CMA Fest Tip of The Day!

Try to keep cool!  If you are a northerner like myself, you are not acclimated to the brutal heat and humidity in Nashville during CMA Fest! Here are some tips to avoid heat illness:

• Drink plenty of water!  Keep drinking, even if you're not thirsty!
• If available, supplement water intake with sports drinks such as Gatorade throughout the day. 
• Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic beverages as they can hasten dehydration.  
• Avoid Red Bull or other stimulant energy drinks.
• Try to avoid being outside during the mid afternoon when it is hottest!
• Duck into air conditioned venues such as FFX, the CMHOF, Bridgestone Visitor's Center, local eateries/honky tonks/shops during these times.
• Use cooling towels as needed...see some here for ideas.
• Wear light colored and light weight clothing.
• If you start feeling faint, lightheaded, or dizzy don't ignore it.  Get out of the sun immediately and start cooling yourself and hydrating! 

Heat illness can be deadly! You don't want to spend CMA Fest in the local hospital so be sure to stay cool!

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CMA Fest 2016: Tips for Drinks and Dining

CMA fest is gearing up to take over downtown Nashville June 9-12. It is always chaos so its good to have a plan of places to eat before you go! Here are a few suggestions of restaurants around the Downtown area that are not typically as crowded as the Broadway bars.  
 
Our friends over at BatteredandBrewed.com have some great dining tips for the 2016 CMA Music Festival.  Check them out here!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day!

Be sure to have enough juice to keep you phone running throughout the day!  Most people are at the festival for over 12 hours a day!  You'll never make it on one charge, especially if your phone is also your primary camera!  I keep my charging cord in my pack to plug in at the Music City Center and I also keep charged spare batteries with me.  If you don't have spare batteries for your phone, external power packs are really useful!  You can find some here!

See more CMA Fest Tips and Tricks here!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day!

Be sure to get fit by CMA Fest.  You will be on your feet all day for four days straight!  If you are not usually physically active now is a great time to start going for daily walks to help prepare yourself for CMA Fest.  You don't want to be walking around with sore feet and tired legs after the first day! Make sure to stay hydrated and wear comfortable shoes!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day!

Be sure to have plenty of memory and battery power for your cameras!  The last thing you want is to run out of space or juice before the end of the day and miss a priceless photo!  Also, it can be tiring at the end of the day transferring photos when all you want to do is get some shut eye!  Before I bought my high capacity card, I would transfer pics from my camera to my laptop every night at 1 am so I was ready for the next day.  Larger capacity memory cards have come down in price a lot lately so you may want to upgrade your SD Card.  Click here to see some memory options.

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day

Pack snacks!!!  You might get hungry throughout the day and there is so much to do and see that you might forget, or not want to stop, to eat.  I keep granola bars, almonds, and beef jerky with me to keep me nourished through the day.  It also helps keep expenses down if you have something with you to nosh on!  I know all the venues state no outside food allowed, but it isn't a problem if you conceal it well. They inspect bags but usually don't pat you down, and cargo short pockets can hold a lot!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day!

If you aren't planning on going back to your hotel to freshen up during the day, it's a great idea to keep a change of clothes and toiletries in your vehicle!  You will be out in the hot sun perspiring all day, and spills do happen.  It's nice to have a quick change of clothes and toiletries available to you if needed!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day

Be sure to have plenty of memory and battery power for your cameras!  The last thing you want is to run out of space or juice before the end of the day and miss a priceless photo!  Also, it can be tiring at the end of the day transferring photos when all you want to do is get some shut eye!  Before I bought my high capacity card, I would transfer pics from my camera to my laptop every night at 1 am so I was ready for the next day.  Larger capacity memory cards have come down in price a lot lately so you may want to upgrade your SD Card.  Click here to see some memory options.

See more CMA Fest Tips and Tricks here!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day!

Today's tip is about the HGTV Lodge since its schedule was released today!  In order to guarantee your attendance at one of the events at the HGTV lodge you will need to win a wristband through the CMA "Ulitmate Fan Experience Drawing." You may enter at cmafest.com from Thursday, May 28 (10:00 AM/CT) to Monday, June 1 (11:59 PM/CT).

Don't fret if  you don't win though!  The hopeful lines have been really great at the Lodge the past few years.  There is a good chance that you'll get in if you get in the hopeful line about an hour prior to the performance you want to see!  This will obviously be easier for lesser names, but you never know!  We saw quite a few this way!

See more CMA Fest Tips and Tricks here!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day!

Pack one or two emergency ponchos and carry them with you. Nashville is known for its scattered rain showers during the day. They don’t usually turn into an all-day rain, but when they pass through town you don’t want to get soaked.  Small hand held umbrellas are permitted at Riverfront Park, but not at LP Field.  Check out ponchos here  or  mini umbrellas here!  See more CMA Fest Tips and Tricks here!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day!

Be sure to have enough juice to keep you phone running throughout the day!  Most people are at the festival for over 12 hours a day!  You'll never make it on one charge, especially if your phone is also your primary camera!  I keep my charging cord in my pack to plug in at the Music City Center and I also keep charged spare batteries with me.  If you don't have spare batteries for your phone or you are an iPhone user, external power packs are really useful!  You can find some here!

See more CMA Fest Tips and Tricks here!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day!

For the Riverfront, you definitely need something to sit on especially if it has rained.  We use the largest size, flannel backed plastic table cloth to spread out on the ground.  They are cheap, lightweight, and easy to carry.  We put the plastic side down to act as a moisture barrier, and sit on the soft flannel side for comfort!  You can check them out here, or go to your local odd-lot/discount store to pick some up on the cheap!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day

The Riverfront is EXTREMELY hot in the afternoon so try to go to Fan Fair X or other indoor activities during the hottest part of the day.  I witnessed three people pass out due to heat exhaustion/stroke and be hauled away by EMS within an hour one day.

If you are going to brave the heat make sure to stay hydrated!  Drink lots of water even if you aren't thirsty.

There are also cooling towels/neck wraps on the market that work really well too.  You can check them out by clicking here.

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day - Side Stages

Don't want to miss all the great music that the CMA Music Festival has to offer while waiting in long lines to get autographs and pictures with the artists? Want to hear great music and still get to meet the performers?  The trick is to attend the smaller stages around the festival.  The majority of artists performing at the The Park Stage and Hard Rock Stages will take photos and sign near the stage following their performances.  This is a great way to get meet and greets with established performers and up and comers!

Here's a partial list of artist's I've met this way:

Runaway June, Jillian Jacqueline, Chris Janson, Drake White, Kristian Bush, Clare Dunn, Lauren Alaina, Canaan Smith, Andy Griggs, Daryle Singletary, Jaime O'Neal, Jason Michael Carroll, Lindsay Ell, Mark Wills, Parmalee, ...

Check our CMA Fest stage schedules to see who you might be able to see this year!

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CMA Fest Tip of The Day

If you aren't able to score CMT Awards tickets, but still want to watch on Wednesday night, you can gather outside the Bridgestone Arena for a viewing party and the outdoor performances for free!

Usually a few big names play during the CMT Awards on what is the Festival's Bud Light Arena Stage!  If you get there early you can get right up to the stage! Last year Jake Owen and Lady Antebellum played, and the year before that it was Hunter Hayes and Jason Aldean!  They also have huge screens set up so you can watch the inside action too!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day

Be sure to drop off most of your personal belongings at your car or hotel prior to going to LP Field.  If you show up at the gate with any prohibited items you will be forced to throw them away before entry is allowed.  Click here for prohibited items. They also have a very strict bag policy. All bags must be CLEAR and smaller than 12″x6″x12″. Go to NFL.com/allclear for more info!

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CMA Fest Tip of the Day

Be sure to get fit by CMA Fest.  You will be on your feet all day for four days straight!  If you are not usually physically active now is a great time to start going for daily walks to help prepare yourself for CMA Fest.  You don't want to be walking around with sore feet and tired legs after the first day! Make sure to stay hydrated and wear comfortable shoes!

Read More