Modern Hotel with Historic Roots Minutes from Downtown Nashville

As the legend goes, President Teddy Roosevelt visited the Maxwell House Hotel in 1907, had a sip of the house coffee—a new blend created by a Nashville entrepreneur—and proclaimed it "good to the last drop," launching a business slogan that endures today. Although a fire in 1981 destroyed the original hotel, its brand name lives on less than 3 miles away at the modern Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. Beyond just its namesake, the hotel is steeped in the local flavor of Music City: its lobby is covered in colorful paintings of guitars and musical memorabilia, and a complimentary shuttle takes guests to and from the downtown area.

One can see the lights of downtown Nashville or the rolling hills of Tennessee from each of the superior king rooms. Rooms throughout the building are covered in iconic Hatch Show Prints, the letterpress-style posters that have historically advertised concerts and shows throughout downtown Nashville. And each morning, guests can dig into a southern breakfast buffet spread.

Decorative barrels and a dusty wooden piano give an old-timey feel to Maxwell's Lounge, the hotel's onsite bar. Local musicians periodically grace the stage for live performances here, and bartenders craft a wide array of southern martinis; all the while, scattered TV screens throughout broadcast sporting events and heated debates between candidates for president of the George Jones Fan Club. Alternatively, Praline's Restaurant serves à la carte breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a casual setting, with vibrant red walls and large picture windows overlooking a grassy knoll.

Nashville, Tennessee: American Music Landmark with Lively Honky-Tonks

Millennium Maxwell House resides within 5 miles of downtown Nashville, a small city best known for its thriving country-music scene. Since the 1920s, droves of musicians and songwriters have traveled past the area's emerald grasslands and into downtown to perform in storied music halls and smoky bars.

Famous crooners and Elvis impersonators alike perform on Lower Broadway, a Vegas Strip-esque area complete with flashing neon lights plus a string of honky-tonks and laid-back hole-in-the-wall joints. Beyond country, Nashville also has a growing alternative-music scene fueled by local garage bands and popular record stores; one such vinyl-heavy record shop is owned by White Stripes front man and Nashville resident Jack White.

For a look back at the city’s musical history, the Country Music Hall of Fame showcases a range of artifacts from Willie Nelson’s bandana to Elvis Presley’s solid-gold 1960 Cadillac limo. Contemporary country stars narrate the recorded audio tour, which covers America’s roots music from the early days of settlers fiddling on their porches to modern days of children playing banjos built out of iPads and pogo sticks.