“I always knew that Nashville would be a destination of some sort for me, that I would land there in terms of music,” said the singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves during a Zoom call. A native Texan who is nominated for five Grammys this year, including best country album for “Deeper Well,” her fifth studio album, she began singing at a young age and at 18 competed on season five of the country music television show “Nashville Star.” A year later she moved to Nashville and never looked back. “I do owe so much to the community there for absolutely shaping me and my songs, and for giving me the opportunities that I’ve had,” she said.
Her love for the city runs deep. “Nashville is home to an unparalleled songwriting community. Some of the best songwriters in the world are based there,” she said. Indeed, the city pulses with the energy of its musical heritage, and you can soak it all up everywhere you go — from its groovy lounges to its record stores and hole-in-the-wall bars.
So where should a visit to Music City begin? “Even if you’re not necessarily a fan of country music, the Country Music Hall of Fame is really interesting,” she said. “Country music is a very historic genre, and this museum really honors the roots of that.”
One of her favorite haunts in the East Nashville area is Grimey’s, a record store set inside an old church, complete with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows. Right next door is Anaconda Vintage, a used clothing store where she “can always find a little treasure or two.” Across town near Vanderbilt University is Brown’s Diner, the oldest burger joint in the city and “notoriously John Prine’s favorite spot to get a hamburger.”
Ms. Musgraves is currently on tour across North America in support of “Deeper Well,” which was reviewed in The Times as “a study in quiet thoughtfulness rooted in gratitude.” Her last stop, on Dec. 7, is back home in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena.
Here are her favorite places to visit in the city.
1. Sperry’s
Sperry’s is the kind of restaurant that seems frozen in time. Locals who’ve been going there to celebrate anniversaries and special occasions claim that not much has changed in the 50 years since it opened in the Belle Meade neighborhood. The menu is practically the same. The famous salad bar — the first in the city, according to legend — offers fresh and pickled veggies as well as made-from-scratch dressings like the roasted garlic vinaigrette. The vibe? Ms. Musgraves said it’s “extremely cozy, a Nashville staple that feels like an English pub with a fireplace.” Recently, she popped in for a birthday dinner with friends. “It’s a great place to get a steak and some wine. And the salad bar is great!” For dessert she recommends the bananas Foster.
2. Southall Farm & Inn
Set on 325 acres of lush, rolling hills in nearby Franklin, a 30-minute drive south of downtown Nashville, Southall Farm & Inn features modern guest rooms and cottages, an apiary that’s home to some eight million honeybees, an apple orchard, greenhouses, rows of heritage crops and terraced gardens. “There’s a lake in the middle and you can paddle around in a boat. They make their own honey, and the food is all organic. And they have all kinds of fun activities, like yoga and archery and ax throwing,” said Ms. Musgraves. “Sometimes I just go out there to eat or use the spa.”
3. The Blue Room
Tucked away inside Jack White’s Third Man Records headquarters is the Blue Room, previously a private space that now features comedy shows, film screenings, trivia nights and live music. “It’s a small room, so you feel like you’re very close and personal with whoever is playing there,” said Ms. Musgraves. As you might expect, a lot of musicians on Mr. White’s label jam there, but so do plenty of other bands looking to perform in an intimate space. Some of the live shows are recorded direct to acetate. “You can see these people on a screen in his vinyl lab recording the show that you’re there watching,” she explained. And after the show, you can purchase the just-pressed record. “I’ve never seen a place do that before. It’s awesome.”
4. Radnor Lake State Park
Ms. Musgraves has described her album, “Deeper Well,” as a walk in nature. She’s very much drawn to the countryside and is quick to point out that you don’t have to go very far in Nashville to get a dose of the great outdoors. “Radnor Lake is a nice little getaway. It’s a great place to see animals; there are bald eagles and lots of deer. You don’t feel like you’re in the city, but it’s not too far out,” she said. This protected natural area, set on 1,368 acres, is a 20-minute drive south of downtown and offers miles of hiking and walking trails, including “a challenging hike that’s a pretty good workout,” she said.
5. The Station Inn
If you visit Nashville and don’t go listen to live music, did you really experience Nashville? One of Ms. Musgraves favorite venues in the city, the Station Inn, is where you go for a beer, some popcorn and arguably the best bluegrass in the country. “One of my favorite memories is of seeing John Prine play there. He’s one of my musical heroes, and he would play a Christmas show there every year,” she said. Set in a stone building surrounded by sparkling skyscrapers and condos in an area called the Gulch, the venue inside is all mismatched chairs, beat-up tables around a stage and faded concert bills glued to the walls. “You go in and it feels like you’re in a time capsule. There would be a lot of people upset, me included, if the Station ceased to exist.”
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