Getting the flavor of ... Record shopping in Music City

Record shopping in Music City

In our “iTunes age,” record stores in most cities are “few and far between,” said William Hageman in the Chicago Tribune. But they still thrive in Nashville. A town that’s always prided itself on its musical heritage—from the Country Music Hall of Fame to RCA Studio B, where everyone from Dolly Parton to Chet Atkins laid down tracks—Nashville remains a haven for record collectors. Start at the “legendary” Ernest Tubb Record Shop. This store, which opened in 1947, houses thousands of country records, from contemporary material to “hard-to-find” vinyl from such artists as steel guitarist Buddy Emmons. “At the other end of the musical spectrum” is Third Man Records. Jack White of the White Stripes, who now calls Nashville home, opened the store as a headquarters for his record label. Fans of myriad genres can also check out the family-owned Lawrence Record Shop, which ships vinyl all over the world.

Contact: Etrecordshop.com

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Zora Neale Hurston’s Florida

Not far from Orlando there survives a “scrubby swath of live oak hammocks and sandy pine woods that defies all the tourist clichés,” said Adam Graham in The New York Times. Central Florida will always be associated with Zora Neale Hurston, the beloved African-American author who called it home for much of her life. Together the towns of Eatonville, Fort Pierce, and Sanford “reveal an evocative slice of Hurston’s Florida.” She spent much of her childhood in Eatonville, where a museum in her honor offers guided tours and maps for self-guided walks. Hurston fans can visit her alma mater, Hungerford School, and Lake Belle—where, according to her autobiography, the “mocking birds sang all night and alligators trumpeted from their stronghold.” Hurston-related sites in the colorful coastal town of Fort Pierce include the Garden of Heavenly Rest cemetery, where Hurston was buried in 1960.

Contact: Zoranealehurstonmuseum.com