Nashville's a great city, very safe and easy to drive around. I would stay at one of the big hotels downtown, the Renaissance is very central, then you have easy access to Broadway where all the Honky Tonks are.
There are hundreds of gigs taking place all over the City every night, the most famous venues are the Bluebird Cafe and the Grande Ole Opry which you need to book in advance.
For shopping there is a high end Mall at Green Hills and a fantastic outlet Mall at Opryland.
If you are visiting during the summer you can book a trip on the General Jackson steam boat which also departs from Opryland.
Nashville has a lot of history and it's worth taking a tour of one of the plantation houses, my favorite is the Belle Meade Mansion. There is also a lovely little town just outside Nashville called Franklin which has a perfectly preserved traditional Main St and old-fashioned movie theatre.
There is a trolley bus tour of the downtown area available and I've also done the bus tour of the star's homes which is fun.
The winter can get very cold and July/August very hot so I'd say Spring and Autumn are the best times to visit if you have a choice.
Any more questions, please ask! A