Nashville
Live music from morning to midnight in Music City, from honky-tonks to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
Nashville guide: Broadway’s honky-tonks, the Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Parthenon, hot chicken and tips.
Nashville: what to expect
Nicknamed Music City, Nashville is the capital of country music and a city where live music plays almost everywhere. On Lower Broadway, honky-tonks host bands from late morning until after midnight, usually without a cover charge, so you can walk from one bar to the next.
The Ryman Auditorium, a former church known as the Mother Church of Country Music, was the home of the Grand Ole Opry for decades and still hosts concerts and daytime tours. The Opry, the longest-running radio show in the United States, now plays at the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum tells the story of the music with costumes, guitars and Elvis’s gold Cadillac. In Centennial Park, a full-size replica of the Parthenon of Athens houses a 13-meter statue of Athena.
Do not leave without trying hot chicken, the city’s spicy fried chicken, served on white bread with pickles.
Nashville: top things to do
- 1Live bands in the honky-tonks of Lower Broadway
- 2A show at the Ryman Auditorium
- 3An evening at the Grand Ole Opry
- 4The Parthenon in Centennial Park
Nashville: best time to visit
April–June and September–October; summer is hot and busy.
Nashville: insider tips
- Tip the bands; most honky-tonk musicians play for tips.
- Book Opry and Ryman tickets ahead, especially on weekends.
- Stay out of the way of bachelorette party buses and pedal taverns on Broadway.
Fees, passes and parking
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Entrance | Free |
- Federal park passes such as America the Beautiful are not valid here.
- Downtown parking is expensive and hard to find; book a garage in advance with a parking app or leave the car at the hotel.
Gas and fast charging nearby
198 gas stations within 20 km
- 0.8 km Shell
- 1.0 km Exxon open 24 hours
- 1.1 km Exxon Tiger Market Exxon
- 1.5 km Exxon
- 1.7 km Mystik
- 1.8 km Shell
- 1.3 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
- 2.9 km eVgo Fast chargers (NRG Energy)
- 4.5 km EVgo Fast chargers (EVgo)
- 6.3 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
OpenStreetMap data, Oct 28, 2026.
Nashville in photos
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