Our community lives and works in Nashville: where are our favorite places to go relax, see a show, catch a movie, or find a good book? Well, we wanted to know and you told us! Last year our readers were very specific in choosing the fabulous Jenni’s Ice Cream as the Place to Take Visitors. This year we were far more ambitious….

Live Music Venue

RYMAN AUDITORIUM

The Ryman Auditorium—revamped as a premier performance hall after reopening in 1994, and subsequently declared a National Historic Landmark in 2001—may be known as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” but it has become so much more. In the coming year, acts as diverse as Hozier, The Beach Boys, and Garrison Keillor are set to perform there for local audiences, and LGBT acts are now common there.

Hotel

OMNI

Located in the heart of downtown Nashville, the Omni Hotel offers deals and packages that would make the heart of any country music enthusiast sing a happier tune, such as a Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Package. Add to its location its many onsite amenities, such as its fourth floor Mokara Salon & Spa and Bob’s Steak and Chop House, and you have a GayFaves hotel!

Place to Take Visitors

DOWNTOWN/BROADWAY

From the live music and ambience of the clubs and bars in the eclectic Printers Alley to the neon-lit honky tonks of Broadway, downtown Nashville is a music lover’s paradise, especially for those who like local acts. After all, we live in a city full of waiters more than qualified to be in the house band compared

with any other metropolis. Add to that tour the historical and cultural venues, from the Country Music Hall of Fame to the Frist, and downtown via Broadway is enough to entertain even the choosiest of visitors.

Spiritual Place

HOLY TRINITY COMMUNITY CHURCH

Holy Trinity is one of the most LGBT affirming churches in Middle Tennessee. Holy Trinity describes its mission as “creating a spiritual culture of loving acceptance for all God’s children,” and their work in the community, with organizations from Nashville CARES to the Tennessee Equality Project is evidence to that commitment.

Bookstore

MCKAY USED BOOKS

Tennessee’s first McKay’s location opened in Knoxville in 1985, and then arrived in Nashville in 2007. Now it’s hard to imagine how we ever lived without it! From its bargain basement prices on everything from CDs and DVDs to comic books and great literature, it is a paradise of personal entertainment shopping.

Movie Theatre

BELCOURT

In the age of the Mega Theater, showing 20 movies and boasting IMAX screens, the Belcourt is a throwback to another era. Heck, it can even accommodate stage productions. This Nashville institution brings the best independent films to Nashville while serving up classic movies in various genres and hosting cultural events, such as Nashville’s Jewish Film Festival. And where else can you enjoy your show while sipping a martini you ordered at the concession stand?

See also:

GAY FAVES 2014 Bartenders

GAY FAVES 2014 Nightlife

GAY FAVES 2014 Dining

GAY FAVES 2014 Community

GAY FAVES 2014 Look Good / Feel Good

GAY FAVES 2014 Places

GAY FAVES 2014 Professional Services