Hey Travelers,

Planning a trip to Nashville?

It's Jason Carlton with Carltonaut's Travel Tips. If you go “Walkin' After Midnight”, then it's possible you're a fan of Patsy Cline. She was an American country music star in the late 1950s and 1960s. She has a whole museum dedicated to her life and music in Nashville. 

The Patsy Cline Museum was my daughter's favorite museums in Nashville. If you're a fan of her music, you might “Fall to Pieces” or go “Crazy” while learning about her music. 😉

You'll find the museum on the second floor of a building in downtown Nashville. The Johnny Cash Museum is on the first floor. 

Patsy Cline's Early Years

Patsy Cline wasn't always Patsy Cline. Her given name was Virginia Patterson Hensley. She was born in 1932 in Virginia. As a teenager, she worked as a soda jerk at Gaunt's Drug Store. A soda jerk is the person who operates a soda fountain at a drug store. As you enter the Patsy Cline Museum, you'll see a booth right out of Gaunt's Drug Store. 

Patsy got her first break when the DJ at the nearby radio station allowed her to sing during a broadcast. Her performance was well received and she was invited back. As more people heard her sing, she was invited to perform at local nightclubs. 

Across the hall from the replica of Gaunt's Drug Store is a timeline of Patsy's life. One thing that stood out to me was Patsy's membership card to the only official Jimmy Dean fan club. I learned that she and Jimmy Dean were regulars on a radio show in Arlington Virginia. 

After learning about her life from the timeline, make your way to the left.

Patsy's Popular Songs

My daughter had no clue who Patsy Cline was before we started planning our trip to Nashville. I played a song or two for her and she seemed to like the music. While at the museum, she started liking the music even more. Although she hasn't bought a CD or downloaded Patsy's music to a playlist, this was her favorite museum – maybe it was the colorful clothes. 

One of the halls in the museum is lined with vinyl records. It's a display of Patsy's recordings. Some of her most popular songs included:

1. Always
2. Walkin' After Midnight
3. Crazy
4. Sweet Dreams
5. Faded Love
6. I Fall to Pieces

Do you recognize the names of any of those songs? If not, you may want to check them out and see about adding them to your Oldies but Goodies playlist. Check out the 10 Best Patsy Cline songs according to Billboard. 

Colorful Wardrobe of Patsy Cline

Throughout the museum you'll see lots of fringed cowgirl-style outfits. One of the long hallways is lined with several outfits, but they also have outfits scattered throughout the museum. The colors and styles used were definitely from “back in the day”. But a few of them could work in today's fashion. 

I thought the white cowgirl boots with rhinestones on the side that spelled out Patsy were pretty unique. 

Little Theater

Stop in the little theater and watch a short clip about Patsy's life. It shows some of her performances, and talks about her untimely death in an airplane accident in 1963. She was just 30 years old. 

Patsy's Home Life

As you make your way from the theater through the museum toward the exit, you'll walk through some “house” settings. Like the one pictured above, it shows what Patsy's home life was like. From the living room to the kitchen with places set.

You'll even find a jukebox playing one of Patsy's records. Although it's unlikely she had a jukebox in her home, it's one of the ways music was played in drugstores, nightclubs and bars back in the day. 

On your way down the final hall, you'll see some nice photos and portraits of Patsy. When you exit the museum, you'll find yourself in the gift shop. Browse around and see if there's something that tickles your fancy for a souvenir.

Conclusion

The Patsy Cline Museum in Nashville is a great destination for fans of classic country, and it's a good way to expand your kids' music horizons. Patsy Cline's voice and music have held up well through the decades.

This museum pairs well with the Johnny Cash Museum in the same building. Click the button below to read my full review of that museum.

While in Nashville, you'll likely need a good place for lunch or dinner. We enjoyed the NashHouse Southern Spoon and Saloon. You can enjoy delicious food and music. It's not too far from the Patsy Cline Museum, either. My daughter was a fan of the fried pickles. 

Good to Know

Where: 119 3rd Ave. S (Second Level), Nashville, TN 37201 (It's located just above the Johnny Cash Museum)

When: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. 

How much: General admission is $18.95. Youth (ages 6-15) are $14.95. Children 5 and under are free with paying adult. 

How long: About 30-60 minutes.

Amenities: There's a Patsy Cline gift shop at the ticket desk. Restrooms and a cafe are located on the first floor.   

Website: https://www.patsymuseum.com/

Disclosure: I received two complimentary tickets to the Patsy Cline Museum for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

Jason

Contributor

I love to travel, especially when I can travel with my wife, kids and camera. Our sense of adventure includes road trips, camping trips, Disneyland trips, and anything else that allows us to create memories as a family, or sometimes as a couple. As an amateur photographer, I love to capture photos of the places I travel to, whether it's the majestic landscapes of Utah, the cityscapes of Europe or the Milkway stretching across the night sky.