Cool rides and hot Blues line the streets of the Hot Rods on Beale Street Car Cruise

If you’re a fan of Blues music, historic Beale Street in Memphis is your mecca. Immortalized in film and song, all the great musicians have performed right here. I’ve been to some car cruises in interesting places, but rarely do they occur in a place with such history and notoriety. This is more than just a car cruise--it’s a party. Wherever you go, from one end to the other, you are never out of clear earshot of someone playing the Blues with a proficiency that only comes from honing their craft right here. Combine that with some of the best restaurants in the south, and you have the makings of a very special night.

2016 O'Reilly Auto Parts Customer Appreciation Car Show

Last Saturday, the O’Reilly Auto Parts location on Lebanon Road in Mt. Juliet held a customer appreciation day that featured a car show. Well, I’ve been an O’Reilly customer many times over the years, and I definitely appreciate a good car show, so I guess they achieved their goal on this one. And for such a small parking lot, this actually was a pretty good car show. There were several very nice cars in the lot, and every spot was filled. Plus, if someone couldn’t get their car started after the show, they could walk right into the O’Reilly and grab a new battery. Everyone wins with a deal like that.

2016 Jamie Guess Benefit Car Show at the Snow White Drive-In

Classic car owners love to get together anyway, but sometimes they can actually help someone while they’re doing it. Saturday, the Good Wheels Car Club organized a fundraiser car show for Jamie Guess, a car guy who suffers from advanced diabetes and other health problems. Hundreds of cars turned out for this event at the Snow White Drive-In in Lebanon to enjoy the weather, hang out with friends, and raise some money. A good old-fashioned greasy burger and milkshake from Snow White’s authentic diner didn’t hurt either.

Rusty's TV and Movie Car Museum brings a touch of Hollywood to Jackson, Tennessee

If you were a car chase-loving kid of the 1980s, you were living in the golden age of television. You could tune in to an action-packed, hour-long drama nearly every night of the week. And while many of us who fit the profile collected model cars or diecasts, Rusty Robinson took it to the next level. An old bread store in Jackson, Tenn., may not seem like much from the outside, but it houses one of the best TV and movie car collections you’ll ever hope to see. Rusty’s TV and Movie Car Museum is packed with well-known vehicles from the biggest hits of the decade. Many of them were actually used on screen. And while it may not be located in Hollywood, California, it does have a Hollywood Street address in Jackson.

2016 Stone's River Car Club Swap Meet at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds

Automotive passion takes on many different forms. Some people build hot rods in their garage, while other people just buy ‘em and drive ‘em. Some people collect signage or model cars, while other people build up their tool collection. No matter where your automotive interests lie, they all came together at the Stone’s River Car Club Swap Meet, which was held last weekend at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. There were vendors inside; vendors outside; and vendors in the livestock barns. And every dude over 250-pounds wearing a camouflage jacket was trying to find the parts to complete their winter projects. This was the place to be for car folks in Music City.

2016 Nashville car show, car cruise, car races, and swap meet schedule

If you’re in the Nashville area and you like car shows, you’re going to need to know where they are.  That’s what this list is for.  Say you’re sitting around bored some Saturday night.  Just bookmark this page, then you can come here to make your plans.  I’ll try and update it as we go along.

And even if you don’t look at this page, I’ll use it myself, so it’s not going to go to waste.  Maybe I’ll see you out there this summer!

Choice Chevys and much more at the 25th-Annual Nashville Auto Fest

The 2016 Nashville Auto Fest was the latest in a quarter-century of winter car shows at the historic Nashville Fairgrounds. Participants came from all over the Mid-South to show off a great selection of hot rods, classics, and muscle cars. This is my second year in Nashville, and my second Auto Fest, so I liked it enough to make it two-for-two. And why wouldn’t I? Winter gets to be pretty long when there are no cars to go check out. This event is definitely highlighted on my calendar. I just wish they had one every week!

5th-Annual Tennessee Motorama brings Nashville cars out of hibernation

The 5th-Annual Tennessee Motorama opened up at 10:00 a.m., which was right about the time we pulled into the parking lot. Already, there was a quarter-mile-long line of guys standing at the door waiting to get in. Clearly, people are ready for some kind of old car action. All it takes is a modest indoor car show and swap meet to bring everyone out of hibernation. And as each one of them plunked down their ten-dollar admission, they were greeted to a number of interesting cars and potential treasures in the Mid-Tenn Expo Center in Murfreesboro. Don’t let the ritzy Park Avenue address fool you. This place was down-to-earth enough to host a few rat rods on a nice January day.