New and Noteworthy

Don’t miss the CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair June 5-8, 2014 and June 11-14, 2015. The world’s largest country music festival delivers a full range of concert experiences with equal parts nighttime fireworks and daytime sizzle. Your group will enjoy non-stop music and autograph opportunities from their favorite hit-makers in downtown Nashville. cmafest.com

Music City July 4th: Let Freedom Sing Celebration! If there's one thing Nashville knows how to do, it's throw a party. We're offering free live music, family fun and incredible fireworks. All events are free. All are in downtown Nashville. And all are where you want to be. So, come early. Stay late. Celebrate in Music City. musiccityjuly4th.com

Your group can be a part of Country Music’s biggest night during the CMA Awards in November, broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena. cmaawards.com

Ring in the new year and rock out the old at Music City’s New Years Eve Bash on Broadway celebration. Party with thousands of your closest friends in downtown Nashville. Put on your party hat, count down to midnight fireworks and make some noise. visitmusiccity.com/newyearseve

Nashville’s newest attraction, The Johnny Cash Museum opened in April, 2013 in the heart of downtown Nashville! Officially authorized by the Estate of Johnny Cash, the museum features the most comprehensive collection of Johnny Cash artifacts and memorabilia in the world. State of the art exhibits, a museum gift store and special events make this THE Cash venue to visit. johnnycashmuseum.com

Nashville was recently named ‘the coolest, tastiest city in the South” by Bon Appetit Magazine, and here’s why…new culinary experiences for your groups! Whether it's an interactive dinner meal, wine pairing, cooking competition or demonstration, C&K Catering’s interactive cooking classes, are perfect for groups. chefcorey.com. Also available: The Rise of the Southern Biscuit at the Wildhorse Saloon wildhorsesaloon.com and Belle Meade Plantation’s Culinary Tour & Progressive Wine Tour. bellemeadeplantation.com

Antique Archaeology, made famous on the hit TV show ”American Pickers,” is open in Music City, located just a few blocks away from downtown Nashville. Here you will find your favorite Antique Archaeology gear, including their latest Nashvilleexclusive designs, plus new picks that you may have seen on the show. antiquearchaeology.com

New at the Nashville Zoo is Kangaroo Kickabout! This is an interactive experience allowing Zoo guess to enter the home of dozens of kangaroos. While guests follow a winding walkaway, the Australian marsupials are free to hop the pathways, lounge on grassy patches or graze anywhere in the habitat. nashvillezoo.org

The Nashville Municipal Auditorium is the new home to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, which honors musicians from stars to studio players that represent all genres of music, with emphasis on 1960s and 1970s popular music. The exhibit space is divided into cities that have a history of recorded music (such as Detroit, Memphis, Nashville etc.); each exhibit will include the very instruments that these musicians used to record many of their great hits, from Hank Williams Sr. to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Motown to Southern Rock. musicianshalloffame.org

New at Hard Rock Café Nashville, multi-platinum recording artist Tim Rushlow hosts “Rushlow in the Round,” which will feature fellow songwriters in an interactive show where the stories, questions from fans and songs go to a deeper level than your typical writers' night. “Rushlow in the Round” will take place on the last Tuesday of every month in the Reverb Room inside the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville at 7:00 p.m. hardrock.com

Discover Nashville and all it has to offer with a Gray Line Sightseeing Tour. New tour offerings include Music City Quest, a group scavenger hung in the heart of downtown Nashville, and ABC’s Nashville, exploring the real-life filming locations featured in the hit TV show. Walk the Line Tour, the Music City Story of Johnny Cash, features a visit to the Johnny Cash Museum, home sites of Johnny, June and Mother Mabel Carter, Johnny and June’s gravesite and lunch with Johnny’s good friend and guitar player Loney Hutchins. graylinetn.com

“New” Prime Time Nashville Package - Lights,Camera, Nashville! Enjoy the sights, songs and settings of ABC’s Nashville which will be your backdrop for this one-of-a-kind group trip as you visit attractions and sites featured in the show and become immersed in Music City. Your group’s package will include: Exclusive Music City Welcome, Nashville City Tour, Session with a Nashville songwriter, Grand Ole Opry, Grand Ole Opry House backstage tour, Ryman Auditorium tour, General Jackson midday cruise /meal and show, Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, The Parthenon and a meal at the Opry Backstage Grill. Get Ready for your close up! opry.com

Learn firsthand the process of true Tennessee whiskey- making at SPEAKeasy Spirits Artisan Distillery. Each tour lasts one hour and includes a tasting of Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream. tennesseesippingcream.com