A Nashville guide for those brought here by Beyoncé: Visit these Music City gems

Beyoncé's new album "Cowboy Carter" appears to be a reclamation of country music, and it's led to interest from fans who haven't tuned in to the genre before. Naturally, those listeners are considering trips to the heart of country music — Nashville.

As a new resident of the city, I ventured to some beloved places around town and talked to some local experts to create a simple guide meant to appeal to new fans. It features unique places in Music City, some of which have greatly influenced country music past and present.

Miranda Lambert's Casa Rosa

This lively eatery and honky-tonk is considered the first female artist-inspired restaurant and bar on Lower Broadway. Inspired by chart-topping country music superstar Miranda Lambert, the Tex-Mex eatery highlights her career and reflects her Texas roots.

The establishment spans multiple floors with unique pink decor. On a Saturday afternoon, a live country band played while patrons dined. The singer's influence is evident in the menu and art displayed throughout the place.

Of course, the Beyhive has been buzzing with speculation about whether artists like Lambert or Dolly Parton will be featured in some capacity on the new album, which comes out March 29.

Daniel X Diamond 

Longtime Los Angeles-based stylists Daniel Musto and Lani Lupton eventually arrived in Music City and founded the Daniel X Diamond clothing line. The brand is known for its cowboy core staples, mainly statement pieces embellished with fringe and rhinestones.

The brand has been sourced to some of the most prominent artists in the music industry, including Gwen Stefani, Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood. Beyoncé's oldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, was spotted in a Daniel X Diamond jacket in the 2023 "Renaissance" film.

I stopped by on a Saturday afternoon to try on some of the bedazzled pieces and speak with Musto, who referred to his business with Lupton as "our Sasha Fierce." Of course, the hive knows this references Beyoncé's alter ego.

"I've been a fan of Beyoncé forever, [and] I'm so excited now I can tell Alexa to play Beyoncé and all different genres of music pop up," he said. "She did all the really cool house music, country, and obviously pop, R&B and hip-hop."

Musto said the Grammy-award-winning singer began wearing this clothing style with her "Renaissance" album.

"She was introducing country-western through fashion only," he said. "If you think about it, she used fashion to tease music."

And while he is excited about Queen Bey's foray into country music and fashion, he acknowledged the lifestyle's roots.

"I just want to talk about Black culture in general, because that's where country music began," he said. "We always have to nod our cowboy hats to those who started something that's turned into this multibillion dollar business. And I think it's magical the woman at the top of the music industry is going back to her roots of Houston."

The Grand Ole Opry House

Dubbed the home of country music, the Grand Ole Opry has become a cultural landmark. Initially founded in 1925 by George D. Hay as a one-hour live radio show on WSM 650 AM, the Opry is the longest running radio broadcast in the U.S. Since 1974, the radio show has been housed in the Grand Ole Opry House — a 4,400-seat Opryland area venue that hosts several shows each week featuring some of country music's biggest names and rising stars. Artists including Dolly Parton, Darius Rucker, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood have graced the stage.

The Opry holds several types of venue tours daily throughout the year. This month, it offered a Women of Country tour. Guests were greeted with mimosas before they journeyed through the halls where country music legends changed backstage and performed in front of thousands. This tour was a deep dive into all the women who have paved the way in the industry. Of course, guests didn't leave without stepping on the famous circle in the floor of the stage.

Slim & Husky's Pizza Beeria

Slim & Husky's is a Black-owned pizza shop. One location of the Nashville-area chain is located in the city's heart at the Fifth + Broadway complex. Amid the country music scene, the eatery boasts a love for hip-hop and R&B culture — not unlike Beyoncé.

"It's Music City, so we wanted to make sure we represent all music genres in Nashville," said co-founder Derrick "Mo" Moore. "R&B, hip-hop and soul happen to be [genres] we're attracted to, as well as country music."

Co-founder Clint Gray said it was important to open the location downtown.

"There's so many different Black country artists here in Nashville, and to have Beyoncé put a light onto country music from an African-American standpoint, just give them a big opportunity to grow, kind of shift that genre, you know, back to its roots," he said.

House of Adora

The House of Adora, or the "pink house," is a not-so-hidden gem East Nashville tucked into a residential neighborhood. Social media Beverly Griffith painted her home in 2021. Since then, it has become a Music City staple and an Instagram-worthy attraction.

Griffith rents out her home for photoshoots, video shoots and everything in between. The pink house has been a go-to location for Nashville-favored country and pop singers like Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Yola.

Station Inn 

The Station Inn is a small but mighty concert venue located near Nashville's Music Row and notable recording studios. The establishment has been deemed America's bluegrass hub. Bluegrass is a particular style of country music influenced by jazz and blues. It is often characterized by banjo and guitar playing coupled with high-pitched vocals.

Beyoncé's hit track "Texas Hold' Em" features MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Rhiannon Giddens on the banjo and viola. Before starting her solo career, Giddens founded and played in the country, blues and old-time music band the "Carolina Chocolate Drops." The group became the first Black string band to play the Grand Ole Opry. She has dedicated her career to educating the nation about the banjo and its roots in Black culture before becoming a predominantly white instrument.

Giddens also educated folks about the history of bluegrass, not solely a descendant of Scottish and Irish music but incorporating banjo and fiddle players from Africa, as well.

Marcus Dowling contributed to this story.

Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.

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