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The area just east of Vanderbilt University known as Music Row holds a prominent place in local lore as the incubator of major country hits for more than half a century. Yet aside from the hope of seeing your favorite country superstar cruising past in a stretch limo, there's little here of interest to casual visitors. In 2001 the Country Music Hall of Fame moved from Music Row to its new downtown location, and the record company offices along 16th and 17th avenues are not open to the public.

One notable exception is RCA Studio B, a rather unassuming structure on 17th Avenue where some of the greatest country recordings from the 1950s onward were produced. The studio is open to guided tours as part of the "Platinum" ticket package at the Country Music Hall of Fame (www.countrymusichalloffame.com).