Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Nashville, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at 501 Demonbreun Street in Nashville is the city's main museum of country music. It tells the genre's story through instruments, stage costumes, recordings and handwritten lyrics, and it honours the artists inducted into the Hall of Fame. It opened in its current downtown building in 2001, a short walk from Broadway and the Cumberland River, and it is the natural first stop for anyone asking why Nashville is called Music City.

The story behind it

The Hall of Fame began as an honour before it was a building: its first members were named in 1961, and the museum run by the Country Music Foundation opened on Music Row in 1967. The move to the present site downtown came in 2001. The street outside carries an older story. Demonbreun Street is named after Timothy Demonbreun, a French trader and one of the earliest European settlers around Nashville. Tradition says he sheltered in a cave on the Cumberland River bluffs while trading, years before the city was founded.

The music inside has complicated roots. Country grew from a mix of Appalachian folk, gospel and African American blues, and the industry that formed around it did not always give credit to every tradition that shaped it. The stories of its stars are not all triumphant either: Hank Williams died at 29, and the pressures of the business wore down many careers. Nearby you can also meet the legend of guitarist and producer Chet Atkins (1924 to 2001), a key figure in the Nashville sound. Asked to define that sound, he is said to have jingled a handful of coins from his pocket.

What to look for

• The facade on the Demonbreun Street side, where the design plays with musical shapes such as piano keys and a tower reminiscent of a radio mast.
• The street sign itself, a small reminder of Timothy Demonbreun and of Nashville's settlement story.
• Inside, the Hall of Fame Rotunda, where the plaques of inducted members are displayed.
• The Schermerhorn Symphony Center, opened in 2006, and Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, both within an easy stroll of the museum.

Tips for your visit

• Allow a good part of a morning or afternoon if you plan to go inside, and a few minutes if you only want to see the building from the street.
• Going inside requires a ticket, so check current opening hours and ticket details before you go.
• The area is busiest in the evening, so earlier in the day gives you quieter pavements and better photos of the facade.
• Broadway, the Ryman Auditorium and the Schermerhorn are all close, so the museum fits easily into a downtown walk.

See it on a quest

The Nashville Sound Heist: A Ken Clever Mystery is a music-themed route through downtown. You reach this landmark on foot as one stop of a longer walk, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Nashville suits anyone who likes their sightseeing with a darker edge. You walk between stops on your own schedule, hear about each spot as you get there and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape: A Wicked Glitch in Nashville turns the same streets into a playful Oz-themed outing. The app guides you from place to place, shares the story of each stop and sets a puzzle along the way, with no guide and no group to join. One ticket covers the whole group.