Country Mike Blog

Review of Nashville Tour of the Stars Homes

Mike Sudhalter  |  June 14, 2011

Alan Jackson recently moved from this 26,000 square foot home to a 36,000 square foot home

Visiting the Tour of the Stars is a an enjoyable experience - if for no other reason than it gives you a chance to see the scenic northern Nashville suburbs of Franklin and Brentwood. And I learned quite a bit of the stuff listed below from our very informative bus driver.

And it's a constant reminder that those who sing about the working man live in the lap of luxury. But my favorite home on the tour didn't belong to a country artist - but a jeweler who's unknown outside of Nashville. His home was designed by the same architect that designed The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

This was my favorite home on the 3.5 hour Tour of the Stars

On a rare occasion, a star will wave to the fans on the Stars Tour bus, but it's not like the old days when Minnie Pearl used to wave from her porch, or Webb Pierce would welcome all visitors - much to the chagrin of his neighbor, Ray Stevens.

The "There Stands The Glass" singer sold Lemonade and let fans see his Guitar-Shaped swimming pool.

Now, Gaylord Entertainment CEO Colin Reed lives in the late Pierce's old home.

We were close to Overton High School where both John Ritter and Hank Williams Jr. attended. Bocephus was a millionaire at age 16, so he didn't graduate from Overton.

We saw the house that Hank and Audrey Williams, and later, Tammy Wynette, lived in. Oh, if the walls could talk in that home.

The most modest home belonged to the legendary Little Jimmy Dickens Jr. (one of the few stars to have his name on the mailbox). Dickens is 91 years old and still appears on the Grand Ole Opry. He's one of the few performers to have collaborated with both Hank Williams Sr. and Brad Paisley.

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood live in Oklahoma, but they have a 100-year-old one level farmhouse in Tennessee.

Dolly Parton has a beautiful home with some land that includes a chapel in which she and her husband, Carl Dean, renew their vows each year.

A lot of times the trees and bushes made it difficult to see the homes, but not renowned songwriter Tom T. Hall's; he converted a barn into a recording studio.

And Alan Jackson's old home was magnificent. He sold the 26,000 square foot home to a California antique car dealer and purchased a 36,000 square foot home that we didn't see on the tour.

The tour included videos with content related to the tour, including a CMT/Katie Cook feature on Ronnie Dunn's home.

Belle Meade is one of Nashville's most exclusive neighborhoods.

Kellie Pickler and her songwriter fiance, Kyle Jacobs, have a modest home by the standard of country stars.

Former American Idol star Kellie Pickler's home

The tour went by the home of Reese Witherspoon's parents house, which has several old Mercedes Benz's parked in front of it.

It concluded in Nashville Proper where we saw the condominium where Taylor Swift lives (and American Idol/Survivor creator Simon Fuller is also a resident).

This was a fun way to conclude my six-day stay in Nashville, and I look forward to doing more sightseeing in the American version of Athens. I definitely recommend it to those interested in great music, beautiful scenery and luxury homes.