Hitting All the Right Notes: The First-Timers Guide to Nashville
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Very few travel stories centre around Monday morning encounters. It’s not even my favourite memory of Nashville but it remains the most memorable.
After a weekend of taking on Broadway – Nashville’s legendary street of live music bars – I stumbled out at 10am looking for a coffee and preferably a quiet corner to recover. I expected all the bars to be shuttered.
Instead, every door was open, every stage alive, and every bar seemed to contain a guitarist who could outplay most headline acts. Granted it was small audiences but still, it was, quite frankly, absurd, magical and quintessential Nashville. There’s a reason they call it Music City.
Since the days of the Grand Ole Opry putting country music on the national map across the US, Nashville rewards musical excellence like nowhere else. From Johny Cash to Dolly Parton to Taylor Swift, the road to fame stopped in these streams. Nowhere in America offers this density of live music and for first-time visitors, you’re in for a treat.
The Rules of Nashville For First Timers (Read These First)
Pace yourself: Day drinking is entirely optional here – pace yourself, some of the bars feel like 11pm when the sun is still high in the sky!
ID is non-negotiable: Even if you last saw 21 during the Obama administration. For Europeans, this means a passport (a constant annoyance anywhere stateside)
Tip the band: Bring small bills; $5-$10 per set is standard and expected (trust me you’ll want to tip more), considerably more for requests.
Live music > everything: If you hear something you like the sound of, to hell with your itinerary. Stop, head in and enjoy!
Broadway Musicians You Don’t Want To Miss
Finding your favourite Nashville artist – and then seeing them across multiple venues – is all part of the ritual. My favourite three from my last visit (follow their Instagrams for details of show times) who I cannot recommend seeing highly enough.
Tyson Hanes: A frontman who plays a mid-afternoon bar like it’s a stadium. Great vocals, ability to perform across all genres and one of the most memorable performers you’ll see on Broadway.
Vikki Nova: A one-woman jukebox with a magnetic voice that draws you to the dancefloor, whatever time of day or night. Rock to country to pop, she can – and does - sing it all.
Daniel Isgro: The most kick-ass bassist you’ll ever see or hear, prone to leading the crowds into impromptu line-dancing while playing. Trust me, it’s harder than it looks but after a few beers, you won’t care
Anyway on to the itinerary.
Day 1
Morning: Johnny Cash Museum (09.00 – 17.00, Monday – Sunday, $27.95 entry)
This compact museum does something rare: it tells a complete story without exhausting you or going into overkill. Even if your knowledge of Johnny Cash doesn’t extend beyond a drunken karaoke rendition of Ring of Fire, you’ll want to stop by.
Moving chronologically through Cash’s life, it balances mythology with vulnerability, charting his rise, fall, and improbable reinvention. The handwritten lyrics and personal artefacts are impressive and there’s enough context for a casual listener to understand why his legacy resonated far beyond the borders of Nashville and country music.
Lunch: Hattie B’s Hot Chicken (11.00 – 22.00, varies by location)
Hot chicken is a Nashville rite of passage, and Hattie B’s delivers it with unapologetic intensity.
Before saying anything else, a warning: hot is not a turn of phrase, they mean it here. For European tastebuds, take everything up a notch. Mild has a kick, medium is lawdamercy hot and hot…well, enjoy your funeral. Aim slightly below your ego and you’ll enjoy it far more.Anyway, when it arrives the chicken arrives crisp, deeply seasoned, and with some great side (pimento mac and cheese please)
Expect queues - arrive before midday on weekends - but don’t stress, they move pretty quickly.
Afternoon: Ryman Auditorium (09.00 – 16.00 – check in advance because tours finish early on some event days, self-guided tours start at $36)
From the outside, the Ryman resembles a Victorian church. Not a bad guess as that’s exactly what it was, founded as a Gospel Tabernacle in 1892. Nowadays, the analogy continues as it hold a very special place in in the pantheon of American music.
All the greats have played – and continue to play – here, with a diverse line-up you’d struggle to see anywhere else. The 2026 season sees Raye, Gladys Knight and The Beach Boys on the agenda, sadly not simultaneously.
Inside, it still feels disarmingly like its original purpose - wooden pews and church origins create an atmosphere that’s reverential without being stiff. The self-guided tour is concise but layered, giving context without slowing your pace. Standing on the same stage that Elvis, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and others graced isn’t something you do every afternoon.
Afternoon (Part 2): The Parthenon Nashville (10.00 – 16.00 - $15 to enter inside, view the outside 24/7)
From a pantheon to the Parthenon, a short Uber ride (or pick up a hire bike) out of town reveals Nashville’s most surprising attraction.
Nashville’s full-scale Parthenon replica (‘the world’s only…’) is the sort of idea that sounds horrifically twee and that it shouldn’t work. Somehow – and I still haven’t worked out how – it just does.
Set in Centennial Park, it feels both incongruous and oddly fitting, a reminder of the city’s former nickname, the “Athens of the South…with a better soundtrack.” Inside, the towering statue of Athena adds a sense of theatricality that leans into the absurd rather than apologising for it.
No more than an hour out of your day – albeit pausing on the grass is a very pleasant respite from the intensity of Broadway – but an unexpectedly memorable one.
Evening: Broadway Bar Crawl
Broadway is not a single destination but a sequence of decisions, each one louder than the last. To be honest, you’ll struggle to have a bad night in any of them but part of the fun is finding your favourite.
For me, Lucky Bastard Saloon hit all the spots – sensational music (including impromptu windowsill performances to the street), modern and energetic, with rooftop views and a crowd that’s fully committed to the night ahead. I still wear the hoodie I bought there.
Tootsies Orchid Lounge offers up over 65 years of history and multiple floors of organised chaos (don’t care for one band…just ascend or descend and find another!) It claims to be the most famous honky-tonk in the world and has boasted Brad Paisley and Jake Owen on its stage(s).
Robert's Western World strips things back to traditional country and is unashamedly old fashioned, where the musicianship takes priority over spectacle. The overall musicianship here is possibly the best in the whole city and for those who like their country undiluted, you simply won’t do any better.
Most bars stay open until 3am. Once again, I cannot emphasise the three golden rules enough: tip the band, bring ID and pace yourself!
Day 2:
Morning: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (09.00 – 17.00, Monday – Sunday, tickets from $32)
If you’re wondering who exactly was the artist behind your new favourite song from last night, your answer will likely be found right here.
Exhibits move fluidly from early country roots to contemporary crossover stars, placing the genre within a broader American narrative. It’s not just about music, but about identity, cultures and storytelling. Even if you’re not a genre devotee, the scale and context make it compelling…and Elvis’ gold Cadillac is a showstopper wherever you put it.
For country devotees, museum entrance can be combined with a visit to RCA Studio B where Dolly, Elvis and others laid down their most famous tracks.
Afternoon: Honky Tonk Bus Tour (times vary, from $40)
Is this the classiest way to see a city? Probably not. The most elegant? Nope. But the most guilty pleasure downright fun way to see Nashville? A hundred times yes.
These open-air, music-blasting vehicles loop through downtown while the group collectively abandons any lingering self-consciousness and dances on the chairs, with a bartender/DJ who keeps both the tunes spinning, the drinks popping and the commentary wry.
20% sightseeing, 80% ‘look at me’ moving party, and entirely aligned with the city’s personality. Approach it with the right expectations – and no inhibitions - and it becomes one of the more memorable parts of the weekend.
Evening - Options Galore
You’ll be returning to Broadway of course but in advance of this, three options to consider:
You’ve stood on the stage, now see how the pros do it.
Didn’t have ice hockey on your Nashville agenda? More fool you.
If the Predators are playing, the arena – located just off Broadway - offers a different but equally intense version of Nashville energy: loud, engaged, and unapologetically partisan. Much like everything else in this city, you’ll be swept away in the atmosphere…including gleefully chanting ‘It’s All Your Fault’ at the opposition goalie when he concedes.
For a shift in tone, head to East Nashville. Much like Frenchmen Street in New Orleans, this is where locals (who wouldn’t be seen dead on Broadway…or so they tell you) go for their fix of great food and emerging but still ridiculously talented musical acts. Again, finding your favourite spot is part of the experience but The Basement East is a great choice for rock and indie acts.
All roads inevitably lead back to Broadway for more hedonism…and pre-emptive headaches.
First-Time Nashville Done Right
Nashville is one of those cities best thought of as a current to move through than a checklist of formal attractions. My favourite moments have come by following my ears, disappearing into a bar for a quick drink and a couple of songs and emerging three hours later with a new playlist and becoming an evangelist for an artist who deserves a much bigger stage.
The city’s strength lies in its accessibility; there’s no barrier between you and the experience, only your willingness to step inside. It’s not polished in the traditional sense, and that’s precisely the attraction.
And no Monday morning ever sounded as good as it did that day on Broadway.
Article By Phil Thomas
Phil Thomas is a travel journalist based in Cambridge, UK. You can follow his adventures on his blog Someone Else’s Country and on Instagram (@exploresomeoneelsescountry)
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