If you want to add some excitement to your vacation, be sure to check out the nightlife in Nashville.
Take in free live music at one of the many Honky Tonks, sip on a craft cocktail at a rooftop bar, or see one of your favorite bands perform a sell-out show.
There’s no wrong way to spend your Nashville nights.
Best Nashville, TN Nightlife
Live music dominates Nashville’s nightlife scene.
Bars, clubs and performance venues across the city boast well-known bands, local favorites and rising stars almost every night of the week.
More family-oriented spots are found in the Music Valley area, where the Grand Ole Opry is located.
More up-beat and livelier, the District features renovated warehouses and old bars, such as popular Wildhorse Saloon and Graham Central Station, which offer top-quality live music and dancing.
Further down 2nd Avenue, Fuel showcases rock music to counter the heavy country-western feel of downtown.
The Elliston Place Rock Block caters to more alternative tastes with six of the loudest nightclubs in the city, including the legendary Exit/In.
Honky-tonks like Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Robert’s are sprinkled throughout the city, and don’t miss the famous Bluebird Café, a quieter place where up-and-coming songwriters (Garth Brooks and Kathy Mattea got their starts here!) try out their work.
Trendy bars and dance clubs like Virago and Bound’ry provide great drinks, attractive crowds and welcome escapes from the work week.
Nashville also prides itself on having alternatives to the live music and dancing scenes like sports bars, coffeehouses, and dinner theaters.
Plan Your Perfect Vacation To Nashville’s Broadway Street
Nothing exemplifies everything Nashville has to offer like Broadway Street.
Broadway Street
Running through the heart of downtown Nashville, Broadway Street is home to some of Nashville’s best music, restaurants, and bars.
To explore this area fully, you’ll want to spend a few days in this increidlbe city. When it comes to lodging in Nashville, there’s nothing that beats our historic bed and breakfast, Belle Air Mansion. Make sure to book a room soon!
Things to do on Broadway Street in Nashville
Originally used as a major connection between businesses and the port of Nashville, today Broadway Street is a hub for art, live music, and entertainment.
Whether you’re a huge country music fan, a sports fan looking to catch a hockey game, or just interested in seeing some beautiful historic architecture, there’s probably something for you to enjoy along Broadway Street.
Jam Out to Some Live Music
If there’s one thing Nashville is known for, it’s music. Broadway Street offers so many options for live music, there’s always something new to listen to.
Take a walk down Honky Tonk Highway, a four-block stretch of Lower Broadway featuring country western-themed shops and restaurants, and you’ll pass numerous honky-tonks with live music playing all day.
Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open, you never know when a music legend might drop in for an impromptu jam session.
Honky Tonks
Gunning for a good time? Then you must make a beeline for Bourbon Street or Printer’s Alley. Both of these world-famous Nashville neighborhoods are chock full of rowdy honky tonks.
For the uninitiated, a honky tonk is a down-home establishment that includes at least one stage, ice-cold drinks, and live music that lasts all day.
Experience an evening of authentic honky tonk excitement when you head to:
- Robert’s Western World – known as the home of traditional country music, locals and tourists alike flock here for cheap beer and snack specials. Grab an icy PBR and fried Bologna sandwich, and settle in for a few hours of banjo, fiddles, and guitar.
- Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar – blues, boogie, and some tasty Cajun eats? Yes, please! Tuck into some Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo while you watch artists perform on the same stage as legends such as James Brown and B.B. King.
- Tootsies Orchid Lounge – three stages with live musical performances plus a rooftop make Tootsies a Broadway go-to. Swing by for a Jack and Coke and don’t forget to snap a photo outside of their famous purple marquee.
- Whiskey Bent Saloon – mounted animal heads and a rustic cabin feel bring some rugged allure to this buzzing saloon, which features line dancing, a wide whiskey selection, and unparalleled service.
- Alley Taps – while not technically a honky tonk, this local Printer’ Alley speakeasy is overflowing with ambiance, live music, and a large selection of local craft beer.
Nashville has a mix of music’s past, present, and future with cuts of country, bluegrass, rock, pop, Americana, gospel, classical, jazz and blues, all blending and overlapping in perfect harmony. With music and entertainment around every corner, friends and family can enjoy the sounds that make this town a Music City.