Drive through Nashville in 1994 with this amazing YouTube video

Dave Paulson | The Tennessean

Before the Titans, TV shows and pedal taverns, Music City was a much quieter place.

You can see for yourself in this fascinating YouTube video.

The backstory: One day in 1994, Nashville newcomer Randall Reynolds packed his family — and his video camera — into their Mercury Sable and took a drive through the city.

We're not sure you can find a more vivid snapshot of Nashville in the mid-'90s.

NASHVILLE IN 1994: Click here if the YouTube video is 'unavailable' on your device

Downtown's resurgence was just beginning — 1994 saw the reopening of the Ryman as a concert venue and groundbreaking at the future site of Bridgestone Arena — while Demonbreun Hill was filled with country-themed tourist traps, and motorists had major thoroughfares all to themselves on the weekends.

We recommend watching the 20-minute clip in full, but here are a few highlights that should stand out to longtime locals.

The Batman Building doesn't have much competition when it comes to the city's "skyline" in '94. On the left on Broadway, you can spot the signage for Jim Reed Automotive, with the "Ol' Jim" mascot that defined Midtown for years.

Feast your eyes on some of Nashville's hottest tourist attractions (in 1994). Demonbreun was all about gift shops, wax museums and restaurants with country flair. No "Musica" statue at the roundabout, and very little traffic to speak of, either. You can watch a couple jaywalk at a leisurely pace across the road, which we strongly advise against doing in the 21st century.

Do you recognize this seedy strip? It's Lower Broadway - specifically, the famed block that Tootsie's, Robert's, Layla's and Legends all sit on in 2018. In 1994, no business welcomed visitors more loudly than "Adult World."

It's since been filled in with condos, hotels and strip malls, but West End was once home to a number of counter-cultural outposts. That included local shop Stone Mountain — with a gloriously trippy storefront seen here — and Tower Records, which was a fixture of West End for 20 years.

Hey, it's us! Back when we counted The Nashville Banner as a neighbor and competitor. The Banner ceased publication in 1998.

Once upon a time, this was the only vehicle that transported large groups of tourists through Nashville. Scientists hadn't yet figured out how to attach a tractor to a wagon carrying a bachelorette party.