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Nashville; America’s Music City.
Country Music has been experiencing a surge in popularity that seems to have translated into a tourism boom in Nashville.
It seems like every other bachelor or bachelorette party is making their way down to Nashville for a weekend out at the honky tonks!
Don’t be fooled- while I love the honky tonks and the live music, that’s not all Nashville has to offer.
Broadway
Let’s start with the obvious: Broadway Street. Also known as the “Honky Tonk Highway”, this is where you’re going to find the street lined with neon, honky tonks, and bachelorette parties.
The party doesn’t stop here, with live bands performing from 10am to the early hours of the morning!
There are dozens of bars to choose from, from celebrity-owned venue’s such as Posty’s, and Casa Rosa to classics like Tootsies Orchid Lounge and Robert’s Western World.
I particularly liked the “Recession Special” at Robert’s Western World, which offered a fried bologna sandwich, a MoonPie, a bag of chips and a PBR for just $6! This is what I imagine prices were like in the 80s. It kind of felt like traveling back through time!
I also couldn’t leave Nashville without trying out the mechanical bull at Whiskey River Saloon. I destroyed the competition, in case you were wondering.
Other than the decor and the occasional deal, I felt that most of the bars varied very little in quality- you could drop into any one at random and have a lovely time, especially if the band was particularly good.
I anticipated hearing a lot of country music, so I was surprised to see that most of the bands perform via tip-based requests. It makes sense, of course- they’ve gotta eat- but this method resulted in a sort of jukebox-style playlist that was much less country-oriented than I’d expected.
It also meant that the genre of music could vary dramatically based on what guests were in the bar at any given time.
Some of My Personal Favorite Honky Tonks:
- Robert’s Western World
- Tootsies Orchid Lounge
- Lucky Bastard
- Whiskey River Saloon
- Nudie’s Honky Tonk (check out it’s enormous Silver Dollar bar)
To experience the best of Nashville’s bars, you can try out one of these bar crawls! These tours help narrow down your options and it’s a great way to make friends while traveling alone.
Music Halls
It’s not all Honky Tonks in Nashville- they’ve got some pretty incredible music halls as well!
The Ryman Auditorium is half music venue, half museum, and conveniently located just off of Broadway, making it easy to pop by for a visit. Guided and self-guided tours are available regularly for those interested in exploring the venue- when artists aren’t performing, of course!
The most famous of Nashville’s music venues is easily the Grand Ole Opry. Keep an eye on their event schedule- you never know who will be playing during your visit! Backstage tours are also available for this venue.
Depending on the timing of your visit, you may see celebrities making their way to the Bridgestone Arena for the Country Music Awards.
This is also where large concerts like the Jonas Brothers perform when they come to town. If you’re into hockey, this is the Nashville Predators’ home arena. It’s multifunctional!
Museums
While Nashville is known for its musicality, you can’t forget about its museums!
The Country Music Hall Of Fame bridges these two personalities of the city with its music-focused exhibits and has to be the most visited museum in the city!
I spoke to a ton of people who visited and they all highly recommend stopping by! This museum also offers tours of the Historic RCA Studio B for an additional cost and this was something that was emphasized to me as essential part of the visit.
You can’t think of country music without thinking of Johnny Cash! Stop by the Johnny Cash Museum to explore the world’s largest collection of artifacts and memorabilia.
Looking for a more traditional art museum? Check out the Frist Art Museum. It’s free for visitors under the age of 18.
The Parthenon in Nashville’s Centennial Park is criminally overlooked by tourists. The anatopism of seeing an exact, full-scale replica of the original Athens Parthenon is something that should be experienced in person.
Murals are a huge part of Nashville culture, so make sure to keep an eye out while you’re traveling around the city. Does anyone else remember the viral wings mural? 2016 me would have been so proud!
Try out this guided tour of Nashville murals for the the most efficient way to see them all!
Printers Alley
Printers Alley makes its way on to a lot of must-see lists of Nashville, but frankly I wasn’t very impressed. As the name implies, this area was once occupied by the city’s printing industry but slowly became occupied by bars and music venues, becoming the heart of Nashville’s original night life scene.
Compared to the hustle and bustle of Broadway Street, Printers Alley was significantly quieter- something that could make for a great night out for those interested in a little more breathing room. Perhaps it is because I visited during week nights, but I found this area to be a little too quiet for my tastes.
The Gulch
Another popular area of Nashville is The Gulch. Just a few short blocks from Broadway, The Gulch is walkable- but mostly uphill, so it may still be worth calling a car.
This area is full of trendy restaurants, high end boutiques, and luxury condos- definitely a different feel compared to the rest of the Western-themed downtown areas.
Although I really enjoyed exploring this area (hills included), I couldn’t shake the feeling that the area was built up specifically to appeal to tourists, rather than its own residents. I can’t say that it didn’t work on me, but it did feel artificial.
Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
The resort is open and welcoming to visitors, so you definitely don’t have to book a room here to experience this hotel.
Staying in this hotel or not, it is absolutely worth a visit. This incredible hotel is almost more of a greenhouse, with rooms overlooking an inside jungle.
Immediately after passing registration, you find yourself at the Cascades area of the hotel, which features two big waterfalls, various water features and plenty of greenery. There are a few bars and restaurants here to spend some time at.
Further into the hotel, you enter the Garden Conservatory, which, despite also having some eateries, has more of a focus on the garden. Spend some time exploring here before heading to the Delta Pavilion.
The Delta Pavilion has a ton of shops and a very interesting island done up with Southern Architecture. It reminded me of New Orleans, a little.
Even without stopping to eat or drink, I spent a few hours happily exploring this hotel so plan your visit accordingly.
Where To Buy Boots
Can you really go to Nashville and not come away with a pair of cowboy boots? There’s a ton of options to choose from, and the ubiquity of country fashion in Nashville make it difficult to resist. I think I stopped at genuinely every boot outlet I saw in Nashville and these were some of my favorites.
- Boot Country AKA Two Free Boots
- Possibly the most popular boot shop in Nashville, Two Free Boots offers just what you’d expect: three boots for the cost of one! That one boot is pretty pricey for the quality, but if you take advantage of the sale with friends, it’s easily the best deal around!
- French’s Boot Shop
- This outlet has a ton of boots to choose from, and a basement area with some great deals! I was unlucky with my sizing here, but you can find some really great options.
- Boot Barn
- This chain outlet has several shops even within walking distance of each other, and it’s easy to try things on and buy them later online. There’s a huge variety here, though each outlet carry more or less the same boots.
- Ariat
- Fun fact- this brand’s name comes from the race horse “Secretariat”. I’m mostly familiar with this brand’s English Riding boots, but they have a whole shop filled with Western boots here!
- Tecovas
- This brand has had unprecedented success on social media- I feel like all the country influencers are wearing this brand! Boots here will run about $300-500 per pair, and the classy open shop makes for a pretty fun shopping experience, especially if it’s not too crowded.
- Big Time Boots
- This outlet carries a wide variety of brands, but had more high end options for those looking for proper working boots. Upon talking to the salesperson at this store, he introduced me to the Boulet brand which I was also impressed by. I personally own and highly recommend Lucchese boots, though they are quite pricey. This outlet also has cowboy hats for sale on the upper floor, and they would custom fit them for you!
Feel free to break in those new boots with a line dancing lesson!
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