Photograph courtesy of Nashville Conference & Guests Corp
For those who’re visiting Nashville for the primary time, plan on slipping in your cowboy boots and hitting the honky-tonks. Downtown’s legendary Decrease Broadway district is a mixture of scruffy previous dives and newer, celebrity-branded leisure palaces (e.g., Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar)—all lit up in neon, anyone liable to accommodate the very best cowl band you’ve ever heard. Down the middle of the road, a parade of social gathering buses, social gathering tractors, and social gathering fireplace engines blast their very own soundtracks. It’s a booze-soaked, feather-boa-draped scene befitting the South’s bachelorette social gathering capital, and it’s price doing as soon as—and possibly by no means once more.
To be truthful, Broadway and the encompassing leisure district are dwelling to celebrated cultural locations reminiscent of Ryman Auditorium, the Nationwide Museum of African American Music, and the Frist Artwork Museum. The world is a large a part of Nashville, however Nashville’s a lot extra—a dynamic metropolis the place you may simply replenish on memorable meals, nice music, and beautiful surroundings with out bumping into Fireball-chugging vacationers asking to listen to “Fancy Like” and “Associates in Low Locations.” (No disrespect; blame all of it on their roots.) Listed here are just a few—okay, 30 or so—locations to place in your record.
Photograph by Andrew Thomas Lee
Progressive Feast
Nashville is full of impartial eating places garnering nationwide acclaim. For a mere nibble of the culinary scene, think about this pattern day of consuming round city:
Get up your style buds in East Nashville, a sprawling neighborhood east of the Cumberland River with a fiercely impartial spirit and sufficient cool hangout spots that one may spend a weekend there alone. Cafe Roze is the best brunch spot: upscale however easygoing, reservations accepted. Amid clean-lined accents of blush pink and black-and-white, go gentle with housemade coconut yogurt and granola or heavier with an egg sandwich with native Gifford’s bacon and tomato jam. Flip the menu over for a full unfold of drinks spanning the caffeinated, boozy, and refreshing.
For those who’re quick on time, seize a breakfast burrito from Mitchell Delicatessen; filled with chorizo, bacon, and guac, the crowd-favorite is accessible on weekends till it sells out. Or, hit the drive-through at Donut Distillery for a pack of lovable mini doughnuts within the signature whiskey glaze. (Did we point out you’ll desire a automotive for this off-the-tourist-track quest?)
For lunch, cruise Nolensville Pike, a melting pot of immigrant-owned companies simply south of downtown. Nashville is dwelling to the nation’s largest Kurdish inhabitants, and Edessa is an impressive ambassador of the tradition’s delicacies. Bookend your kebab of selection with the addictive Anatolian flatbread and Turkish espresso or tea. Crave a cerveza? Head to La Hacienda Taqueria, the place homeowners Carlos and Lillian Yepez are famed for his or her selfmade tortillas. Take pleasure in avenue tacos and a Modelo underneath blown-up images of a beaming President Obama, who stopped by the colourful restaurant again in 2014.
Photograph by Emily Dorio
Abutting downtown to the north, the neighborhood of Germantown is stuffed with charming townhomes on tree-lined brick sidewalks, although you would possibly see just a few leveled heaps from the March 2020 twister that struck the world. It’s additionally floor zero for Nashville’s James Beard darlings. Head to pleased hour at Henrietta Pink, the seafood-forward spot from homegrown expertise Julia Sullivan, a 2020 finalist for “Finest Chef: Southeast.” Each day from 5:00 to six:30 p.m., the beautiful, white-splashed restaurant serves $2 oysters and $3 cava. Then stroll subsequent door to Metropolis Home, a neighborhood mainstay helmed by Tandy Wilson, who received the “Finest Chef: Southeast” honor in 2016 after being nominated 9 occasions within the class. The warmly lit Italian-Southern spot continues to attract a hungry crowd, lots of whom begin with the shareable stomach ham pizza. (When the waiter asks in case you’d like a fried egg on it, say sure.) There are a number of different incredible dinner choices within the space, however these are two spots Nashvillians reliably exhibit to out-of-towners.
For those who’d fairly steer someplace that actually seems like a discovery, head to the westside to Sylvan Park, a residential enclave with its personal small restaurant strip, and the newly opened Spanish spot, Lola. {Couples} on double dates fill the ethereal, minimalist inside and share tapas like traditional papas bravas (fried potatoes) or tuna gildas (skewers of seared tuna with pickled peppers and olives). Begin with the stellar charcuterie board, however tempo your self—the dishes come quick.
Photograph courtesy of Nashville Conference & Guests Corp
Candy Souvenirs
Spare just a few hours for buying, and also you’ll get to discover cool elements of city whereas taking dwelling some distinctive keepsakes. And whereas there’s nothing fallacious with a pair of $200 cowgirl boots, right here’s a leather-based purveyor the place you may actually really feel good dropping money: In a position sells purses and sneakers—together with scarves, jewellery, and attire—from rigorously chosen moral producers across the globe. The store, which has the glossy look of a high-end boutique, is situated within the Nations, a once-industrial space west of downtown that’s now dotted with eating places and breweries. After learning the delicate choice, stroll subsequent door to an enormous location of the Frothy Monkey, a beloved native coffeehouse chain.
Photograph by Caroline Sharpnack
Nestled on the southside close to Belmont College is one in all Nashville’s finest buying neighborhoods, 12 South. Its central artery, twelfth Avenue, is on the bachelorette circuit and may get crowded on weekends, however brick-and-mortar outposts of sought-after nationwide manufacturers like Draper James and Marine Layer make it a worthy vacation spot. It’s additionally dwelling to a must-visit reward store, White’s Mercantile. Owned by singer-songwriter Holly Williams (daughter of Hank Williams Jr.), the retrofitted gasoline station is stuffed with her “favourite finds and discoveries from the freeway,” from beautiful barware and charcuterie boards to retro music prints and delicate child garments.
Photograph courtesy of Vinyl Faucet
Store small, actually, in East Nashville, the place pocket-sized shops appear constructed for straightforward shopping. 5 Factors Alley Retailers is a row of mini boutiques like Fairytales Bookstore, an lovable youngsters’s bookshop, and Goodbuy Ladies, the place you may decide up these cowgirl boots (proprietor Tanya Montana Coe has an incredible eye for classic finds and a celeb fan base). Stroll one other assortment of boutique-lets on the Shoppes of Fatherland; try Tenn Gallon Hats for kitschy Nashville-themed items, each new and classic. Different standout retailers within the neighborhood embrace Lemon Laine, a sunny unfold of fresh magnificence merchandise, plus a facial-oil “bar” the place a specialist concocts a customized mix (by appointment); and Vinyl Faucet, the place there’s an precise bar inside a report retailer and album racks have built-in cup holders.
Drinks and Jams
Tips on how to start an evening out in Nashville? With a killer drink in fact. You’re assured one at Attaboy, an East Nashville speakeasy with a pedigree: It’s the one outpost of the esteemed Manhattan bar of the identical identify, which was based by alums of Milk & Honey (the New York institution usually credited with launching the fashionable craft-cocktail motion). Knock on the door of the nondescript brick field and wait to enter an area that appears precisely as a mixology temple ought to (dim lighting, clubby rounded cubicles), the place there’s no menu and bartenders whip up libations to style.
Photograph by Andrew Hutto
Extra within the temper for a rum-laced drink in an over-the-top mug inside a Polynesian-themed bar presided over by a large gold robotic? Chopper Tiki, up the road from Attaboy, is your home. Or head to Germantown to Mom’s Spoil, one other NYC spin-off drawing crowds, the place the cocktails are artistic, the wall artwork offbeat (together with a toilet dedicated to Betty White), and the Outdated Bay waffle fries legendary. Simply south of downtown, Wedgewood-Houston is a fast-growing neighborhood the place warehouses conceal cool little watering holes. An previous welding store appears to be like humble on the skin however homes By no means By no means, an inviting hangout the place you’re equally at dwelling sipping prosecco punch or a Coors Banquet. (Related in your morning hangover: This space additionally has a wonderful espresso scene.)
That is Music Metropolis, in fact, and no journey right here is full with out a dwell present. Nashville occurs to be stuffed with iconic phases that aren’t honky-tonks. One is Exit/In, anchor of town’s “Rock Block,” a strip of eating places and golf equipment close to Vanderbilt College that was an epicenter of Nineteen Seventies counterculture. The black-painted venue marked its fiftieth anniversary final yr whereas going through twin threats: the pandemic and a change in constructing possession. A groundswell of neighborhood assist saved the membership, which has hosted the likes of B.B. King, the Ramones, and Jimmy Buffett (who performed the venue’s first present as a complete unknown). It continues to e book an eclectic lineup, from indie rock to reggae to synthpop.
Photograph courtesy of Nashville Conference & Guests Corp
The music’s additionally sounding a bit of sweeter today on the Basement East, the East Nashville live performance venue that grew to become an emblem of resilience when its cinder-block “I Imagine in Nashville” mural remained standing after the 2020 twister—and virtually no different a part of the constructing did. “The Beast” reopened in March 2021, reestablishing itself as a beloved neighborhood spot to catch native and nationwide acts throughout numerous genres, in addition to tribute reveals for the likes of John Prine and Tina Turner.
For a very throwback expertise, head to Printer’s Alley, a festive two-block strip of downtown that isn’t not touristy however feels prefer it, due to its off-Broadway location and distinct music historical past; blues and jazz reigned right here throughout Prohibition. Established in 1948, Cranium’s Rainbow Room retains the previous alive with dwell jazz nightly and burlesque reveals Friday and Saturday nights—on the unique checkerboard flooring the place Etta James and Elvis Presley carried out. Additionally downtown, however a world away from noisy Broadway, is the Listening Room Cafe, an intimate place to listen to proficient songwriters share tunes and commerce tales, normally in teams of two or three. The format is rather a lot like town’s well-known Bluebird Cafe, solely it’s a lot simpler to attain tickets.
Work It Off
Nashville isn’t referred to as a very outdoorsy vacation spot, however the metropolis is dwelling to some spectacular nature escapes inside a simple drive of the motion. After an indulgent evening out, do because the locals do and head to Radnor Lake State Park, a 1,400-acre nature protect simply 20 minutes south of downtown; blink, and also you’ve traveled from metropolis to suburb to dense forest set on steeply pitched hills surrounding a serene lake. You’ll have loads of firm on the two.7-mile Radnor Lake Path loop, and never simply fellow walkers—hold an eye fixed out for deer, wild turkeys, bald eagles, and possibly a star or two (the park is a favourite hangout of Taylor Swift).
Photograph courtesy of Nashville Conference & Guests Corp
Fifteen minutes west of Radnor Lake, two neighboring greenspaces, Percy Warner Park and Edwin Warner Park, collectively represent 3,200 acres—one of many largest park expanses contained inside a U.S. metropolis. Greater than 60 miles of mountain climbing trails traverse old-growth forest, open pastures, and elements of the historic Natchez Hint path utilized by American Indian tribes for hundreds of years. It’s a sanctuary of wildness within the shadow of town, however there’s cultivated magnificence right here too: Percy Warner borders Cheekwood Property & Gardens, a Nineteen Thirties personal mansion that’s now dwelling to town’s botanical backyard. Reserve your ticket and entry time prematurely, and discover a dozen distinct horticultural havens, together with a Japanese backyard and a 1.5-mile woodland path dotted with whimsical sculptures.
For those who do just one factor within the Warner parks, climb the Allée, a set of picturesque limestone steps inbuilt 1936 underneath the New Deal and restored in 2020. Situated on the entrance of Percy Warner Park on the finish of Belle Meade Boulevard, the steps are a well-liked spot for Rocky-style jogs or leisurely strolls to a beautiful view of the tree-lined avenue under. On a transparent day, you’ll spot the downtown skyline peeking above the treetops on the horizon. Someplace in that city jungle, vacationers are downing low-cost beer and dancing to “Livin’ On a Prayer,” however from this vantage level, you’d by no means know.
The place to Keep
Downtown Nashville is the resort hub, however strive these boutique spots tucked into neighborhoods
Photograph by Jessica Amerson
Vandyke Mattress & Beverage
At this full of life eight-suite resort within the coronary heart of East Nashville’s 5 Factors, rooms are named and styled after drinks—Tequila has a Southwestern vibe, whereas Vodka is all Scandinavian minimalism—and the street-level bar attracts an area crowd.
The Russell
This East Nashville resort is located in a 115-year-old church and preserves lots of its particulars—pews function headboards, as an example. Each the Russell and its sister property, the Gallatin (additionally a church-turned-hotel), donate a portion of their proceeds to native homeless ministries.
Photograph by Alyssa Rosenheck
The Germantown Inn
An 1865 Federal-style dwelling now homes a 10-suite bed-and-breakfast with Frette linens, Turkish towels, and a twinkle-lit courtyard terrace. Playful portraits of American historic figures (James Madison has magenta hair, for one) exemplify the classic-with-a-twist design.
This text seems within the Spring & Summer time 2022 subject of Southbound.
