I did recognize the name, though, as soon as I stumbled on to the purple painted building on Broadway. After having been in a few other bars and clubs, and listening to a lot of local music (both in the bars and on the street) we ended up at the place that rang bells and I remember hearing it was a place worth stopping.

And that was absolutely the case. The atmosphere for a smoky Nashville honky tonk couldn't be set up any better than it is at Tootsies. The place is always packed, and as it's not a big place it is usually very crowded. But that adds to the atmosphere, and the unbeatable good time you get listening to what is arguably the best live music performances you can see in Nashville. The history here is hard to beat, as the photos of country stars on the walls who have performed there over the years quickly prove. Every time you go to Tootsies (and you should certainly pop in more than once while in Nashville) you get the feeling your being welcomed into your old home town bar on a hot weekend night when the local boys are playing.

The service isn't the best you'll find in Nashville, but that kind of goes hand in hand with the relaxed home town feel, and the fact that they are always heaving. And the drinks are quite pricey (but then they are in most Nashville bars) but for pure atmosphere, fun, and excellent music it's hard to top the time you'll certainly have at the Orchid Lounge.

The atmosphere and history of this place is enough to recommend it, but the music is great too. One day, we heard musicians jamming. Each of them play with a different artist. The next day, Craig Curtis, who is being signed on by Mercury Records, was there singing and signing autographs. This is where many of the country music videos have been made and Willie Nelson wrote "Crazy" on a napkin. Terri Clark was also discovered here after two years. It's fun and the music is great.