We live in Music City and while Gay Faves Live Music Venue was a part of our Places category, it was not the only part of this category we cared about. We wanted to know where O&AN readers saw their movies, bought their books and where they had to take out of town visitors. Read on. The answer might surprise you! It’s our 2013 Gay Faves Places.

Music Venue: The Ryman

If walls could talk, the stories coming from the mouths of what is known as the “Mother Church of Country Music” would probably be as fabled as they are long. For more than 120 years, The Ryman stage has been a go-to destination for performers of all genres. We already have our tickets to hear the one and only Jennifer Nettles for her solo tour.

Place to Take Visitors: Jeni’s Ice Cream

At first it looked like Jeni’s was going to have to battle for Broadway/Downtown as Gay Faves Place to Take Visitors but over the two week voting period Jeni’s creamed the competition. And why not? A double scoop (or three when no one is watching) of their Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream and you’ll know why.

Spiritual Place: Holy Trinity Community Church

It’s not only a place of worship that embraces diversity but Holy Trinity Community Church (HTCC) is a growing place of worship. On November 17, the church celebrated the opening of its new 450-seat sanctuary to a standing room only crowd. Additionally, HTCC has built strong ties to community organizations such as Tennessee Equality Project and Nashville CARES. In fact, this month HTCC celebrates the holiday season with its Christmas Concerts on December 14 and 15. Saturday night’s show’s offerings will benefit Nashville CARES.

Bookstore: McKay

Maybe someone should build a coffee shop inside McKay because we could spend ALL weekend surfing through not only their expansive collection of used books but also music, movies and more. There’s nothing like stumbling across a childhood favorite or even an outdated book in their LGBT section. Haven’t been to McKay Books? Put down that Kindle and smell a book again!

Movie Theater: Belcourt

Where else can you catch the entire series of Harry Potter movies, the latest Cannes Film Festival lesbian love fest, and the Reba McEntire starring Tremors? Well, the Belcourt Theatre, duh! And with their upcoming Coen Brothers retrospective (Fargo, The Big Lebowski) December 6-20, we know where we’ll be spending much of our holiday season. At the Belcourt, duh!

Hotel: Hutton Hotel

Located on West End Avenue, the Hutton Hotel offers a boutique hotel experience in the heart of Midtown Nashville.