Before heading to Music City visit Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (NCVB), call tel. 800/657-6910, or swing by one of their offices when you arrive: in the tower of Bridgestone Arena at 5th and Broadway, or at 150 4th Ave. N., in the lower level of the Regions Bank Building. The NCVB offers money-saving and themed travel packages that include accommodations, attraction discounts, and events. The discounts themselves aren’t huge, but it does take some of the worry out of booking every element of your trip. 

Another easy and informative way to prepare for your trip is to check out local news and entertainment sites. Nashville Scene” is the city’s main arts and entertainment weekly and “The Tennessean” is the city’s daily newspaper. Both have event calendars and information on everything going on in Nashville. Native Nashville is a local culture magazine that you can thumb through online, and for foodies, Eater Nashville is a great repository for news and reviews of Nashville’s constantly changing dining scene. 

For music, there are a few stations you can tune into online before you visit or check out while you’re here: Lightning 100 is the city’s longest running independent radio station, and they focus on local music and emerging artists; WMOT Roots Radio is a public radio station broadcast out of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro that plays everything from classic country to new Americana; and WFSK-FM, the campus radio station of Fisk University, broadcasts smooth jazz on 88.1. If you have a Spotify account, you  can also check out Tennessee Tourism’s Spotify channel for mixes that cover country music, the Ryman, and more. If you’re unfamiliar with exactly what Americana music is—essentially just a contemporary mix of country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, and the blues—check out “Americana Replay” on iTunes.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.