You’ve probably noticed our list of favorite bars listed on the right side of this page. It’s a short list right now, only because I haven’t had time to add more. Believe me, the Sandbar crew has many favorite bars!
If you ever make it to Nashville, stop by the World Famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. It’s located in the heart of the honky-tonk district at 422 Broadway, right downtown and around the corner from the original location of the Grand Ol’ Opry, the Ryman Auditorium.
All sorts of famous folk have been spotted at Tootsie’s over the years including Willie Nelson, Dr. Ruth, Neil Young, Hank Williams Jr, and Rob Schneider. The walls are covered with photos of past performers at Tootsie’s, many who have gone on to have successful careers. Tootsie’s has two bars- upstairs and downstairs, and daily live music on stages in both bars. And it’s not just country music, they play everything. They’ll even let you dance on the bar there…but it doesn’t happen as often as it does at The Sandbar!
We’ve been to Tootsie’s three times now but didn’t see anyone famous. Well, anyone who was famous at the time. One of the bartenders and sometime-singer upstairs was Melanie Torres. She was a finalist on the most recent version of Nashville Star, the USA Network’s answer to American Idol.
The Sandbar crew traveled to Nashville a couple years ago to record the "Sandbar Song," the one that plays after the hurricane. It was recorded in a real studio by professional musicians- a really cool experience. (We did see the lead singer of the band Lonestar at the studio- he very graciously took pictures and signed autographs!) Nashville is definitely a fun place to visit and we’d love to go back.
