While we advise to research activities and locations best fit for your specific interests (and of course, see Joe for personal recommendations), we thought it best to keep this list short and simple as the top places and things you should absolutely NOT DO while enjoying your trip to downtown Nashville.

…Drum roll please…

Here are the things you should absolutely, under no circumstances, do while visiting downtown Nashville, TN.

For personal recommendations, custom tours, and more please see our TOURS PAGE here.

Stay on Lower Broadway Only

Our overwhelming number 1 is to not spend all your time on Lower Broadway. Ok ok, we get it.  Depending on your reason to be in Nashville, Lower Broadway is quite the fun time.  Often referred to as the Honkey Tonk Highway or LoBro, this part of town is lively 24/7 and what draws crowds from across the globe. Lower Broadway is a great place to soak in country music, visit mega events (think concerts and conventions), and run into talent on just about every corner of the street. This part of town is focused on a good time and that is exactly what you’ll find. 

However, everything is best in moderation!  Lower Broadway is only a small part of what makes Nashville who she is today. And let’s be honest, after a night or two out on the town, most human bodies can’t physically take another round. Jägerbombs, anyone? 

While there is a deep-seeded love for Lower Broadway shared by most Nashvillians and visitors alike, we encourage you to plan options that open those Honkey Tonkin’ horizons. Here’s a list of suggestions compiled by the staff here at Nashville Experience Tours to get you started: 

• Nashville Experience Tours –  Who would we be without a shameless plug for the best tour guides in the biz?! Offering walking tours, van tours, and our newly launched civil rights tour, a stroll around Nashville is a great way to take a break from the revelry and see the town from a local’s perspective.  History, scoundrels, music, and more, experience the city in style. 
• The Gulch – We like to call it a “nuevo upscale hipster” experience.  Boutique hotels, shopping, and many choices of great restaurants, you can easily spend an entire day in this bustling area just south of Broadway, a few blocks of downtown. 
• East Nashville – The sites here are plain ole “hipster”.  Locals refer to this part of town as “across the river”. East Nash is home to locals, natives, musicians, songwriters, and generally those inclined to the arts.  It’s evolved and is evolving from its gritty blue-collar past to a haven for the artsy and hipster folks.  Locals are fiercely loyal to their neighborhood and neighborhood businesses. This is off the beaten path for visitors, but worth the experience. 
• Midtown / Vanderbilt-   Outstanding restaurants and nightclubs that draw mainly a local crowd, but not exclusively.  This area of town also includes “Music Row,” a multi-block area of historic recording studios and music publishers that partnered with legends from Bob Dylan to Elvis.
• Germantown- Located just North of downtown and near the Farmer’s Market, Nashville Sounds Baseball Stadium, and Tennessee State Museum.  Eclectic food choices galore in this residential area that used to be predominately of German ancestry, hence the name. This is one of the most up and coming areas of Nashville at the time of this article. 

Don’t Stand in Unnecessary Long Lines

We speak for most locals when we say, why wait in such long lines?! The first rule of thumb is: call ahead, check the website, or make reservations.  Famous hot chicken restaurants, ice cream parlors, and breakfast locations are the usual suspects. Most of these places take reservations or can tell you the best time to come.  If you can’t get reservations and you want to try a particular place, check to see if there are multiple locations. Generally, there are. An uber ride to a no wait restaurant is much better than a 2-hour line. Always consider alternatives as well, there are many great businesses that offer the same items that are quality and frequented by locals.  That should tell you something!  For places such as bars or nightclubs, check the times online and go about half an hour before “busy times” are indicated. These places are easy to gauge with current events (such as a concert or sports game) but even so,  line times do not usually surpass more than 15-20 minutes. In Nashville, the later you go- the busy the bar gets! 

“The first rule of thumb is: call ahead, check the website, or make reservations” 

Miss Printers Alley

Just a couple of blocks north of Lower Broadway, sandwiched between the bustling activity of Second and Fifth avenue, is where you’ll find the hidden gem called Printer’s Alley. It’s a wide alleyway with restaurants, bars, music venues, and great people watching whether day or night.  It has a gritty appearance and is often missed as tourists walk on by.  We would say that Printer’s Alley is a staple to Nashville’s as it holds the bridge to Nashville’s once very rowdy and eclectic past. Here you will find daily Burlesque Shows, Live Jazz, and Blues music sprinkled into boutique rooftop bars and chic residential lofts.  Some years ago, this area was known as the “Gentleman’s District” and contained all the vices. A favorite discussion point of our Nashville Tours.  Insider Tip: when you visit Printer’s Alley, do not miss Jane’s Hideaway. This is easily one of the best kept secret rooftop bars in Nashville. You can thank us later. 

Miss out on the Local Nashville

If you have the time, make sure to see Nashville from a local perspective. From museums, to concerts, to nature, there are actually many free options in and around the city such as the Tennessee State Museum and the Nashville “Live on the Green” concert series. 

If sports is your thing, we make a huge deal of our hometown teams and have a BLAST at sporting events like the beloved Predators, Titans, Sounds, and Nashville SC.  Not to mention college athletics with Tennessee State University, Lipscomb University, Belmont University, Vanderbilt University, and Middle Tennessee State University all just down the road.  

You can find locals enjoying the weekend racing at the Nashville Speedway, singing karaoke at the eclectic Santa Claus Bar, eating a hamburger at Gabby’s, or having a hardy “meat and three” lunch at Arnold’s Country Kitchen.  

Some are drawn to watching Night Court in Nashville. Yes, Nashville has a Night Court and the public is welcome as long as you follow the court officer rules.  Or out at Percy Priest Lake jet skiing, sliding down the water park, and enjoying zip line activities.   

The Farmer’s market, block parties, and conventions are also frequented by local residents. Annual events like Tin Pan South (a weeklong event each spring that features songwriters performing their songs at venues all over the city) and Steeplechase is the (main horse racing event each spring) are festive times for Nashvillians and sure to be experiences you’re not soon to forget!