Nashville Travel Guide: More Than Broadway and Bachelorettes
Nashville gets written off as a party city — bachelorette groups, neon cowboy boots, and cover bands playing the same five songs on Lower Broadway. That city exists. But spend more than one night here and you find something more interesting: a Southern city in the middle of a genuine cultural moment, with a food scene that rivals any in America.
I arrived in Nashville on a Thursday afternoon and made the rookie mistake of walking straight to Lower Broadway. The neon was impressive, the live music was loud, and by 7pm every bar was packed with groups in matching T-shirts. I had a beer, decided I understood nothing about this city yet, and walked north to Germantown.
Germantown is what Nashville looks like when you step off the tourist conveyor belt. A 19th-century neighbourhood of brick warehouses and Victorian houses, now home to some of the best restaurants in Tennessee, a farmers market, and a growing arts scene. I ate dinner at a farm-to-table spot where the chef came out to explain the provenance of the duck, and I realised Nashville was playing a much longer game than its reputation suggested.
The music history here is the real thing. This is where country music was invented, where Dolly Parton recorded her first songs, where the Fisk Jubilee Singers changed American music forever. The Country Music Hall of Fame is a world-class museum. The Ryman Auditorium — the original home of the Grand Ole Opry — still hosts performances in a room where the acoustics and the history combine into something almost sacred.
The bachelorette parties are real. The pedal taverns are real. So is everything else.
Where to Eat in Nashville
Husk Nashville in Rutledge Hill is the finest restaurant in the city — a Southern kitchen committed entirely to ingredients grown or raised in the South. The smoked duck, the heirloom cornbread, and the cast-iron chicken are all extraordinary. Around $55-70 USD per person with wine.
Prince's Hot Chicken Shack on Ewing Drive is the original Nashville hot chicken — a dish invented here in the 1940s as an act of culinary revenge and now the city's most famous food export. Order medium unless you're serious about heat. Under $12 USD. Cash only. Worth the queue.
The Catbird Seat is one of the most unique dining experiences in America — a 22-seat restaurant built around an open kitchen where the chefs serve each course directly to you. A tasting menu experience at $175 USD that requires booking months ahead. For a special occasion, unmissable.
Mas Tacos Por Favor in East Nashville is the best lunch spot in the city — a no-frills Mexican joint in a converted house with tacos so good there's always a line. Under $12 USD.
Arnold's Country Kitchen is the definitive Nashville meat-and-three — a cafeteria-style Southern institution where you queue for a tray, choose your protein, and pick three sides. Under $14 USD. Open weekdays only until they sell out.
Where to Stay in Nashville
Budget (under $120/night): Noelle Nashville is a boutique downtown hotel with small but well-designed rooms from $110-130/night — excellent value for the location and quality. In East Nashville, several well-reviewed guesthouses run $90-110/night.
Mid-range ($180-280/night): 21c Museum Hotel Nashville occupies a converted post office downtown and combines contemporary art installations with genuinely comfortable rooms. The restaurant is excellent. Rates $190-240/night.
Splurge ($350+/night): Thompson Nashville in The Gulch is the best hotel in the city — a sleek tower with a rooftop pool and bar, stunning city views, and a location within walking distance of everything. The rooftop bar at sunset is a Nashville experience in itself.
Top Things to Do in Nashville
Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame. The world's largest popular music museum covers the full sweep of country music from its Appalachian roots to the present. Allow at least 3 hours. Entry $27 USD — worth every dollar.
See a show at the Ryman Auditorium. The Mother Church of Country Music hosts performances year-round. The acoustics are extraordinary and the history is palpable — this is where Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Patsy Cline all performed. Tickets $35-80 USD. Day tours available $25 USD.
Explore East Nashville. The neighbourhood across the Cumberland River has the best independent restaurants, record shops, and bars in the city. Walk Five Points, visit the Idea Hatchery record store, and eat dinner on Gallatin Avenue.
Take the Jack Daniel's distillery tour. An hour south in Lynchburg, the world's best-selling whiskey distillery offers tours ($15-25 USD) of the limestone cave spring and charcoal mellowing process. The irony that Lynchburg is a dry county never gets old.
Catch a late-night set on Lower Broadway. For all its tourist-trap reputation, Lower Broadway has genuine live music from 10am to 3am every day. Find a smaller bar away from the main drag — Tootsie's Orchid Lounge has been hosting undiscovered artists for 60 years.
Getting There & Around
Flights: Nashville International Airport (BNA) is well-connected — direct flights from most major US cities. Flights from New York average $150-280 return. Flight time from New York is 2.5 hours, from LA 4 hours.
Getting around: The downtown area and East Nashville are walkable. For the distillery and outlying neighbourhoods, rent a car or use Uber/Lyft. Nashville has limited public transit — a car is useful for more than 2-3 days.
Currency: US Dollar. Nashville is moderately priced by US city standards — cheaper than NYC or LA. Budget $15-20 for lunch, $35-60 for dinner.
Daily budget: Budget $100-150 USD/day. Mid-range $200-300 USD/day. Comfortable $350-500 USD/day.
Safety: Downtown Nashville and East Nashville are safe tourist areas. Lower Broadway gets very crowded on weekends — normal city precautions apply. The Gulch and Germantown neighbourhoods are among the safest in the city.
Best Time to Visit Nashville
Peak Season (April — June and September — October)
Spring and early autumn are the sweet spot — warm weather, outdoor festivals, and the city at its most alive. CMA Fest in June brings the biggest country music event in the world. Book accommodation months ahead for festival weekends.
Summer (July — August)
Hot and humid — temperatures regularly hit 35°C / 95°F. The city is busy with tourists but the music never stops. Good hotel deals can be found on non-festival weekends.
Winter (November — February)
Nashville winters are mild by northern standards — rarely below freezing for long. The Christmas lights on Lower Broadway are genuinely impressive. Fewer crowds and lower prices make this a solid off-season choice.
On my last night I found a small bar on Fifth Avenue North where a single guitar player was performing to about twenty people. He played for two hours without repeating himself — originals mostly, a few well-chosen covers — and at the end the bartender poured him a bourbon on the house.
I walked back to my hotel past the neon of Lower Broadway, which was still going at midnight. A group in matching pink sashes walked past singing something unidentifiable. A street performer played a fiddle with extraordinary skill for an audience of three. Nashville contains multitudes. That's what makes it worth coming back to.
Marco combines his passion for photography and storytelling to bring destinations to life for readers around the world. He has contributed to Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, and National Geographic Traveler.