• Introduction
• Downtown and Nearby
• Hillsboro Village
• East Nashville
• Making it Happen

Downtown and Nearby

Situated between East Nashville and neighborhoods to the west, Downtown is the ideal base for exploring the city. For a slice of Southern history, stay at Union Station (1001 Broadway; from $170/ night; 615/726-1001, unionstationhotelnashville.com), a stunning circa-1900 Romanesque former train station with vaulted Tiffany-style stained-glass ceilings. Now a Wyndham Hotel, Union Station still houses in its lobby the departures and arrivals boards from its days as a major terminal. Hotel Indigo (1719 West End Ave.; from $109/night; 615/329-4200, hotelindigo.com), Nashville’s only true boutique hotel, has 139 sleek rooms with the usual amenities—modern furniture, flat-screen TVs—at reasonable prices. Bonus points go to Phi, the lobby’s intimate wine bar. The lavish Hermitage Hotel (231 6th Ave. N.; from $250/night; 615/244-3121, thehermitagehotel.com) underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation several years ago to restore its 1910 glory. Even if you don’t stay there, you’ll be tempted to stop for afternoon tea near the fireplace in the elegant lobby.

From the Hermitage, it’s an easy walk to some of Nashville’s must-see sites. Start the day with a visit to the first-rate galleries that have recently popped up at The Arcade (244 5th Ave. N.; artatthearcade.com), a fin de siècle–iron and glass passage modeled after the enclosed shopping galleries of Milan and Florence. Check out Twist (73 Arcade; 888/535-5286, twistartgallery.com), which features rotating large-scale installations and frequent concerts, and if you’re around on the first Saturday of the month, join the evening gallery crawl, when hundreds of artists and collectors flood The Arcade (and surrounding Downtown galleries). The area’s art anchor is the Frist Center for the Visual Arts (919 Broadway; 615/244-3340, fristcenter.org; Grand Ole Opry 2802 Opryland Dr.; 800/733-6779, opry.com), housed nearby in a gorgeous Art Deco former post office on Broadway. Showing everything from blockbuster traveling exhibits (Rodin, anyone?) to local students’ work, the Frist is a nexus for all kinds of visual art. Estel Gallery (115 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.; 615/251-8997, estelgallery.com), a sunny space on Rosa L. Parks Boulevard near the Frist, shows paintings on wood by urban folk artist Harry Underwood, once a construction worker and now a breakout art star on the Nashville scene. At lunchtime, try Monell’s (1235 6th Ave N.; dinner is $15; 615/248-4747, monellsdining.ypguides.net) in nearby Germantown for pure Southern comfort food. In an old Victorian mansion, diners share communal tables and indulge in platters of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and buttermilk biscuits, all washed down with sweet tea.

Whether you’re a country fan or not, no trip to Nashville is complete without visiting a few of the genre’s legendary sites. The Country Music Hall of Fame (222 5th Ave. S.; 615/416-2001, countrymusichalloffame.com), located Downtown in a space-age building off Broadway, takes visitors on an interactive tour with lyric sheets, instruments, and memorabilia of superstars from Loretta Lynn to Shania Twain. Just a short walk away, the Ryman Auditorium (116 5th Ave. N.; 615/889-3060, ryman.com) has hosted some of the world’s top performers. Built in 1892, it was the Grand Ole Opry’s sole home from 1943 to 1974, when the much larger Opryland USA complex was built to house the Grand Ole Opry Show. Today, the Ryman’s stellar acoustics and rich history still make it one of Nashville’s favorite spots to hear country music stars and others in concert. Around the corner, Hatch Show Print (316 Broadway; 615/256-2805, hatchshowprint.com), a letterpress print shop that’s been in business since 1879, has handprinted all of the Ryman’s collectible show posters. Now a store and gallery as well, you can buy vintage posters (like a late-1960s Johnny Cash print for $14) as arty souvenirs.

The highlight of what Nashvillians call Lower Broad is the cluster of honky-tonks—fabulously gaudy hole-in-the-wall clubs, open day and night—where wannabe country stars croon old tunes in hopes of being discovered. (Grammy Award–winning singer Gretchen Wilson got her start singing in a bar nearby.) Order a Pabst Blue Ribbon with a shot of Jack Daniel’s, a popular combo, at Robert’s Western World (416 Broadway; 615/244-9552, robertswesternworld.com) and watch the regulars tear up the dance floor. Next door, at Tootsies Orchid Lounge (422 Broadway; tootsies.net), you never know who may be onstage—the list of past performers reads like a who’s who of country music. For one of Nashville’s favorite underground music venues, drive about 5 minutes south on 8th Avenue to The Basement (1604 8th Ave. S.; 615/254-8006, thebasementnashville.com). Though it specializes in up-and-coming indie rockers, it’s an equal-opportunity venue: Metallica recently played a secret show there for 175 committed fans. “The scene on the noncountry front has developed exponentially over the past couple of years,” says Mike Grimes, owner of The Basement and Grimey’s New & Preloved Music (1604 8th Ave. S.; 615/254-4801, grimeys.com), the popular record store next door. “I’ve been blown away by some of the new musicians moving to town.” Grimes is a pro when it comes to discovering talent—his New Faces series helped launch Kings of Leon and Marc Broussard.

Many of Nashville’s best new dining spots are opening up in pocket-size neighborhoods surrounding Downtown and farther west. Watermark (507 12th Ave. S.; entrées from $22; 615/254-2000, watermark-restaurant.com) opened in 2005 in The Gulch—a former warehouse district—to instant raves thanks to its modern design, a patio overlooking the city skyline, and high-end Southern cuisine, like the stone-ground grits soufflé with goat cheese. Just a mile away, Watermark’s new sister restaurant, Miro District (1922 Adelicia St.; entrées from $18; 615/320-1119, mirodistrictnashville.com), serves chic Mediterranean fare with excellent wines to match. Try the braised beef cheeks with golden chanterelles and potato puree. Around the corner, Lime (1904 Broadway; entrées from $14; 615/340-0762, limenashville.com), on Broadway, dishes up South American tapas with excellent mojitos and caipirinhas in a modish setting. Miel (343 53rd Ave. N.; entrées from $19; 615/298-3663, mielrestaurant.com), a tiny French bistro run by the husband and wife team of Jimmy and Seema Phillips, recently opened in a former meat market in the Sylvan Park neighborhood. They pride themselves on using quality local ingredients, and it shows: Their perfectly crisp, herb-roasted chicken (from nearby Ashley Farms) is a study in simplicity. For a decidedly non-fine-dining treat, visit Las Paletas (2907 12th Ave. S.; 615/386-2101) in 12South, where Mexican popsicles in wonderful and wacky flavors like chili pineapple and avocado are freshly made.

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