Music South itinerary — August 2026

August stays very hot, making the Opry, RCA Studio B, and indoor museums more practical than midday walking.

Ranked for August suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.

1. 1Honky Tonk Highway on Lower Broadway
2. 2Tennessee State Capitol and Bicentennial Capitol Mall
3. 3National Museum of African American Music
4. 4Ryman Auditorium
5. 5Grand Ole Opry
6. 6Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
7. 7The Parthenon in Centennial Park
8. 8Johnny Cash Museum
9. 9Frist Art Museum
10. 10Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery

• 1

  Honky Tonk Highway on Lower Broadway

  4.7★ · 7,692outdoorOpen daily

  The neon strip between Fifth Avenue and the river packs multi-floor bars, rooftop stages, boot stores, and live bands from late morning into night. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Robert's Western World, and the Stage are the classic names.

• 2

  Tennessee State Capitol and Bicentennial Capitol Mall

  4.7★ · 4,224outdoorOpen daily

  William Strickland designed the Greek Revival capitol, completed in 1859 on a hill above downtown. The mall below adds a 200-foot granite map, World War II memorial, carillon, and farmers market access.

• 3

  National Museum of African American Music

  4.9★ · 1,993indoorOpen daily

  The museum opened in 2021 at Fifth and Broadway and covers gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and soul through interactive exhibits. It is across Broadway from the Ryman and Bridgestone Arena.

  Wikipedia

• 1

  Downtown and Lower Broadway

  Downtown is loud and performance-driven, with Honky Tonk Highway, Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, Fifth and Broadway, Printer's Alley, and riverfront walks.

• 2

  Music Row and Midtown

  Music Row and Midtown mix recording offices, RCA Studio B, Vanderbilt edges, Demonbreun bars, Division Street restaurants, and hotels west of downtown.

• 3

  East Nashville

  East Nashville feels local and restaurant-heavy, with Five Points, Gallatin Avenue, Shelby Bottoms, vintage shops, cocktail bars, and small music rooms.

• 4

  The Gulch

  The Gulch is newer and polished, with hotels, rooftop bars, restaurants, murals, boutiques, and quick access to the Frist and Music City Center.

• 5

  12 South

  12 South is walkable and retail-focused, with bungalow streets, coffee shops, boutiques, Sevier Park, hot-chicken stops, and photo-heavy murals.

• 6

  Germantown

  Germantown is brick and food-led, with historic houses, Nashville Farmers Market, Bicentennial Capitol Mall, restaurants, and First Horizon Park.

August is oppressive and wet, so schedule short walks, long lunches, and flexible indoor stops around afternoon downpours.

Ranked for August suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.

1. 1St. Louis Cathedral
2. 2National WWII Museum
3. 3New Orleans Museum of Art and City Park
4. 4Steamboat Natchez and Mississippi riverfront
5. 5Mardi Gras World
6. 6Frenchmen Street
7. 7St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
8. 8French Quarter and Jackson Square
9. 9Audubon Park
10. 10Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

• 1

  St. Louis Cathedral

  4.8★ · 5,019indoorOpen daily

  The cathedral on Jackson Square traces its parish to 1720, with the present triple-spired building completed in the 1850s after earlier fires and rebuilds. It anchors Chartres Street beside the Cabildo and Presbytere.

• 2

  National WWII Museum

  4.8★ · 29,728indoorOpen daily

  The museum opened in 2000 in the Warehouse District and grew from the Higgins Boats built in New Orleans for Allied landings. Exhibits cover the European and Pacific theaters, aircraft, oral histories, and the U.S. Freedom Pavilion.

  Wikipedia
• 3

  New Orleans Museum of Art and City Park

  4.7★ · 5,307indoorClosed Mon

  NOMA opened in City Park in 1911 and holds French, American, African, Japanese, and decorative arts collections. The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden sits beside bayous and live oaks in the same park.

• 1

  French Quarter (Vieux Carré)

  The Quarter is dense and old, with Jackson Square, Royal Street galleries, Bourbon Street bars, hidden courtyards, Creole townhouses, and the riverfront within a tight grid.

• 2

  Marigny and Bywater

  Marigny and Bywater are downriver and music-heavy, with Frenchmen Street clubs, Crescent Park, colorful cottages, St. Claude Avenue venues, and neighborhood restaurants.

• 3

  Tremé

  Tremé is tied to Black New Orleans culture, with Congo Square, Backstreet Cultural Museum, brass-band history, Creole cottages, and second-line routes near North Rampart Street.

• 4

  Garden District and Lower Garden District

  The Garden District is mansion-lined and leafy, with St. Charles Avenue, Magazine Street shops, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, Commander's Palace, and streetcar stops.

• 5

  Uptown and Carrollton

  Uptown stretches along St. Charles and Magazine, with Tulane, Loyola, Audubon Park, Maple Street bars, old oaks, and po'boy counters.

• 6

  Warehouse District and CBD

  The Warehouse District and CBD feel more modern, with the National WWII Museum, Ogden Museum, Julia Street galleries, hotels, Superdome access, and convention crowds.