The best things to do in Nashville right now (2024)

Broadway is the place to be in Nashville, and is now more trendily known as Lower Broad. Simply, it’s an incredibly cool street in the city, lined with honky-tonks and other music venues, buzzing bars and food spots. You can spend a whole afternoon and evening on this stretch, just make sure you don’t miss Robert’s Western World while you’re there.

Explore a bunch of cool Nashville neighborhoods after the sun goes down

2.Madame Tussauds Nashville

Well, you are in Nashville, aren’t you? Hot chicken is an absolute must when you’re in Tennessee, and you won’t get it better than here. If you’re not familiar, hot chicken is spicy fried chicken in buttermilk, squished between two slices of soft white bread and served with a pickle. The original is Prince’s Hot Chicken, but Hattie B’s Hot Chicken is pretty amazing too. We’d advise getting both, obviously.

Chow down on hot chicken and savor more of Nashville during a neighborhood tour

The Ryman Auditorium is the most famous music venue in Nashville, a.k.a. the "mother church of country music." Built as the Union Gospel Tabernacle church in 1892, it once was the home of the Grand Ole Opry. Everyone who is anyone wants to perform on this stage. The acoustics are unparalleled and often result in singers showing off their chops in ways they might not be able to elsewhere. It is a pleasure to watch artists’ reverence for the space. Come early and take the backstage tour.

Nashville is packed with low-key places to hear singer-songwriters play their lyrics, usually acoustically. A listening room is the very core of the Music City experience. Nashville is more about the people who write the songs than the stars who perform them. Open mic and songwriter nights at listening rooms, such asListening Room CaféandBluebird Café, are places to hear the stories behind the songs.

Want to see more?Book a tour of Nashville.

An indoor/outdoor waterpark at theGaylord Opryland Resortwith adult-only bars, big slides, a lazy river, a giant movie screen for watching flicks from the pool, serious cabana action, and more. While Sounbdwaves is designed for hotel guests, there are all sorts of deals for locals (big discounts on rooms and the chance to book day-only parties). While the term staycation is lame, the idea of feeling like you embarked on a vacation without having bought a plane ticket is not. And Soundwaves delivers with a big splash.

Nothing else captures the aesthetic of Nashville like a letterpress-made poster from Hatch Show Print. This shop, connected to theCountry Music Hall of Fame and Museum, has been making posters since 1879. You can take a tour and see the old-school methods or buy a souvenir.

Located in the right field of the actual First Tennessee Park (now known asFirst Horizon Park), The band Box is a seriously hip place to hang out during aNashville Soundsminor league baseball game. You'll find gourmet spins on the classic burgers and dogs, plus options such as a quinoa kale salad and globally inspired snacks such as empanadas and jalapeño corn fritters. This is not your everyday ballpark food. You can even get actual table service.

Since 1925, Grand Ole Opry (broadcast onWSM) has offered a round-up of different performers playing gospel, country, bluegrass, and more in a jokey entertainment extravaganza. This is the quintessential Nashville experience. Expect shows at least twice a week, Fridays and Saturdays, with additional ones on Tuesday nights during most weeks. Throughout most of the year, it is taped at the Opryhouse in Music Valley, where a backstage tour is available (and worthwhile). Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, the Opry returns to its historic home at the Ryman Auditorium.

This is a free party on the first Saturday of the month, where you walk door-to-door-to-door and check out the work of new artists at the city’s top art galleries. The two gallery districts are concentrated in Wedgewood Houston and downtown Fifth Avenue. Each offers a party-like atmosphere (and free wine) to toast the best visual art in a city that values creativity and artistic expression.

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In addition to being a laugh-out-loud good time (really, not just the LOL type), Doyle & Debbie offers insight into the world of country music. The show takes place at the Station Inn, one of the most beloved live music venues by locals.

Nashville is in the heart of Tennessee whiskey country. It would be impolite not to see how the locals get things done on a distillery tour. You can take a pretty drive in the countryside to go toJack Daniel’s Distilleryor stay in the city and check outCorsair Distilleryand Taproom. If you want something completely different, grab a whiskey doughnut at East Nashville’sDonut Distillery.

Bicentennial Capitol Mall is a state park inside the city, underneath the shadow of the state capitol building and near theTennessee State Museum. This is an engaging way to learn about the history of the state without being stuck inside. Locals love to grab lunch at theNashville Farmers' Marketand picnic in the park. Tall trees on the east side replicate the topography of the state. Every hour (on the hour), you can hear the bells toll, playing “Rocky Top” and the “Tennessee Waltz.”

See Nashville at night with an after-hours tour

At restaurants serving the meat-and-three, choose one meat dish (often beef tips or fried chicken) and up to three vegetables. It doesn’t get more Nashville than this. The food is delicious, particularly atArnold’s Country KitchenandSwett’s, with solid takes on comfort food Southern dishes, many of which rotate daily (though the latter actually serves meat and two). Also, this is the only context in the world where macaroni and cheese count as a vegetable.

Two of the city’s downtown hotels have world-class art collections, and they’re open to the public 24/7—for free.Noellefeatures the work of local artists through the lobby and on each floor. The21c Museum Hotelis an actual contemporary art museum, again in a hotel, with exhibits on several topics that change periodically. The 21c also hosts ongoing artist lectures and discussions.

Want to see more museums?Book a tour.

A board game aficionado? Get to Game Point and enjoy a collection of nearly 400 board games that you can play—at no extra charge—inside the Bongo East coffee shop. A trained expert helps you pick out a game you and your friends or family will like. Then they'll teach you how to play, so you don't have to get bogged down reading the rules. Buy a beer, a snack, or dinner from the café to enjoy while you play.

Marathon Village is a 1900s car factory repurposed into a shopping-dining-drinking district. The old Marathon Motor Works details and photos in the building give a quick history lesson, while the new tenants make for a fun afternoon or evening. Don’t missThird Coast Comedy Club,Corsair Distillery and Taproom, or theBang Candy Company. TV’s Mike Wolfe (ofAmerican Pickersfame) has anAntique Archaeologyshop, too. You’ll recognize it by the line out front.