A Guide to Nashville
Nashville is the place to be. Complete with live music, dancing and great food, you’ll want to book a trip quickly! Below is a list of places to visit while in Music City.
Looking for another great trip destination? Check out Four Days in New York City.
Where to stay in Nashville
Lodging can be an investment when visiting Nashville and you won’t be there for much time. I have found that it is more cost-effective to stay closer to the action in a hotel, rather than in an AirBNB or VRBO. If you do look at a rental over a hotel, be sure to calculate the cleaning and rental fees, they can be steep!
Downtown hotel suggestions include the Moxy or the Hilton Downtown Nashville. Both are close to Broadway and have great customer service!
My suggestion to get a better price and a quitter experience is to stay in Midtown. The Holiday Inn Express Downtown is walkable to Broadway. My pick is the Hilton Garden Inn Nashville Vanderbilt - they did even have a shuttle that takes you right downtown! The Hilton Garden Inn is within walking distance to Midtown, which is where the Vanderbilt University students hang out and it’s a more local vibe compared to Broadway.
What to see in Nashville
Experience Broadway
First, you have to go to Broadway and experience live music. It may be touristy but the talent is incredible.
My favorite Broadway honky tonks include:
“The Classic Bar” is Tootsie’s
“The Dancing Bar” is The Stage
“The Place to Rooftop” is Ole Red
Before the big night out, plan to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame. This iconic museum shares a closer look into the lives of country singers. If you want to avoid a line, buy tickets in advance and be prepared to spend a few hours exploring the exhibits. This is within walking distance of Broadway.
Visit The Gulch
The Gulch is a neighborhood a few miles from downtown Nashville and offers great food and shopping.
PRO TIP: Get to the Gulch early in the morning if you want a photo by the iconic “wings” mural, a line can form very quickly!
Walk to various shops, including Jessie James Decker’s store Kittenish and Kristen Cavallari’s store Uncommon James.
The most amazing breakfast food can be found at Biscuit Love. Be prepared for a line but these biscuits will not disappoint! Be on the lookout for the adorable Amelia’s Flower Truck, it’s usually parked across the street! You can literally stop and smell the roses.
L.A. Jackson has been voted as Nashville Scene’s Best Rooftop Bar five times and I agree, it is the best. Located at the top floor of the Thompson Hotel, it’s a great place to grab a cocktail.
Visit The 12th South
Another darling neighborhood in Nashville is 12th South. This is where you can capture more mural photos, including the I Believe in Nashville mural. It also has great food options and shopping, including Reece Witherspoon’s Drapper James.
where to eat IN NASHVILLE
If you’re downtown, my favorite restaurant is the Hampton Social. Be sure to make reservations and be prepared to take every iconic Instagram photo you can imagine! The restaurant may be Instagram-famous, but the food is just as good.
Another must-have is hot chicken. Hattie B’s is a famous hot chicken restaurant, with numerous locations around Nashville. The restaurants always have a line but it’s worth the wait.
What to Skip on your trip to Nashville
Two tourist attractions in Nashville often are the wax museum and the Gaylord Hotel. Both are about 20 minutes from downtown Nashville and in my opinion, are not worth a special trip. Unless you love hotels with indoor gardens that you can get lost in or really appreciate wax museums, you’re better off staying close to downtown.
When planning your trip, two days and two nights is the perfect length to experience the city. It’s a special place, full of talent, fun, and great food. Enjoy!
