We don’t own cowboy boots, we don’t dance the “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” and we don’t even listen to country music, but here we are in Nashville, Tennessee.

The “Music City” is our first stop on what is planned to be a six-week road trip, and this will be as far west as we go.

Nashville has a fabulous free downtown bus system, the “Music City Circuit.”  There are three different color-coded bus circuits, and the longest wait at any given stop is 15 minutes.  We hopped on the blue bus and headed to Riverfront Station, located along the waterfront of the Cumberland River.  Just across the river is the NFL football stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans.  A pedestrian bridge crosses the river nearby, so we plan on taking in the skyline view from the bridge when we return tomorrow.

Across the street from Riverfront Station is Broadway, the street where much of the action is if you’re into live music and bar hopping.  There are dozens of bars, one after another, each with live bands that start performing in the early afternoon.  Bands will play for a few hours, and then move on to play at another club.

Between 2nd and 5th Avenues, the streets were buzzing with loud music and people cruising in and out of the clubs– and this was a Sunday afternoon.  I can only imagine what a Saturday night during the high season must be like.

In between the bars are music-themed memorabilia and t-shirt shops along with cowboy boot and hat shops.  Need a pair of cowboy boots (or three)?  One of the shops advertises that they will give two pairs of boots for free with a pair purchased.  (I wonder how much that first pair costs…  I just may have to investigate after our visit to Fontanel Mansion tomorrow.