Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/406441
(top) jason mrachina, (right) dove wedding photography W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 | g o i n g p l a c e s 47 in a long chain of high-profile bookings for the Mother Church of Country Music. In 1925, the Ryman began its historic stint as the host of WSM 650's Grand Ole Opry, America's longest-running radio show. In between Crockett and Taylor Swift – who was firmly in control of Nashville with her Red Tour when I arrived last September – there have been a lot of chart-toppers who've made the Grand Ole Opry and Nashville their home. is is, after all, the Songwriting Capi- tal of the World, where thousands of gold records trace a solid line of country super- stars, from Jimmie Rogers and the Carter Family to Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood – all purveyors of the classic Nashville sound. eir stories and hundreds of others are told through the massive audio, video and photo files on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame (CMHF), which recently under- went a $100-million, 210,000-square-foot e x pa n sion of it s dow ntow n prem i ses. Included is the new Taylor Swift Education Center, kick-started by Swift with a $4-mil- lion endowment (the largest in CMHF his- tory) to provide a classroom setting for music appreciation. Charitable acts such as this have created a deep sense of affection for the countr y music superstar, not only in her hometown of Nashville, but also in the hearts of tween and teen fans across the continent. During my visit to Nashville last fall, the streets were overrun with young princesses dressed in pink or red (tiaras optional), drawn here from across the world for Swift's show. The expansion of the CMHF capitalizes on momentum first started when the Tennes- see Titans (then called the Houston Oilers) moved from Texas in 1997, followed by the arrival of the Predators in 1998. "ese pro- fessional teams coming in through the '90s brought a sense of wealth to the city of Nash- ville," says Spyridon. Since then, the city has enjoyed the advan- tage of both teams playing in venues situated in or around the downtown core – the Preds play at the Bridgestone Arena at the corner of Broadway and Fifth, while the Titans are situ- ated in LP Field, about 10 minutes away. is is the beauty of Nashville – nearly all its iconic attractions are either clustered d irect ly around the downtown intersection of Broad- way and Fifth Avenue South or within easy walking distance. Nashville is very walkable. However, you don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate the anchors these franchises rep- resent to downtown restaurateurs and pub owners – similar to the Winnipeg Jets play- ing at the MTS Centre downtown. e option to take in a hockey or football game before or after shopping downtown only adds to the already rich diversity of a Nashville's John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge has been the setting for more than one country music video. The Country Music Hall of Fame recently doubled in size, with more gallery space, a new theatre and more.