Why Nashville should be on your radar

The country music scene is unrivalled

Credit: Steph Marinkovic

It almost goes without saying that country music fans will have an unforgettable time in Nashville. Most visits start on Honk Tonk Highway, a neon-lit stretch of Lower Broadway that’s every bit the Nashville you imagine – think seas of pink feathered Stetsons, cowboy boots in every hue and live music blaring before you’ve even finished breakfast.

Bands kick off from 10am and belt out country bangers well into the early hours. Song requests are $20 a pop – more if you’re after something particularly corny – but it’s otherwise free to enjoy, meaning you can flit between bars until you find your crowd.

Two for your radar are The Stage and Robert’s Western World, a stubbornly traditional spot from the 1950s that still enjoys a rockabilly twang. While cowboy boots and hats aren’t essential, you won’t regret looking the part.

But they’re not the only tunes

Nashville is Music City, not Country Music City. Artists across all genres hail from the Tennessee capital – Kesha, Paramore, and Kings of Leon, to name a few – so even the yet-to-be-converted will find a sound they love.

There are more than 180 venues across the city and live music on every single day of the year, so it really comes down to your mood. Craving rock? The Basement East hosts both local rising stars and international names. After blues and jazz? Try Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. Fancy a DJ set? Discover Nashville’s Dirty Little Secret tucked away in Printer’s Alley.

There’s also the Ryman Auditorium, a historic concert hall that helped popularise country music throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Catch a show at the intimate, 2,362-seat venue and you’ll realise it’s about more than the tunes.

You can get a lesson in music history

Credit: Steph Marinkovic

Whether you visit for a show or on a tour, the Ryman is also a fantastic starting point for a deep dive into Nashville’s long love affair with country music. For some 30 years, the auditorium was home of the Grand Ole Opry, a live country music radio broadcast that’s forever linked the city with the sound.

A more meaningful history lesson comes by way of the National Museum of African American Music. From gospel to hip hop, it traces the evolution of music to reveal how so many of the beats we love today have their roots in African American culture. The items on display (look out for Ella Fitzgerald’s faux fur coat) are seriously impressive and you can even star in your own Just Dance-style music video.

To round out your Nashville music education, don’t miss the Country Music Hall of Fame. As well as its cavernous rotunda plastered with famous faces, there’s stacks of memorabilia – including Taylor Swift’s original Swarovski rhinestone guitar.

There’s art everywhere you look

The streets of Nashville are like an open-air gallery, with colourful murals splashed on buildings, bridges and even water tanks. It won’t take long to stumble upon the ‘framed’ family portrait-style piece of Legends Corner, which features recognisable faces from Dolly Parton to Keith Urban, just off Broadway.

But keep your eyes peeled, as there are plenty more across the city. Visit The Gulch for a snap beneath the towering ‘What Lifts You’ wings or explore the neighbouring suburbs of 12 South and Wedgewood-Houston for more Music City-themed art.

Further afield, right in the middle of the city’s Centennial Park, is one of the city’s most unexpected sights: a full-scale replica of Greece’s Parthenon. A nod to the city’s first nickname – the ‘Athens of the South’ – the Nashville Parthenon houses a gallery of classical antiquities and a gilded 12.8m (42ft) replica Athena statue that greets you at the entrance.

The food is phenomenal

Credit: Steph Marinkovic

Nashville doesn’t just look and sound good – it tastes good, too. Menus across the city lean into Southern comfort food, with hot chicken, fluffy buttermilk biscuits and slow-cooked collard greens all served in generous portions.

Start with an indulgent brunch at The Buttermilk Ranch in 12 South. Its pastry case is practically a work of art and their biscuit sandwiches border on the divine. It’ll keep you well fuelled until dinner at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, where whole hogs are smoked low and slow each day, and the sides – like tangy slaw and creamy potato salad – are just as addictive.

For dessert to go, pop into the Goo Goo Chocolate Co. These decadent clusters – a mix of nougat, caramel, roasted peanuts and milk chocolate – were born in Nashville back in 1912 and remain a hometown favourite. You can even try your hand at making your own custom cluster in store.

You’ll go wild for its whiskey

Credit: Steph Marinkovic

Think of Tennessee whiskey and chances are you picture a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. But there’s another name that belongs to the story. Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green, a once-enslaved man who taught a young Jack about the art of distilling whiskey, was the real brains behind the flavour.

It took more than 150 years for Green’s role to be recognised. Today, his legacy lives on through Uncle Nearest, a whiskey brand launched in 2017 and led by his great-great-granddaughter, Victoria Eady Butler, who serves as master distiller.

You can visit both distilleries on a day trip from Nashville. The Nearest Green Distillery is about an hour away in Shelbyville and the Jack Daniel Distillery half an hour further in Lynchburg. Between tastings, you’ll learn how Tennessee whiskey is distinct from bourbon – it’s all about the extra charcoal filtering step known as the Lincoln County Process – and likely come away with a bottle (or three).

Best time to visit Nashville

Live music plays year-round in Nashville, so great tunes are always on the cards. That said, the events calendar heats up between May and September. June brings two of the biggest: the four-day Bonnaroo music and arts festival and Nashville Pride. For sport fans, the football, NFL and ice hockey seasons overlap in September and October, giving you plenty of opportunity to catch a game. The cooler weather means it’s also a great time to hit nearby hiking trails. Drizzly days and single-digit temperatures make winter a great time to pick up a bargain getaway. But watch out for storm season, which rolls through in March and April.

How to get to Nashville

Credit: Steph Marinkovic

British Airways operates direct, daily flights from London Heathrow to Nashville. You can also go via Atlanta or New York with Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Norse Atlantic Airways also offers budget one-stop routes from Gatwick, or you can go via Dublin with Aer Lingus.

This trip was provided by Tennessee Vacation.