A not-so-well-known gem is the speakeasy. Webster defines it as an illicit liquor store or nightclub (during prohibition). These hidden locations are within the city streets of Nashville, under museums, hotels and in the underground of popular nightclubs. There are no signs, no arrows, and no obvious entryway, but they exist and you need the secret knock.
After speaking with twenty-somethings, they reluctantly mention only a few, Old Glory, Patterson and the Hidden Bar on 4th Avenue under the Noelle Hotel. You can also find House of Cards, but the magicians are professionals and very entertaining. This author will let you in on a secret, one of the card masters is also an author. Just this morning during my commute to job two (5:30 am), I saw a billboard advertising the House of Cards. For me and other locals, it’s about finding the unpolished gem, knowing the password, and becoming part of the secret. Visitors are the part of the backbone of our economy and tempting them to dip their toes into Nashville secret waters beckons. I get it! As an author swimming in an ocean of available stories, I totally get the advertising aspect, it is a business negotiating the rip currents of entertainment.
When you decide which establishment to see, dress to impress for a night to remember.
Be safe, be aware and enjoy.
See ya in the bookstores!
~Kolin