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A local's guide to Nashville
Nashville is a town where you hear a guitar before you hear anything else. Walk down Broadway on a Tuesday afternoon and every open door spills out a different band, usually before the tourists even show up for the weekend. But the real city lives outside the honky-tonks, in neighborhoods like 12South and East Nashville where people actually grocery shop and walk their dogs between gigs.
What people from here know is that Nashville runs on two speeds: the Music Row hustle and the Sunday-slow meat-and-three lunch. You learn the difference between a tourist bar and a place locals actually drink at pretty fast, and you learn to love hot chicken at a level that can bring you to tears, literally. And even on a bad traffic day you're never far from a trail, with the Warner Parks and Radnor Lake a short drive from downtown.
We wear our music history on our sleeves here, and now on our t-shirts too.
Things to do in Nashville
Historic RCA Studio B ↗The Music Row recording studio where Elvis and countless others cut records, toured through the Country Music Hall of Fame. Nashville Zoo at Grassmere ↗A family favorite off Nolensville Pike with daily keeper chats and a newer South American exhibit featuring capybaras and giant anteaters. Nashville Murals ↗Local and international artists have covered restaurant walls, garage doors and old silos with murals across the city, a favorite free photo stop. Get outside
Warner Parks ↗Percy and Edwin Warner Parks together cover more than 3,100 acres of forest and field, about 9 miles from downtown. Beaman Park ↗Three trails totaling 14.6 miles make this one of the bigger hiking spots in the Metro Parks system. Shelby Bottoms ↗Five miles of paved, accessible multiuse paths plus several hiking trails along the river. Centennial Park ↗A stunning park right in the heart of the city, home to the famous Parthenon replica. Cumberland River paddling ↗Kayak down the Cumberland with outfitters like River Queen Voyages for skyline views you can't get anywhere else. Greenways Network ↗Over 99 miles of paved, off-street multi-use trails connecting parks and neighborhoods across Davidson County. Nashville neighborhoods
East NashvilleNot really one neighborhood but a whole region across the Cumberland, with probably the city's best collection of local restaurants and bars.
12 SouthArts and crafts homes on some of Nashville's prettiest streets, centered on the busy 12th Avenue shopping and restaurant strip.
The GulchA former rail yard turned walkable district between Broadway and Division Street, known for rooftop bars and murals, and the first Southern neighborhood to earn LEED certification.
GermantownNashville's oldest historic district, with restored Victorian homes and brick sidewalks five minutes from downtown.
Wedgewood-HoustonOnce industrial, now Nashville's evolving arts district with galleries and destination restaurants just south of downtown.
Hillsboro VillageA walkable village between Vanderbilt and Belmont with independent boutiques and Nashville institutions like Belcourt Theatre and Pancake Pantry.
Events through the year
Tin Pan South ↗MarchThe world's largest songwriter festival, a must for anyone who loves how these songs actually get written. CMA Fest ↗JuneA four-day country music festival held downtown at Nissan Stadium and multiple stages, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans and more than 400 artists. Music City Hot Chicken Festival ↗July 4A free Independence Day festival at East Park celebrating Nashville's signature dish, with a fire truck parade and live music. Tomato Art Fest ↗AugustA free, costume-friendly two-day festival in East Nashville's Five Points, running annually since 2003. Nashville Film Festival ↗SeptemberOne of the oldest film festivals in the U.S., established in 1969, held each September at venues around town. Cheekwood Harvest ↗September to NovemberFall colors, 75,000 locally grown pumpkins, and 5,000 mums fill Cheekwood Estate & Gardens each autumn. Where locals eat
Robert's Western World ↗The trusted spot on Broadway for live music and a fried bologna sandwich served with chips, a MoonPie and a PBR. Arnold's Country Kitchen ↗Cafeteria-style meat and three on 8th Avenue South, opened by Jack and Rose Arnold in 1982 and still run by their family. Brown's Diner ↗Family-run since 1927, a no-frills spot known for burgers and hush puppies. Prince's Hot Chicken ↗The origin story of Nashville hot chicken, still run by the family that created it, spiced from mild to ultrahot. International Market ↗A Thai market and restaurant opened in 1974 by Patti Myint, now run by her children, famous for Patti's house salad. Wendell Smith's ↗A West Nashville diner opened in 1952, still run by the same family at the same spot 70 years later. A little Nashville history
Nashville started as Fort Nashborough, built in 1779 by pioneers from North Carolina led by James Robertson and John Donelson, on the banks of the Cumberland River near a spot called French Lick. It was chartered by the North Carolina legislature in 1784 and named for General Francis Nash, a Revolutionary War hero. The city became Tennessee's state capital in 1843.
During the Civil War, Nashville was seized by Federal troops in 1862, becoming the first Confederate state capital taken by the Union, and it served as a major Union base through the war. General John Bell Hood's Confederate army was decisively defeated at the Battle of Nashville in 1864.
In 1963, the city of Nashville and Davidson County consolidated into a single metro government, a structure that still runs things today. Over the generations Nashville picked up a string of nicknames along the way, from Athens of the South to Music City, each one tied to a different chapter of the city's growth.
Nashville FAQ
Why is Nashville called Music City?
It's home to the Grand Ole Opry, Music Row's recording studios, and free live music happening somewhere in town 365 days a year, which is how the nickname stuck.
Is Nashville also called the Athens of the South?
Yes, that nickname comes from the nearly 20 colleges and universities in the metro area, plus the full-scale Parthenon replica standing in Centennial Park.
What's Nashville's area code?
615, which shows up everywhere from event names to T-shirts around town.
What's the best way to see Nashville's neighborhoods beyond downtown?
Head to East Nashville for restaurants and bars, 12South for shopping and walking streets, or Germantown for the city's oldest historic district.
Can I do Nashville on a budget?
Plenty of the city is free, including the Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee State Capitol tours, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, and the honky-tonks on Broadway that rarely charge a cover.
What food should I try while I'm here?
Start with hot chicken at a spot like Prince's, then try a meat and three at a place like Arnold's, and grab a fried bologna sandwich at Robert's Western World on Broadway.
Sources: visitmusiccity.com · nmaam.org · nashvillezoo.org · nashville.gov · nashvillego.com · afar.com · thenashville.org · en.wikipedia.org · filetransfer.nashville.gov · nashville.eater.com · theinfatuation.com · saveur.com · alittlelocalflavor.com · tnstate.edu
