Shenaniganska: NASHVILLE TRAVEL DIARY: TV show & The Bluebird Cafe

source: PINTEREST

If you even wonder what's the name of an actor/ actress you see in a movie or a TV show, I would probably know the answer and give you an IMDb list of their accomplishments right off my head, too. Because I like the entertainment industry and all behind the scenes based footage, I'm always very excited when I get to check out the famous movie locations in person. Nashville happened to be one of them. For those of you who watch the NASHVILLE show on ABC, you know the drill. Starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, this show focuses on depicting the country music industry from the inside out. I personally liked it from the beginning because:

1. It's about the music, duh...

2. I wanted to see a glimpse of how the music industry works

(even if it's just a TV show, there must be something right in there),

3. Eye candy like Hayden or all of the musicians ;)).

source: PINTEREST

One of the locations for the show is The Bluebird Cafe. Like I mentioned in another post, my friend Maja is the biggest country music fan, and me being the movie geek, it was obvious we had to check that place out. After a quick research, we found out that it would be best to visit the cafe on Monday afternoon. It happened to be an Open Mic Night, which for us was an ultimate Nashville experience that we could not miss when in town.

We spent our morning and early afternoon exploring downtown Nashville and then we headed to The Bluebird Cafe. Because we had to take the bus to get there, we had to designate at least an hour for the ride to the location. If you have a car, it only takes about 15 minutes from one place to another. We, girls on a budget, didn't have another choice but to take the public transportation. After we got to our destination, this is what we found:

1. I guess when you think about a TV Show or movie locations, you may imagine everything looking as glamorous and pretty as on the screen. Well, there's a reality check for ya. The Bluebird Cafe happened to be just as normal as the Barber Shop next to your neighborhood. It was really just another complex of buildings that didn't really stand out and you could walk by it without noticing it.

2. The actual place is a cute and small business with a great history. The only indication for people who doesn't know how popular this place is, would be a security guy who manages the crowds waiting in lines (yup) to get inside.

3. Crowds of people like these. Because the place only holds about 90 seats, everybody tries to get in line as soon as possible. First come, first served. Open Mic Night starts at 6 p.m., but to avoid chaos and loitering the parking lot, the rule is that people cannot form the line until one hour before the door opens (5:30 p.m.) - and believe me, the security guy is strict about that. We lucked out because as soon as we arrived, we were able to secure a spot in the waiting line.

When you have to stand in a line for an hour or so, you get to do a good share of people watching. Personally, I was fascinated by people who were about to sing that night. I applaud them for courage and pursuing their dreams, and only hope that I could share one of their special talents.

This redhead girl... Not only beautiful but talented, too!

Once inside, we quickly secured our spot and awaited performances. Being there, it was the warmest, and probably the most rewarding experience of all the things we got to do in Nashville. The Bluebird Cafe is much smaller than it seems on TV, duhhh, but it certainly makes you feel like your'e a part of something special. We spent about two hours listening to people sing and play and if we could, we would have stayed much longer. I highly recommend checking out this place! Especially on Open Mic Nights!