What are the top things to do in Nashville?

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry, Honky Tonk Highway on Lower Broadway, and more. Paste your own list into Tripsapien and it checks each place's hours, closures, and booking pressure for your exact dates.

Which neighborhoods should I explore in Nashville?

Downtown and Lower Broadway, Music Row and Midtown, East Nashville, The Gulch. Tripsapien groups your places by neighborhood so each day stays in one or two areas instead of zig-zagging.

When is the best time to visit Nashville?

October, April, May balance comfortable temperatures with fewer rainy days. Pick your month below to see that month's events, public holidays, and seasonal timing.

Will the places on my list be open when I'm in Nashville?

Tripsapien checks each place against the exact dates you're in Nashville and flags closures, limited hours, and sell-outs before the trip.

Nashville pano Opry Broadway in Nashville, United States

Nashville Tennessee

Things to do in Nashville

By Tripsapien Research / Updated May 20, 2026

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.

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About Nashville

City overview

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.

Top sights

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

Map of Nashville with pinned top attractions (1 through 10)

1
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
4.6★ · 19,802
The downtown museum opened in its current 2001 building and traces country music through instruments, stage costumes, recordings, cars, posters, and the Rotunda. It sits beside Bridgestone Arena and Walk of Fame Park.
Wikipedia
2
Ryman Auditorium
4.8★ · 20,991
The former Union Gospel Tabernacle opened in 1892 and hosted the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. The brick auditorium stands just off Broadway, a few blocks from the Cumberland River.
Wikipedia
Backstage tours and evening concerts use separate tickets.
3
Grand Ole Opry
4.8★ · 32,662
The live radio show moved to the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974, east of downtown near the Gaylord Opryland complex. Multi-artist bills keep the format closer to a broadcast than a standard concert.
Wikipedia
Check the lineup before buying because Opry shows rotate performers nightly.

Show 7 more sights

4Honky Tonk Highway on Lower Broadway
5The Parthenon in Centennial Park
6National Museum of African American Music
7Johnny Cash Museum
8Tennessee State Capitol and Bicentennial Capitol Mall
9Frist Art Museum
10Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery

Neighborhoods

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.

Day trips

35km / 35-45min by car from downtown Nashville
Franklin
Franklin has a preserved Main Street, Civil War sites at Carnton and Carter House, shops, restaurants, and music venues south of Nashville.
145km / 1.5-2h by car from downtown Nashville
Mammoth Cave National Park
The Kentucky park protects the world's longest known cave system, with ranger-led tours that need advance reservations in busy seasons.
120km / 1.5h by car from downtown Nashville
Lynchburg and Jack Daniel Distillery
The small-town trip centers on the Jack Daniel Distillery tour, Moore County courthouse square, and Tennessee whiskey history.

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.