A weekend in Nashville: the best music, food and things to do

As the Country Music Capital of the World, Nashville is home to plenty of cowboy-hat-toting musicians, serenading the crowds with ‘three chords and the truth’. But venture beyond the neon glow of Lower Broadway’s famous honky tonks and Nashville moves to a more alternative rhythm: intimate gigs are held at indie record stores, venues showcase hip hop performers and minority-owned businesses serve up everything from smoking hot pizza to vintage western wear.

Music City is currently booming: an estimated 100 new residents move to the city each day and freshly unveiled hotels continue to add to its ever-evolving skyline. The good news is that there’s plenty of room at the inn, with trendy East Nashville and Downtown packed with boutique offerings of every flavour, while lesser-known neighbourhoods such as Donelson and Hermitage are gaining popularity with price-conscious travellers seeking easy access to the airport. And be sure to arrive hungry, as Nashville’s ravishing food scene runs the gauntlet from old-school diners delivering Southern staples to slick James Beard Award winners.

Regardless of your music tastes, these days there’s something for everyone in Tennessee’s capital. Here are the vibey hotspots to hit for a truly harmonious weekend in Nashville.

Where to stay in Nashville

Fairlane Hotel

Best for: Within a hip swivel of Nashville’s honky-tonks
Location: 401 Union St, Nashville, TN 37219
Price: Rooms from 315 USD

This former bank from the 1970s has been spruced-up to become a chic Downtown hideaway, just a few blocks from Lower Broadway. On the doorstep are the nightlife temptations of Printers Alley, while the grand dome of the state capitol is within strolling distance. The lobby is a vision of retro sophistication, with handsome original oak panelling and terrazzo floors. In the 81 guest rooms upstairs, the vintage aesthetic continues with teak sideboards and plush velvet headboards. Most rooms also feature floor-to-ceiling windows to soak up the cityscape. Breakfast is taken at the hotel’s coffee and bagel counter, while the upscale Ellington’s restaurant serves favourites such as steak frites and lobster carbonara.

Drift Nashville

Best for: A happening hangout for musos
Location: 10 Interstate Dr, Nashville, TN 37213
Price: Rooms from 180 USD

Drift delivers all you could want from a stay in Music City: stylish rooms decked out with handmade tiles, rugs and lighting sculptures by local artisans and a cabana-lined pool for balmy days, plus easy access to the creative culinary scene and hip live music venues of East Nashville. Since opening in March 2024, this new-kid-on-the-block has transformed a former mid-century inn into a place where both weekenders and Nashville locals come to hang out. The 87 guestrooms, all mid-mod furniture and calming colour palettes, come in many shapes and sizes. They range from cosy nooks to a spacious penthouse with sweeping views of the city’s horizon and a dazzling golden toilet in homage to Elvis Presley, who is said to have visited the building. Watch the sunset from the Sun Room bar, where Spanish-inspired tapas are served alongside craft cocktails, or grab a tasty taco at the poolside. Come nighttime, guests gather around the glow of fire pits out on the deck, while on Thursdays they dance the night away at Drift’s weekly live music gigs.

The Russell

Best for: Podcasters and philanthropists
Location: 819 Russell St, Nashville, TN 37206
Price: Rooms from 182 USD

This renovated 115-year-old church, located in the heart of happening East Nashville, has retained many of its heavenly period features since transforming into a boutique hotel – including a kaleidoscopic stained-glass window and the original wooden pews, now used as headboards in the 23 guest rooms. The golden ticket rooms here are the tower suite and the penthouse, both with balconies overlooking the buzzy lobby. There’s also a podcasting studio onsite, where guests can book an audio recording slot. And the good news just keeps coming, as a stay at The Russell gives back to the Nashville community, with a portion of profits donated to local homeless causes.

The best restaurants and cafes in Nashville

Dawn Cafe

Best for: Speciality coffee
Location: 10 Interstate Dr, Nashville, TN 37213
Price: Coffee from 3.50 USD

In the lobby of Drift Nashville, freelancers tap away at laptops at the Dawn Café, the hotel’s laidback coffee spot decked out with a handsome mahogany bar and leafy potted plants. Alongside standards such as drip and frothy coffees, there’s also a rolling menu of seasonal specialities with peach espresso soda and an aromatic Mexican Baja making guest appearances.

Crema Coffee Roasters

Best for: Budding baristas
Location: 15 Hermitage Ave, Nashville, TN 37210
Price: Coffee from 4 USD

This local institution has been keeping Nashvillians caffeinated since 2008. Inside, this snug coffee shop is furnished with mid-century tables and chairs, while outside a wooden decked patio provides a suntrap for sipping coffee. As well as smooth mocha and lavender-infused lattes, there’s also an educational hub teaching workshops on the fine art of coffee making.

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint

Best for: Whole hog smoked meats
Location: Martin’s Downtown, 410 4th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37201
Price: BBQ plate from 20 USD, drink from 3 USD

Serving up some of the finest whole hog BBQ in the state of Tennessee, satisfied diners leave Martin’s with bellies full of true ’cue, their clothing scented by the tantalising aroma of oak-smoked meat. With three Martin’s joints in Nashville, you’re never too far away from their beloved pits, where meat is cooked low-and-slow for up to 24 hours. First timers can’t go wrong with a BBQ tray – tender slices of brisket or a heap of pulled pork paired with salty green beans and cornbread.

Hattie B’s

Best for: Nashville’s infamous hot chicken
Location: Lower Broadway location, 5069 Broadway Suite A-103, Nashville, TN 37203
Price: Sandwich from 9 USD, drink from 2 USD

The line of hungry customers snaking around the block at Hattie B’s is testament to the quality of the fiery hot chicken served within. Once through the door, it’s counter service and cafeteria-style seating – but you’re here for the tongue-tingling food, not the ambiance. The rockstar on the menu is the hot chicken sandwich; a moist, boneless chicken breast, fried to crispy perfection and presented in a white bun. But a word of warning: heat levels can get scorching, so ease in gently with a milder option before scaling up. Round things off with the banana pudding, a nostalgic cup of creamy goodness, just like grandma used to make.

Guerilla Bizkits

Best for: Southern biscuits made vegan
Location: 1006 Fatherland Street #207, Nashville, TN 37206
Price: Biscuit from 6 USD

Founded by a couple of self-proclaimed vegan punks, this small but mighty takeaway bakery in East Nashville has taken traditional Southern-style biscuits – pillows of crumby quick bread made with rich buttermilk – and updated them for a new generation. Inside, the space is so dinky that you could almost touch both walls with outstretched arms, so either place your order at the counter to go or there’s a small seating area outside. Its vegan-friendly menu includes experimental options using ingredients like jalapeño cherries.

Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria

Best for: Artisan pizzas
Location: 911 Buchanan St, Nashville, TN 37208
Price: Pizza from 14 USD, drink from 3.5 USD

Feast on thin-crust dough smothered in tangy house-made sauce at Slim & Husky’s, a Black-owned, hip hop-inspired casual dining haunt. A handful of Slim & Husky’s pizzerias have cropped up across Tennessee, but the Buchanan Arts District outpost, surrounded by independent businesses in an up-and-coming neighbourhood, is well worth a visit.

The best shops in Nashville

High Class Hillbilly

Best for: Western wear
Location: 4604 Gallatin Pike, Nashville, TN 37216

Owned and curated by americana singer Nikki Lane, this vintage gem is the place to come for original Western threads. Stock up on leather cowboy boots, prairie dresses, bolo ties and coveted retro tees.

Music City Vintage

Best for: Rare 1990s sportswear
Location: 2503 Gallatin Ave Suite 103, Nashville, TN 37206

Rapper Drake was recently spotted browsing the rails of this treasure trove of a store, crammed with hard-to-find vintage streetwear. Alongside Nascar jackets, baseball jerseys, trucker hats and collectable figurines, the warehouse also boasts an entire wall dedicated to collectable kicks.

Hatch Show Print

Best for: Iconic music posters
Location: 224 Rep. John Lewis Way S, Nashville, TN 37203

This historic letterpress has longstanding ties with Nashville’s music industry, having printed posters to advertise concerts for everyone from Dolly Parton to Taylor Swift. You can still see the printers, wearing ink-smudged aprons, in action at its workshop, gallery and store, which sells a stunning spread of prints.

Grimey’s New & Preloved Music

Best for: Vinyl records and live music
Location: 1060 East Trinity Lane, Nashville, TN 37216

This dinky record stop has its finger on Nashville’s musical pulse. Alongside aisles of vinyl records, many spotlighting alternative artists, there’s also a stage hosting regular free gigs and listening parties.

Where to see live music in Nashville

Acme Feed + Seed

Best for: A diverse lineup
Location: 101 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201

This four-floor venue may be perched at the end of Broadway, known as Honky-Tonk Highway, but it pulls out all the stops to amplify a diverse range of music beyond country, with salsa, indie, pop and rap nights.

Ryman Auditorium

Best for: Visiting the Mother Church of Country Music
Location: 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219

It’s probably easier to list the legends that haven’t graced the hallowed wooden stage of the Ryman, as it’s the former home of the Grand Ole Opry – the show that put country music on the global map. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Dolly Parton; they all stepped up to the mic at this celebrated venue. Today, concerts are still held most evenings, while tours take visitors backstage by day.

The 5 Spot

Best for: Rocking out
Location: 1006 Forest Ave, Nashville, TN 37206

Looking for a uniquely East Nashville experience? Then head to this rootsy neighbourhood dive to hear local singer-songwriters and touring bands perform. Mondays are reserved for dance parties, when DJs spin rock, funk and disco tunes on the turntables.

The best museums in Nashville

National Museum of African American Music

Best for: Celebrating the many African American music genres
Location: 510 Broadway Ave, Nashville, TN 37203

It’s easy to while away a fascinating afternoon at this hands-on museum, charting the history of R&B, hip-hop, gospel, jazz and blues over the past 400 years. Brush up on the impact that Black performers such as Little Richard, Etta James and Jimi Hendrix have had on Nashville, before joining a virtual gospel choir or testing out some breaking moves.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Best for: Old-timey music
Location: 222 Rep. John Lewis Way S, Nashville, TN 37203

This sprawling museum has long been one of Nashville’s greatest hits, giving voice to the cultural importance of country music. Lay down a track in Taylor Swift’s tour bus and view Bill Monroe’s folksy mandolin, before marvelling at some seriously spangled stage-wear.