Quick Itinerary Guide: Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the state capital of Tennessee, commonly referred to as “Music City.” It has played an important role in the life of numerous country music artists. Regardless of whether you like country music, Nashville is still such a fun and lively place to experience. While we visited Nashville pre-kids, this itinerary guide was created with a family-friendly lens, and anything less than family-friendly will be noted.
Before you dive into the guide, you may want to first read Understanding a Quick Itinerary Guide. This will provide you with details on our trip planning philosophy, why it’s a quick guide, and what resources we use to plan. It also details what we mean by family-friendly, and further explains each of the sections included in a Quick Itinerary Guide.
Our trip details
- Length of stay: 2 days, 2 nights
- Accommodation: Union Station Hotel, Autograph Collection
- Type of trip: couples trip, pre-kids, weekend getaway
- Month visited: May
- How we got in/out: fly in, fly out
- How we got around: walking and rental car
Family-Friendly Itinerary Ideas for Nashville, Tennessee
- Wander downtown – people watch, hear live music, shop for cowboy boots, and more
- Check out street art – seek out some amazing murals
- Centennial Park – city recreation area including a full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon
- Music City Walk of Fame – sidewalk plaques honoring musical artists from a variety of genres, right outside the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum – one of the world’s largest museums in honor of country music
- The State Capitol – Tennessee state governmental building, tours available
- Walk across John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge – connects to Cumberland Park
- Cumberland Park – a newer park with creative play structures great for kids
- Grand Ole Opry – famous country music concert venue
- Spot Elvis – you can find Elvis impersonators all over!
- Lane Motor Museum – a museum with over 500 vehicles, specializing in European cars including a unique display of microcars and concept cars
- Tennessee State Museum – all about the history of Tennessee, free admission
- Adventure Science Center – interactive museum for kids with over 100 science-based hands-on exhibits
- Nashville Zoo at Grassmere – zoo park with several animal encounter experiences available
Food Ideas for Nashville, Tennessee
- Foods/drinks to try: hot fried chicken, meat & 3, fried pickles, catfish, barbeque, banana pudding, biscuits and gravy, cornbread
- The Loveless Cafe – Southern cafe famous for their biscuits
- Prince’s Hot Chicken – Nashville famous hot fried chicken, no-frills
- Hattie B’s Hot Chicken – a casual trendy spot for hot fried chicken
- Jack’s Bar-B-Que – all different BBQ styles on the menu, no-frills, expect to wait in line outside, right downtown (+ 2 other locations)
- The Southern Steak & Oyster – upscale Cajun restaurant
- Monell’s – all-you-can-eat southern comfort food
- Arnold’s Country Kitchen – known for their meat & 3 plates of southern comfort and soul food
- The Stillery – comfort food with local beer and live music
Nightlife Ideas for Nashville, Tennessee
- Wildhorse Saloon – restaurant and bar with the largest dance floor in Nashville offering free line dancing lessons every evening, kids allowed, must be 21+ late at night
- Robert’s Western World – honky tony, dive bar with live traditional country music
- The Patterson House – intimate and cozy cocktail lounge
- Tootsies Orchid Lounge – historic honky-tonk with three different stages
- Tequila Cowboy – large multi-room bar with live music stage, mechanical bull, and more
Top Tips for Nashville, Tennessee
- Don’t worry if you don’t like country music, Nashville is so much fun either way!
- The downtown area is compact enough to walk everywhere.
- Broadway (main street) caters heavily to tourists. So it’s more expensive and gimmicky in some ways. It’s still worth visiting, but make sure you explore beyond here too.
- This area is rowdy at nighttime, so if you’re with kids and want to check it out, bring them earlier in the day.
We enjoyed Nashville more than we expected to and wouldn’t mind heading back there someday. Have you been to Nashville? What other things should we add to our list?
Related Reading
- Quick Itinerary Guide: Austin, Texas
- A Weekend in St. Louis
- A Weekend in Milwaukee
- How to make an awesome family travel bucket list
- How to determine if a destination is baby-friendly
- Must have travel items for all travelers
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