Hard Rock Café and Silver Dollar Saloon

See if you can sing along with me on this one:

Just take those old records off the shelf

I sit and listen to ‘em by myself

Today’s music ain’t go the same soul

I like that old time rock ‘n’ roll

Still like that old time rock ‘n’ roll

That kind of music just soothes my soul

I reminisce about the days of old

With the old time rock ‘n’ roll

That was the classic “Old Time Rock and Roll,” by Bob Seger and we thought it only appropriate for your last stop here at the Hard Rock Cafe and Silver Dollar Saloon on the corner of Second and Broadway. The Hard Rock Cafe location in downtown Nashville opened in 1994. The chain was founded in 1971 in London and has locations in over 74 countries. At the time of its opening, some Nashvillians were skeptical of their arrival, as evidenced by a 1993 Tennessean article: “Hard Rock Cafe has some lower Broadway businesses grumbling as the international restaurant chain looks to Nashville for elbow room.” However, as more businesses flocked downtown, Hard Rock blended into the downtown music scene. Fun Fact: the Hard Rock Cafe franchise was sold to the Seminole Tribe in Florida in 2007! 

Silver Dollar Saloon 

This standalone brick building on the corner was once the Silver Dollar Saloon. Originally called the V.E Schwab Building, the Saloon was a sight for sore eyes for riverboat men arriving from the wharf of the Cumberland River. Built in 1893 and designed by Thompson and Zwicker, the Romanesque architecture of the building features a terra cotta frieze, stringcourse molding, and an octagonal roof. Thankfully, the exterior remains virtually unchanged. The building is named for the silver dollars embedded in the floor that was once the bar. If you peek inside, you can can still see the coins in the floor tiles! The saloon closed in 1910 and the building’s tenants have ranged from restuarants to the headquarters for the Nashville Historical Foundation. Today, it serves as the gift shop for the Hard Rock Cafe. 

Congratulations! You have reached the end of the Music in Music City North Tour! We have explored Nashville’s vibrant music scene from its earliest beginnings to the Nashville we know and love today. Even though Nashville is famous for country music, it is also home to many musical genres and traditions—from shapenote singing and gospel, to more contemporary blues, jazz, and rock. Learn more about music in Nashville by taking our Music in Music City (South) tour and Music Row tours. To return to the tour’s starting point, take a RIGHT onto Broadway and walk four blocks up Broadway until you reach Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge on your right. Thanks for joining me on this musical journey today. If you enjoyed the experience, let us know on social media by tagging @NashvilleSites and make a small donation to help us create new tours and content. Signing off (or maybe singing off!), this is Andriana Haygood.