I was never interested in visiting Nashville. In fact, I actively avoided it. My dad constantly played old-school country music, blaring through the house when I was growing up. I hated it, so I figured Nashville, the home of country music, was not the place for me. How wrong I was.
Fast forward many years and I’ve been there multiple times. It’s now one of my favorite places in the US.
While Nashville is widely considered the country music capital of the world, it’s also known as Music City, and country is far from the only genre you’ll find there. Although I have since come around and discovered that country music is incredibly diverse, and some of it I absolutely love, anyone who loves music of any kind will fit right in. At only a 2.5-hour flight from NYC, it’s a great option for a long weekend trip.
I’m going to take you through a few highlights of what to do (and eat) in Nashville for first-time visitors.
Quick links:
Broadway
Bluebird Cafe
Grand Ole Opry
Country Music Hall of Fame
Ryman Auditorium
Hot Chicken
Johnny Cash Museum
Skinny Dennis
Many cities in the US have a Broadway. In New York, if anyone talks about Broadway, they are referring to the center of the theatre world: the area of Midtown Manhattan where the Broadway theaters are located.
In Nashville, however, Broadway is known for its high concentration of live music venues known as honky-tonks. The first honky-tonk, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, opened in 1960 opposite the Ryman Auditorium, which at the time housed the Grand Ole Opry (more on that below). Since then, the area has expanded into “Honky Tonk Highway”, with more than 30 bars stretching along Lower Broadway from 5th Avenue to 1st Avenue.
If you like old-school traditional country music, be sure to stop by Robert’s Western World. Otherwise, just take a stroll down Broadway and keep an ear out for music you like. There are also plenty of bars owned by celebrities if that’s your thing – Garth Brooks, Kid Rock, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen to name a few. Most venues have no cover charge, so just tip the band instead.
With so many live music venues, bright lights and people packed into one area, be prepared for a bit of a sensory overload at first. But there’s no denying the energy and electric atmosphere of this small stretch of the city.
If Broadway gets a little overwhelming, take a short walk to nearby Printer’s Alley. Once the heart of Nashville’s nightlife, this historic entertainment district is now home to a mix of blues, jazz, rock and country venues, offering a more intimate atmosphere than Lower Broadway.
The Bluebird Cafe is iconic and an absolute must-do when you’re in Nashville. This tiny live music venue opened in 1982, and it’s located a little out of the way from downtown, tucked into a small strip mall. It’s the last place you’d expect to find a venue with such a legendary reputation. You’ll need to drive or Uber to get there.
The Bluebird is the place for songwriters, and is now owned by the National Songwriters Association. Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks both got their start here, and it also gained renewed fame after being featured heavily in the TV show Nashville.
The shows you want to attend are called In The Round. Typically there’s a 6pm show featuring newer songwriters and a 9pm show with more established writers, although both showcase incredible talent. Four songwriters sit in the middle of the room and take turns playing songs they’ve written while sharing the stories behind them. In such a small, intimate venue, the atmosphere is electric.
I recommend booking tickets in advance because it’s a tiny venue with only 90 seats and they tend to sell out almost immediately. There are usually a small number of standby tickets available on the day, but be prepared to get there early and line up for hours.
There’s also a great documentary called Bluebird, which is well worth watching. It’s available to stream on Apple TV.
Without a doubt, it’s one of my favorite experiences in Nashville.
For those unfamiliar with it, the Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music concert and live radio broadcast. It’s the longest-running radio show in history, having begun in 1925. It gained widespread fame during its years at the Ryman Auditorium (more on that below) from 1943 to 1974.
Today, the Opry is performed at a newer 4,000-seat venue built specifically for the show, located at Opryland. Like the Bluebird, it’s a little out of the way from downtown (around a 20–30 minute drive depending on traffic), but it’s well worth the trip.
Be sure to book tickets in advance, especially if you’re visiting during a busy period. Check the lineup before booking your tickets, as the performers vary from show to show and often feature a mix of newer and more established country artists. There are also backstage tours available if you’d like to see behind the scenes.
I was lucky enough to see Carrie Underwood and Old Crow Medicine Show while I was there. It was an amazing experience, although I wish each artist got to perform more than two or three songs. It’s also unique hearing radio commercials during a live concert!
Located a short walk from Broadway, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is well worth a visit, even if you’re not a huge country music fan. It’s one of the world’s largest music museums, with extensive collections of recordings, instruments, stage costumes, memorabilia and interactive exhibits dedicated to preserving the history of country music.
One of the things I loved was that the museum connected with other places I’d visited around Nashville. I ended up stumbling across a small exhibit about one of the established songwriters I’d seen perform at the Bluebird Cafe, who I’d never even heard of before that trip. It was a pretty cool moment.
The museum also hosts rotating special exhibitions, so there’s often something new to see even if you’ve visited before. Allow at least 2–3 hours to explore everything.
The Ryman Auditorium is a National Historic Landmark located just off Broadway on Fifth Avenue. Originally built as a church in 1892, it later became the longtime home of the Grand Ole Opry, right in the heart of downtown Nashville. Today, it’s a concert venue and museum, and you can also take backstage or self-guided tours.
The original wooden pews are still used for seating, and the building’s church origins are one of the reasons it’s renowned for its incredible acoustics.
Ryman Alley separates the venue from the honky tonks on Broadway. Because backstage space at the Ryman was so limited, performers would often head across the alley to Tootsie’s before and after their sets, making the bar an unofficial backstage hangout.
Hot Chicken
Nashville is famous for its hot chicken, and if you ask ten locals where to get the best, you’ll probably get ten different answers. It’s traditionally served on slices of white bread with pickles to help soak up some of the heat.
My personal favorite is Hattie B’s, mostly because they offer my favourite spice level: zero! I know, I know… but I swear the tiniest amount of spice and it feels like my head is going to explode. It’s a bit of a crowd-pleaser for that reason, with spice levels ranging from no heat at all to seriously hot. If you’re not used to spicy food, don’t overestimate your spice tolerance! The chicken itself is also excellent. They have a location right on Broadway, but I’d recommend visiting the original flagship location in Midtown, around a 10–15 minute drive from downtown.
Another Nashville institution is Prince’s Hot Chicken, widely credited as the birthplace of Nashville hot chicken. If you’re looking to try the original, this is the place to go.
Just steps from Broadway, the Johnny Cash Museum takes you through the life and career of one of country music’s greatest icons. Even if you’re not a huge Johnny Cash fan, I found it to be a fascinating look at the history of country music and the recording industry. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of Johnny Cash memorabilia, from handwritten lyrics and stage costumes to guitars, awards and personal artifacts.
One of my favourite parts of the museum was an exhibit that lets you hear the same song played across different recording formats as technology evolved, from early records and 8-track tapes through to CDs and digital recordings. It’s a really clever way to experience how recorded music has changed over the decades.
It’s not a huge museum, but it’s very well curated. Allow around 1–2 hours for your visit.
Anyone who’s spent time in Williamsburg will probably already know Skinny Dennis. The beloved Brooklyn bar opened a location in East Nashville in 2025, bringing its mix of live country music, dive-bar charm and late-night energy to the city that inspired it.
If Broadway feels a little overwhelming, Skinny Dennis offers a more local vibe while still delivering fantastic live music.
The original Williamsburg location is known for its small size, unique character and consistently great bands. The Nashville bar is much larger, but it still feels unmistakably like the original. It’s a fun and slightly surreal experience to visit a familiar Brooklyn favourite while exploring Nashville.