tennis courts are available at Centennial Sportsplex Tennis Center, across from Centennial Park, year-round; phone (615) 862-8490. Metro Parks offers free public courts on a first-come, first-served basis; phone (615) 862-8490. Courts also are available at local high schools and universities.
Nine-hole golf courses open to the public include Little Course at Aspen Grove, (615) 790-0222, and Percy Warner, (615) 352-9958. Eighteen-hole courses include Forrest Crossing, (615) 794-9400; Harpeth Hills, (615) 862-8493; Nashboro Village, (615) 367-2311; Shelby, (615) 862-8474; Ted Rhodes, (615) 862-8463; Two Rivers, (615) 889-2675; and Vinny Links, (615) 880-1720. McCabe, (615) 862-8491, and Riverside, (615) 847-5074, offer 27 holes.
Ice skating is popular at Centennial Sportsplex, (615) 862-8480. Horseback riding is offered at Rambling Breeze Ranch, (615) 876-1029, off Knight Road in north Nashville; and JuRo Stables, (615) 773-7433, at 735 Carver Ln.
Performing Arts
One of the most important events in Nashville's history was the building of the Ryman Auditorium . The home of the Grand Ole Opry for 31 years, the stage of the Ryman Auditorium also has been graced by the likes of Enrico Caruso and Sarah Bernhardt. In 1994 a major renovation and restoration project once again put the Ryman in the spotlight as the city's premier cultural venue; audiences enjoy concerts, musicals, television tapings and variety shows there.
Built in east Nashville along the Cumberland River in 1974, the Grand Ole Opry House in Gaylord Opryland is a center for country music shows. For those who prefer down-home cookin' with their country music, Nashville Nightlife fills the bill daily; phone (615) 885-5201 or (800) 308-5779 for schedule information.
In the heart of town the Tennessee Performing Arts Center has three showcases for top-name shows and artists: the Andrew Jackson Hall for concerts, operas and touring Broadway shows; the Johnson Theater for theater-in-the-round; and the James K. Polk Theater for theatrical productions, operettas, dance and chamber concerts.
The Nashville Symphony performs September through May in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, one of only a few major concert halls in North America to use natural lighting; phone (615) 255-9600 for information and reservations.
Colleges and universities in Nashville also offer their share of music, dance and drama productions. Some of the programs are free and many are performed at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music, (615) 322-7651. Nashville's Children's Theater, 724 Second Ave. S., specializes in children's productions; phone (615) 254-9103. Chaffin's Barn, 8604 Hwy. 100, stages comedies and musicals in a dinner-theater setting; phone (615) 646-9977.
Concerts take place on weekends, mid-May through September at Centennial and other area parks; for more information phone (615) 862-8424.
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