Follow in Taylor Swift's Footsteps in Nashville, Tennessee

It’s no secret that I am a HUGE Swiftie. So when I visited Nashville, Tennessee last month I knew I had to visit some of the must visit Taylor Swift spots in the city. Taylor Swift actually grew up in Pennsylvania and her and her family moved to Nashville in her early teens to pursue her music career. Nashville was a huge part of her rise to fame. I was ever so excited to visit some places in Music City which shaped her early music days. Here are some of my top spots to visit in Nashville if you are a Taylor Swift fan.

1. Centennial Park

On our first full day in Nashville, one of the first places we visited was Centennial Park. The 132 acre public park is home to a full-scale replica Parthenon which is pretty impressive. However, the link to Taylor Swift is just a short walk around the lake. This where you will find a secluded bench dedicated to her.

The bench has an inscription with ‘For Taylor Swift – A bench for you to read on at Centennial Park – Welcome home, Nashville’. The bench is inspired by Taylor Swift’s song ‘Invisible String’ from her album Folklore. The opening lyrics are ‘Green is the colour of the grass where I used to read at Centennial Park’.

It’s such a lovely little bench to visit and a must see for any Taylor Swift fan. I do wonder if Taylor has visited it herself since the plaque was installed last year.

2. Country Music Hall of Fame – Taylor Swift Education Centre

The Country Music Hall of Fame is a must visit for any country music fans. There is so much to see and the ever changing exhibits have something for everyone. The country music hall of fame is home to the Taylor Swift Education Centre. Taylor donated $4 million to the museum to open the eduction centre with classrooms and a space for workshops and activities.

Also in the Taylor Swift Eduction Centre is a few different items in an exhibit such as the graduation gown from when she got an honoury doctorate at NYU and the Banjo she played when she performed Mean at The Grammys.

Currently there is an exhibition called ‘American Currents: State of the Music’. This includes a lot of modern country performers such as Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll and Kacey Musgraves. Of course, there is also a bit on Taylor Swift which highlights the success of her re-records, Eras Tour and features her iconic Time Magazine covers. I’m not sure if it was part of rhe exhibit but there was a Eras Tour bus which made for an excellent photo opportunity.

3. Bluebird Cafe

One of the best things we did in Nashville was visit the Bluebird Cafe. Although all of Nashville really was a highlight for me, this was pretty special. Getting tickets to Bluebird Cafe is probably just as hard as getting tickets to the Eras Tour. I have no idea how we got tickets but we got mid-morning the day before.

We bought tickets to Warren Wednesdays with the Warren Brothers, Erik Dylan and Eric Paslay for $20 a ticket. Bluebird Cafe is an iconic venue in Nashville hosting both up & coming and experience song-writers and performers. Taylor Swift had performed at the venue and it was also the place she was discovered by her record label aged 14. You can spot her signed photo on the wall as well as a huge print when she surprised the audience with Garth Brooks in 2019.

I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Bluebird Cafe. It was such an intimate setting and amazing to hear the Warren Brothers & co sit around telling stories and singing songs they had written. The Warren Brothers did actually divulge in a few tales about Taylor Swift. They said in the early days they told her they didn’t think anyone would want to listen to her singing about high school. They went on to play Highway Don’t Care which Taylor released with Tim McGraw and they co-wrote.

4. The Grand Ole Opry

No visit to Nashville is complete without visiting the Grand Ole Opry. A pilgrimage to the Grand Ole Opry is essential for any music lover. This legendary venue has hosted countless country music stars, including Taylor Swift. We attended a Friday night show with around 7 different acts taking to the stage whilst being broadcast live. Our evening saw Rhett Akins, Shane Profitt & Ryan Larkin.

Taylor Swift debuted at Grand Ole Opry on September 1st 2006 and had played numerous times. I believe the most recent was at the ACM Awards in 2020 where she performed Betty.

5. Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium was the original Grand Ole Opry until 1974. It is still open for daily tours and concerts taking place. This was another venue that Taylor Swift has graced the stage. The most recent appearance at the Ryman Auditorium was an acoustic performance of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” at the 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards. The dress she wore that evening is on display to be seen if you take a tour!

6. Nashville’s Legends of Country Music Mural

Finally, I’ll end on a slightly controversial one. On the side of the Legend’s Corner Bar on Broadway is the the Nashville’s Legends of Country Music Mural. Once upon a time, you would have seen Taylor Swift on there. Sadly, in 2020 she was replaced by Brad Paisley due to her stepping away from her country roots. However, if you look close enough, you can actually see a little bit of her blonde hair remaining. Yes, we did go have a look and yes, we did see the blonde hair! It’s surprising how many people were actually talking about this and looking for it.

These are just six spots we visited in our three days in Nashville whilst following the steps of Taylor Swift. I know there are Trolley Tours which will show you her apartment and Big Machine Records but this is something we didn’t do. I had a magical time finding all the Taylor Swift hotspots.