Nashville is the heart of the country music. Every artist who wants to be something has to go to Nashville to find fame and success. In Nashville the music is in the air 24 hours a day.
The country mecca has earned the nickname Music City, USA, a city where by day you can enjoy the gentle Southern beat and, by night, lose yourself among guitars and honkey tonk bars where songwriters aspire to be discovered.
Nashville is the kind of city that makes you want to dance even if you don’t know the steps, sing even if you don’t know the words.
Before you go to Nashville
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What to see in Nashville in a weekend
Visiting Nashville Day 1 - Saturday
We arrived to Nashville late Friday so we just had time to grab something to eat for dinner close to the hotel.
Music Row
One of the city's historic neighborhoods: Music Row.
Don't expect the hustle and bustle of Broadway, though; on the contrary. At first glance, you'd swear it's a typical American suburban residential neighborhood, with idyllic little houses and pristine lawns.
However, behind the facades are not homes, but businesses related to the music industry, especially country, gospel and Christian music. Stroll along 16th and 17th avenues (known as Music Square East and Music Square West).
The Gulch
Another nice neighborhood is The Gulch. It is a neighborhood with an industrial look, as it used to be an area of wastelands and warehouses, but today the premises are occupied by breweries, restaurants, cafes and stores like Carter's Vintage Guitars, a Nashville classic.
The Grand Ole Opry
We then took an uber (20 mins from The Gulch) to The Grand Ole Opry. During your trip to Nashville, this name will be repeated over and over again, because the Grand Ole Opry is the most beloved tradition of the city. It is a weekly concert where new talents and big names of country, bluegrass, folk, gospel... perform.
The Gaylord Opryland Resort
Next to the Grand Ole Opry is the the Gaylord Opryland Resort. It is a gigantic hotel. If you're wondering why we included a hotel as an attraction in this Nashville guide, wait until you see the Opryland, a place that's hard to describe. Around the rooms they have built a spectacular complex made up of gardens, stores, artificial rivers where you can even sail in little boats. Everything is indoors, but it is so huge that it is easy to forget that you are inside a building. Although extravagant, we loved the Gaylord to stroll around and have a drink.
Country Music Hall of Fame
After eating and visiting the resort we made our way back with another uber to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Although we toured Music Row on our own, there is another way to visit the neighborhood: signing up for a tour of the RCA Studio B of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
RCA Studio B is a legendary studio where musicians like Elvis recorded and is located on Music Row, but the only way to visit it is on a tour organized by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The museum is located in downtown Nashville, very close to Broadway, and the tours depart from there (you can't start the tour directly at the studio). So, if you feel like visiting the studio, instead of starting the day on Music Row you can start it downtown.
Broadway and Honky-Tonk Bars
And now it's time to get to know that place that can't be missing in any Nashville guidebook: Broadway Street.
From 5th Ave to1st Ave, Broadway is a succession of illuminated signs, honky-tonk bars with live music at all hours of the day, stores with thousands of cowboy boots, restaurants...
Broadway is Nashville's tourist mecca and an undisputed party and alcohol destination, and in that sense, it reminded us a bit of New Orleans and its Bourbon Street.
But it also has some of the most authentic locals, honky-tonks (typical music bars of the southern United States) where, for the price of a beer, you can sit and listen to live country or folk music.
These are the mythical honky-tonks in Nashville that we liked the most, although if you walk around the street you will find a thousand more, and you can come and go as you please:
Robert's Western World
Tootsies Orchid Lounge
Layla's
Keep in mind that, in most places, they don't let you in with a backpack.
Visiting Nashville Day 2 - Sunday
Centennial Park and The Nashville Parthenon
Centennial Park is the most important urban park in the city, a huge green lung where locals come to walk or play sports.
But for travelers, what strikes us most is the building in the background: a life-size replica of the Parthenon in Athens!
The Parthenon was built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, and today houses the city's art museum (for a fee), where a recreation of the statue of Athena is on display. Even if you don't want to go inside the museum, get up close to the imposing structure and take the opportunity to stroll along beautiful Lake Watauga.
The Farmer's Market
One of the places we enjoyed was the Farmer's Market. It's close to downtown, in the Bicentennial Mall State Park, so you can go walking or by uber.
The Nashville Farmer's Market is open every day and is not your classic farmer's market: outside you'll find everything from craft stalls to antiques, and inside the building you'll find dozens of local restaurants and cafes where you can grab a bite to eat or a snack.
The Cumberland River & the John Seigenthaler Bridge
For one of the best views of Nashville, approach the Cumberland River and cross the John Seigenthaler Bridge.
From there, you will see the city skyline appear, very modest but with buildings as curious as the AT&T Building, which neighbors know as the Batman Building for its resemblance to the superhero's mask.
Watch the sunset from the Bridge
Restaurant recommendation The Diner Nashville - A six story, 24-hour restaurant that boasts six unique floors, each with gorgeous views of downtown. Each floor offers guests a truly unique dining experience. Address: 200 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201  |
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