Music South itinerary — August 2027
For the Music South trip (Nashville & New Orleans), August 2027 is one of the less comfortable months by weather. Across Nashville and New Orleans, daytime highs run from about 32°C / 90°F to 33°C / 91°F. Plan around 6–8 days for the full Nashville & New Orleans loop.
In this order — about 6–8 days:
- Nashville3 nights
- New Orleans3 nights
- Route noteReserve the longest intercity leg first and keep transfer days free of timed sights.
By TripSapien · Updated August 24, 2026
Nashville
Nashville in August
TempTemperature
90°F / 68°F
32.3°C / 20.2°C
RainPrecipitation
10d
3.7in · 95mm
LightDaylight
13.4h
August stays very hot, making the Opry, RCA Studio B, and indoor museums more practical than midday walking.
City overview
Nashville sits on the Cumberland River, where Lower Broadway honky-tonks, Music Row studios, East Nashville restaurants, the Gulch, 12 South, and Germantown turn country-music history into a working entertainment city. The city is also a Tennessee capital, university town, hot-chicken stop, and Opry pilgrimage.
Food & drink
Nashville food starts with hot chicken, especially Prince's, Hattie B's, Bolton's, and slow-burn neighborhood debates, then adds meat-and-three plates, biscuits, barbecue, Goo Goo Clusters, and banana pudding. Nashville Farmers Market, Assembly Food Hall, Germantown restaurants, and East Nashville kitchens give visitors a route beyond Broadway.
Events & festivals
- Aug 12 – Aug 21
Planning lead · projected date · Source: TripSapien festival dataset
- Aug 19
Planning lead · projected date · Source: TripSapien festival dataset
- Aug 28
Annual Music City Brewer's Fest
Planning lead · projected date · Source: TripSapien festival dataset
Top sights
Ranked for August suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Honky Tonk Highway on Lower Broadway
- 2Tennessee State Capitol and Bicentennial Capitol Mall
- 3National Museum of African American Music
- 4Ryman Auditorium
- 5Grand Ole Opry
- 6Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- 7The Parthenon in Centennial Park
- 8Johnny Cash Museum
- 9Frist Art Museum
- 10Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery
1Honky Tonk Highway on Lower Broadway
4.7★ · 7,692outdoorOpen dailyThe 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.
2Tennessee State Capitol and Bicentennial Capitol Mall
4.7★ · 4,224outdoorOpen dailyWilliam 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.
3National Museum of African American Music
4.9★ · 1,993indoorOpen dailyThe 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
Show 7 more sights
- 4Ryman Auditorium
- 5Grand Ole Opry
- 6Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- 7The Parthenon in Centennial Park
- 8Johnny Cash Museum
- 9Frist Art Museum
- 10Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery
Neighborhoods
1Downtown 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.
2Music 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.
3East Nashville
East Nashville feels local and restaurant-heavy, with Five Points, Gallatin Avenue, Shelby Bottoms, vintage shops, cocktail bars, and small music rooms.
4The Gulch
The Gulch is newer and polished, with hotels, rooftop bars, restaurants, murals, boutiques, and quick access to the Frist and Music City Center.
512 South
12 South is walkable and retail-focused, with bungalow streets, coffee shops, boutiques, Sevier Park, hot-chicken stops, and photo-heavy murals.
6Germantown
Germantown is brick and food-led, with historic houses, Nashville Farmers Market, Bicentennial Capitol Mall, restaurants, and First Horizon Park.
Getting around
WeGo Public Transit buses cover downtown, East Nashville, the airport, and major corridors, but most visitor trips rely on walking downtown plus rideshare or car trips to the Opry, Belle Meade, and 12 South. The free WeGo Star commuter rail is limited, so schedule Opry and Franklin trips separately from Broadway walking nights.
New Orleans
New Orleans in August
TempTemperature
91°F / 77°F
32.9°C / 24.8°C
RainPrecipitation
14d
6.9in · 175mm
LightDaylight
13.1h
August is oppressive and wet, so schedule short walks, long lunches, and flexible indoor stops around afternoon downpours.
City overview
New Orleans sits on a bend of the Mississippi River, where the French Quarter, Tremé, Marigny, Bywater, Garden District, and Uptown turn Creole architecture, brass-band music, Catholic parade calendars, and river commerce into one city. The French and Spanish colonial grid, St. Charles Avenue streetcar, above-ground cemeteries, and festival schedule make the visitor map unlike any other U.S. city.
Food & drink
New Orleans food is specific: gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee, po'boys, muffulettas from the Central Grocery orbit, oysters, pralines, and beignets at Cafe du Monde. Use the French Quarter for old Creole dining, Magazine Street for neighborhood restaurants, and the Tremé-Marigny-Bywater corridor for music plus late meals.
Events & festivals
- Aug 1 – Aug 3
Planning lead · projected date · Source: TripSapien festival dataset
- Aug 7 – Aug 8
Satchmo Summer Festival 2027
Annual music festival celebrating the legacy of Louis Armstrong, featuring jazz performances and cultural events at the Old Mint on Esplanade Avenue.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Aug 27 – Aug 31
Southern Decadence 2027
A vibrant annual event celebrating LGBTQ+ culture with parades, parties, and performances throughout the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
Top sights
Ranked for August suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1St. Louis Cathedral
- 2National WWII Museum
- 3New Orleans Museum of Art and City Park
- 4Steamboat Natchez and Mississippi riverfront
- 5Mardi Gras World
- 6Frenchmen Street
- 7St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
- 8French Quarter and Jackson Square
- 9Audubon Park
- 10Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
1St. Louis Cathedral
4.8★ · 5,019indoorOpen dailyThe 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.
2National WWII Museum
4.8★ · 29,728indoorOpen dailyThe 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
3New Orleans Museum of Art and City Park
4.7★ · 5,307indoorClosed MonNOMA 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.
Show 7 more sights
- 4Steamboat Natchez and Mississippi riverfront
- 5Mardi Gras World
- 6Frenchmen Street
- 7St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
- 8French Quarter and Jackson Square
- 9Audubon Park
- 10Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
Neighborhoods
1French 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.
2Marigny 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.
3Tremé
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.
4Garden 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.
5Uptown and Carrollton
Uptown stretches along St. Charles and Magazine, with Tulane, Loyola, Audubon Park, Maple Street bars, old oaks, and po'boy counters.
6Warehouse 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.
Getting around
RTA streetcars and buses cover the French Quarter edge, St. Charles Avenue, Canal Street, Rampart Street, cemeteries, City Park, and parts of Uptown using Le Pass fares. Walking works in the Quarter and Marigny, the St. Charles streetcar works for Garden District days, and rideshare is practical for late-night Bywater or airport trips.
Planning the Music South route?
Add your dates and we'll pace all 2 cities — every place checked for closures, limited hours, and booking needs in August.
Weather by month for the Music South trip
In August, climate averages for Nashville and New Orleans show daytime highs from 32°C / 90°F to 33°C / 91°F, with nights down to about 20°C / 68°F in the coolest of those cities. The rainiest of those cities averages about 14 rainy days. Based on climate averages for Nashville and New Orleans, August is one of the less comfortable months by weather.
The most comfortable months for this route are October, April and November, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall in Nashville and New Orleans. August 2027 is a lower-comfort month.
Common questions about the Music South trip
- When is the best time to do the Music South trip?
- The most comfortable months across Nashville and New Orleans are October, April and November, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall for those cities. August is one of the less comfortable months by weather — see the city climate sections below for the averages in August 2027.
- How many days do you need for the Music South trip?
- A comfortable Music South trip runs about 6–8 days, allowing roughly Nashville 3, New Orleans 3 nights plus travel between stops. Add a day if you want a slower pace or extra day trips.
- What's the route for the Music South trip?
- The classic order is Nashville & New Orleans. The detailed month sections below cover Nashville and New Orleans.
Ready to plan the Music South trip?
Turn this route into a day-by-day plan for August 2027, every stop checked for closures and booking needs on your exact dates.