36 Hours
36 Hours in Nashville
Within five years, 200,000 people are expected to move to Nashville, the home of country music and Tennessee’s capital. The city welcomes the business boom, but is also coping with gridlock, an overwhelmed entertainment district and steep rents. Cue emerging neighborhoods like the Nations, Madison and the Buchanan Arts District, which are taking the heat off lower Broadway, the stretch of downtown where the bachelorette parties flock. The city has a thriving L.G.B.T.Q. scene in East Nashville, although the state last week passed a law aimed at curbing public drag performances. Nashville today combines tradition and evolution, where you can visit old-school restaurants and slick cocktail temples, stroll ravishing gardens and trace the impact of Black music at a new interactive museum. Venture into the heart of Broadway, but also take a chance on newer, smaller performance spaces. They’re everywhere. This is Music City.
Recommendations
- The National Museum of African American Music, which opened in 2021, covers 400 years of African American music and its impact.
- Cheekwood Estate & Gardens is a sprawling 1930s mansion with 55 acres of cultivated, walkable gardens.
- Jane’s Hideaway, with stellar food, cocktails and music, is a place to spend an entire evening.
- Lou, a small bistro in East Nashville, nods to Southern California and Paris.
- Attaboy mixes up cocktails without a safety net: no menu, just good, old communication (and skilled bartenders).
- Sun Diner is a downtown diner inspired by Sun Studio in Memphis, where Elvis Presley and other greats recorded.
- Bartaco offers Mexican food with vegan options in the 12South neighborhood.
- Midtown Cafe is an old-school Southern restaurant near downtown.
- Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge is a great little dive bar in Madison with cheap drinks and fine music.
- 3rd & Lindsley, one of Nashville’s best midsize music clubs, brings in excellent talent.
- City Winery is a restaurant, a performance space and, yes, a winery.
- Robert’s Western World is favored by locals for traditional country music.
- Savant is a well-curated vintage clothing store.
- Draper James, the actor Reese Witherspoon’s shop, embraces all things Southern.
- White’s Mercantile is a charming “general store for the modern-day tastemaker” in the 12South corridor.
- The Ryman Auditorium’s self-guided tour lets you browse the history of country music’s most iconic concert hall at your own pace.
- Traffic congestion is a major complaint in Nashville. If you’re going to the ever-jammed entertainment district, use a ride-hailing app like Uber or Lyft in and out; it’s worth the money.
- The Hermitage Hotel, long considered one of Tennessee’s best hotels, recently renovated its landmark Beaux-Arts building, which has two fine-dining restaurants, a bar and a stunning lobby. Doubles start at $489
- Waymore’s Guest House and Casual Club, a new addition to East Nashville, is pet-friendly and styled with a music theme (the bar fridges look like Marshall amplifiers). Doubles from about $170.
- There are ample short-term rental apartments. East Nashville or downtown can be expensive, so consider the Donelson and Hermitage areas, which are experiencing a boom of new cafes and offer easy access to the airport. South Nashville, another option, offers international food options along Nolensville Pike.
Itinerary
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