People relax near The Parthenon in Centennial Park in Nashville, Tenn., March 7, 2009. A replica of... 
(AP)
There is no beach. No theme park. No casinos.
No Super Bowl. No Mardi Gras. No World Cup.
Nashville is the city that tore down its theme park to build a (gasp) shopping mall.
Yet this central-Tennessee city, famous worldwide for its records and rhinestones, is a worthy destination for tourists pinching pennies — recession or not.
There's plenty of free music plus educational and cultural attractions to fill up a few days without lightening the wallet. You can stay, eat and be entertained at less cost than in many comparable cities.
"We look at it as a value destination," said Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau. "You can have an instant vacation at minimum expense."
MUSIC: Nashville has built much of its reputation on fiddles and fringe, marketing itself as "Music City USA."
So check out the cluster of a dozen or so honky-tonks along a three-block stretch of downtown Nashville near the Cumberland River. The beer is cold, the music is loud and the admission is free. The joints stand together like sturdy soldiers in formation, awaiting the jean-clad, cowboy-hat wearing patrons with well-worn boots on their feet and anticipation in their throats.
Just walk in, find a table (if there is one), order a brew and have a good time. The only concession to revenue is a tip jar passed around periodically. The especially savvy bars leave it near the door to signal customers coming or going.
"It's an experience that can't be duplicated anywhere else," Spyridon said.
These aren't just a collection of bars run by fly-by-night rubes. Most have been in business several years. Tootsie's, one of them, even has a public relations firm.
"You get to partying, and pretty soon you're dancing on the bar," Steve Smith, Tootsie's owner, said in describing a typical visit.
The most upscale of the businesses is the Wildhorse Saloon, though its Web site doesn't describe it as a honky-tonk. It's referred to (sniff, sniff) as "a mecca of entertainment."
It has three levels, 66,000 square feet and has sold around 10 million bottles of beer since opening in 1994.
It's $4 to $8 to get in, and there are three dance instructors on staff giving free lessons nightly except for Monday when the club is closed — possibly to give all involved a chance to recover.
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