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Hello traveller… let’s pack for Nashville, shall we?

You’re about to immerse yourself right in the heart and soul of country music  in Nashville. This retreat blends transformative guitar workshops with the city's rich musical heritage. We’ll be doing daily jam sessions at our stunning accommodation and visiting  iconic venues like the Bluebird Café, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry and a cinematic, breath-taking music venue in the open air, buried in an old quarry.  

Every moment is crafted to inspire in the city that made legends. Whether you're a seasoned player or a beginner, this retreat promises to be a memorable blend of music, culture, and camaraderie not seen since Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson stumbled out of a bar on Broadway in the early hours sometime in the late 1960’s. Probably. 

What you get

• Course materials, song sheets and historical information in PDF format to accompany all workshops and your time in the city

• A Guitar Social guide to dive bars and where the locals eat

• A concierge service from The Guitar Social as well as a daily itinerary

• Fourteen hours of workshops specific to Nashville and the music it has generated 

• A space in the best accommodation we can find

• Breakfast daily 

• Tickets to the  Johnny Cash Museum

• Tickets to the National Museum of African American Music

• Tickets to The Country Music Hall of Fame 

• A Guided Tour of RCA  Studio B where Dolly Parton, Elvis, Johnny Cash and loads of other legends recorded

How many people will be there

We limit it to about 15. This is a far cry from a guitar retreat in a conference room in a hotel on the motorway. This is small scale, boutique, bespoke.

What we’ll do

This can change based on the local knowledge we pick up on the ground and your suggestions. Sometimes, the day takes on its own mood, and we follow the breeze wherever it blows and sends us. 

What’s the theme of the day?

The itineraries and workshops are carefully selected to give each day its own mood and tone. Workshops are built to match where we might be going. A good example in this itinerary is day four, psychedelic workshop followed by an ice cream lunch and a trip to a witches castle.

Day 1: Saturday, 28th of September 

Theme of the day-Travel and Rest 

Around 8:30  PM: Arrival and check-in at accommodation. Dinner, possibly on the rooftop and as there’s no better way to get to know your road mates, a jam (workshop #1)

 

Day 2: Sunday, 29th of September 

Theme of the day-Heritage 

8:00 AM: Breakfast at the accommodation.

9:00 AM: 12:00 PM: Guitar workshop #2 Defining- The Old Country Sound, its artists, features and key pieces.

1.00 -1:30 PM: Lunch in town

2:30 PM - 3.30 PM: The life and legacy of Johnny Cash explored at the Johnny Cash Museum

Free time-The City is yours, go and explore.  You may wish to consult the Guitar Socials off the beaten track guide detailing dive bars and local places to eat. 

5.30- 7:00 PM: Attend a live show at The Grand Ole Opry, an iconic music venue celebrating country legends and broadcast live on national radio. This rates very highly on the Nashville to do List. Think the Royal Albert Hall, but for country fans. It’s out and out showbusiness and we loved it on our last trip there. 

Day 3: Monday, September 30

Theme of the day-Legacy

8:00 AM: Breakfast.

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM:  Guitar workshop #3 Country riffs, bass lines and tricks. Defining the Nashville Sound.

1.30 PM - 3.30pm: Step into Nashville’s musical history on a guided tour of RCA Studio B that includes admission to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Visit a recording studio that helped to shape the 'Nashville Sound

3.30-5PM: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum featuring The Guitar Social ‘spot the legend quiz’  more details on that, when we land. 

7:00 PM: Explore Broadway’s honky-tonk bars for live music and good times. 

Day 4: Tuesday, October 1

Theme of the day- New movements 

8:00 AM: Breakfast.

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Workshop #4 Introducing The New Country Sound, its artists, features and key pieces.

1:00-1.45 PM: Lunch at Assembly Food Hall

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM: National Museum of African American Music

note from Thomas: This is one of the best museums dedicated to music I have visited. Interactive, expansive and never dull. You’ll also be given a tag, and if you hear some music from an artist you like, you tap it on the picture or video that is emitting the music, and it adds that song to a spotify playlist that’s all yours to listen back to later. I had over 100 songs on mine in 2023 I’ve since added to it, and I’m listening to it now as I write this. 

Free time-The City is yours, go and explore.  You may wish to consult the Guitar Socials off the beaten track guide detailing dive bars and local places to eat. 

6.00-7.00PM:-Line Dancing on Broadway! Ye-HA!

7:30 PM: Attend a songwriter’s showcase at The Bluebird Café, the very same bar where Taylor Swift was spotted by her first record label. 

Day 5: Wednesday, 2nd of October

Theme of the day-YOU

8:00 AM: Breakfast.

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Workshop #5 Mega Jam of all songs covered so far. Country picking in detail. 

1.00-2.00: PM Lunch

Free time-The City is yours, go and explore.  You may wish to consult the Guitar Socials off the beaten track guide detailing dive bars and local places to eat. 

7pm Live Music at The Gray Stone Quarry. This is a venue outside of Nashville where we had an incredible night watching Lana Del Ray in 2023. You’ll be watching music in the open balmy warm late summer air, in a venue carved into the rock. 

Note from Thomas: We saw Lana Del Ray here on a warm Summers evening in 2023. Our tickets were at the back but bit by bit we got further to the front  after playing the whole, ‘We’re here from the UK’ card, a steward let us into the golden circle. We were about ten feet away from the stage. Afterwards, we walked through the winding roads leading out of the quarry to get an Uber, us and a few thousand other people. It was that night that I realized that America just seems to do large scale events better. The venue had put on DJ’s, pizza stalls, lights for the people to dance and eat in while they waited. The Uber arrived, and, as this is America, the Uber was  beautiful with loads of leg room and a driver telling incredible stories. There’s a photo somewhere of three people from our party sleeping in the backseat. 

 Personally, I was quite happy dancing, I would have been happy if the Uber hadn’t arrived. When I got into bed that night, hyped from one of the best nights ever (I’m a big Lana Del Ray fan) I’m glad it did. 

Day 6: Thursday, October 3

Theme of the day-Looking Back, looking forward

9:30 AM: Farewell breakfast.

12:00PM Drop our bags at a bag drop off, head for lunch. Say farewell, plans made for a reunion in a few months time

 Make our our way to the airport 

Accommodation:  

How the accommodation works

We only ever take the finest accommodation we can find. This involves big spaces in high end houses and apartments. Rooms are shared and room shares are allocated empathetically based on age, interests and gender. It is worth mentioning, the time spent in your room is likely to be very little. You can request your own room, this increases the ticket price by 60%. 

Prices 

• King Bed in a two bed room, £1192  

• Single Bed in a two bed room, £1142#

• Bunk bed in a room for 2 £1092 

• Queen in a room that sleeps four £1167 

• Bunk in a room that sleeps four £1072 

•  Single in a room that sleeps four £1117 

•  Your own room can be provided for £1747.20 

Confirming the trip, refunds and flights

Our retreats always sell out, however, we don’t confirm the trip until we have reached 70% of the bookings. At this stage we provide a suggested flight. We aim to do this 3 months before departure. It is often before 3 months that we hit this mark.  

Trends in flight prices are showing that flights booked 3 or so months before departure can be cheaper than 12 months ahead. 

If the trip hasn’t reached 70% at the 3 month mark, we will be in touch to have a conversation. 

It is worth noting that in our ten year history 100% of our retreats have gone ahead. 

In the highly unlikely event that a trip doesn’t go ahead, you will be issued a refund. 

You can cancel your trip and receive a refund at any point up until the 3 month period before departure date arrives.  After that, refunds are not offered, but, credit with The Guitar Social Retreats on an alternative trip can be explored. 

We kindly ask that you do not make any efforts to sell your ticket within The Guitar Social community and instead, talk with us directly. 

Getting to the accommodation

When the trip is confirmed, you’ll be provided with an address. Your job is to get to that address, once there, your trip with The Guitar Social begins. 

You may also join a whatsapp group where you can organise to share an airport transfer. 

Booking today

You can book in full up to six months before departure for a 5% discount on the price. 

Otherwise, we require 20% with the remaining balance paid 6 months before departure. 

To book, email thomas@theguitarsocial.com