The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville's live-music icon

Despite its somewhat prosaic locale at a generic suburban shopping center, the iconic Bluebird Cafe (4104 Hillsboro Rd., 615-383-1461) has become a Nashville live-music legend during its 25-year tenure. This is one of the most intimate venues in town to catch emerging country, folk, rockabilly, and other artists, as well as firmly established ones (Kathy Mattea got her start here). The restaurant serves decent if unmemorable pub fare - the draw here is the music. There are two seatings - come at 6 pm promptly to catch a relatively lesser-known or emerging act, and at 9 or 9:30 to see a more established act. The music calendar is always posted on the Bluebird's website. Although this is by no means a gay venue, it has a strong community following and has booked plenty of gay acts; this is a much more low-keyed, progressive sorta hangout than some of the touristy honky-tonk clubs downtown along Broadway (although these are plenty of fun, too). You never know who you're going to see here - maybe a future star bound for greatness at the Grand Ole Opry or the Country Music Hall of Fame.