As I sit down to write this article, I feel the emotion of my visit in 2023 all over again. Nashville, Tennessee is a music-lover’s home, no matter where you’re from. There, you’re among “your people” IF you love music, listening to it, making it, performing it, heck just singing it in the shower. The nickname, “Music City,” is so much more than just a marketing slogan. Music is so ever-present in Nashville, it’s inevitable that you become thoroughly immersed in it and happily surrounded by it. Just about everyone you see, no matter what they’re doing, where they live, what they look like, or where they work, is part of the music scene. This is where musicians go to be among their own, supportive of each other while competing for gigs and record deals. There are so many ways to partake and revel in Nashville, much of it within walking distance, the best I could do for you Real Food Travelers out there is to create a guide to Nashville by the numbers, to help you “score” a memorable trip.

Save this article to Pinterest to help you plan your musical journey to Nashville. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Nashville by the Numbers: Where to immerse in music, food and fun

8 Ways to Take in a Range of Music:

Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum is not a place to rush through. You’ll want to read every panel, watch every video, listen to every song, interact with every hands-on exhibit – all while meandering the vast, sleek space.   

The Country Music Hall of Fame offers hours of interesting facts, memorabilia (including costumes and Elvis’s car), and visual displays to enjoy. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Grand Ole Opry is the one music venue you really have to leave the downtown area to experience. But boy, what an experience. Weekly live shows and award shows happen there and are a magnate for country music stars and legends through time. After having enjoyed a backstage tour and evening of performances, you’ll feel like you are part of the history of this iconic place yourself.
Editor’s Tip: Do a backstage tour to see where the performers’ secret entrance, dressing rooms, and where they stand before stepping out on that stage. It’s fascinating and you never know who you might catch a glimpse of.

Historic RCA Studio B Tour can be added on to a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum and we recommend doing that. Nicknamed “The Home of a Thousand Hits,” the studio produced what’s known as “The Nashville Sound,” helped along by the likes of Elvis Presley who loved to record there and use the studio piano. A passionate guide helps tell the stories, making it easy to feel the energy of Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, the Everly Brothers and many others.

Top row: The Grand Ole Opry where the group Lady A was performing the night we were there. Bottom row: RCA Studio B tour including Elvis’s favorite piano to play there. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

The Listening Room Cafe puts on an amazing two live shows a night and is probably the best place to listen to singer/songwriters performing their original material separately and together. The small, intimate atmosphere enables you to feel a real connection to these performers who also share insight into their lives and their process.

National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) blew me away and was my favorite activity in Nashville (and that’s saying a lot). Opened in 2021, the 56,000-square-foot museum in downtown Nashville makes the connections, and displays the influences, that African American composers and performers have had across country, jazz, pop, hip hop and more than 40 other types of music over the years. The museum does it all in beautiful, interesting and engaging ways.

The National Museum of African American Music in Nashville spans music genres and the people behind them, covering generations. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Ryman Auditorium is just a few steps from the NMAAM, mixing a sleek new building with the historic 1892 building built by Captain Thomas G. Ryman. The venue is known as the “Mother Church of Country Music” and was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974. There are more than 200 shows per year at this revered spot with stained glass windows.
Editor’s Tip: Be sure to watch the clever and creative introductory movie which will help you really appreciate what this place has meant to performers and audiences over the years. 

Ryman Auditorium is beloved by local and visiting musicians and guests. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Third Man Records was started by rocker Jack White in Detroit in 2001 but opened in Nashville in 2009. With a record store, novelties lounge, live venue, and recording label office/distribution center, the place is especially unique because it’s said to be the world’s only live venue that has direct-to-acetate recording capabilities. Hear, and shop for, music from a wide variety of genres.
Editor’s Pick: If you’ve visited Nashville with someone who claims to not be a country music fan, promise them a visit to Third Man Records. Of course, I doubt anyone can leave Nashville without gaining an appreciation for country music!

Artist Jack White’s Third Man Records is part store, recording studio and performance venue. Photo by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

The Honky Tonk Highway is probably the easiest, most accessible place to take in Nashville’s music scene. The area along Broadway, is alive with neon lights (you’ll want to take lots of pictures of them), and music venues that are open every day of the year, as early as mid-morning. Typically, doors and windows are wide open so you can have a listen and a peek before deciding to go in. Styles of music vary.
Editor’s Tip: Purple-hued Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge is where the likes of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings sat, sipped, sang and wrote many of their early songs. And Robert’s Western World is where the locals told us to go for more classic country music and to get “The Recession Special,” a fried bologna sandwich, chips and a PBR for $6. 

The famous Honky Tonk Highway is a must when visiting Nashville, offering many opportunities to enjoy live music for free, from morning to night. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

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8 Things You’ve Got to Eat and Drink in Nashville:

Assembly Food Hall, also downtown and right around the corner from NMAAM, brings together more than 30 eateries, two full-service restaurants, nine bars and three live performance stages.
Editor’s Tip: This is a great place to partake of an outpost of the famous Prince’s Hot Chicken where I got the plump chicken tender basket so I could really taste the popular poultry that’s part of Nashville’s culinary history. Be sure to read the story of how hot chicken came to be.

Biscuit Love in the Gulch neighborhood, started out as a food truck in an Airstream® and grew into a locally-owned family business that regularly has a line out the door…and down the street.
Editor’s Tip: Order The B-Roll, a cinnamon roll made with their signature buttermilk biscuit dough topped with pecan sticky bun sauce, served with cream cheese icing.

Black Rabbit takes you back to old Nashville in the Printer’s Alley neighborhood. The restaurant specializing in wood-fired food and creative cocktails is reminiscent of speakeasies from the early 1900s that were plentiful in that neighborhood at the time. Black Rabbit is housed in a building from the 1890s that was once the law offices of Frank Ragano, lawyer for Jimmy Hoffa, and other mob-types. Note the exposed brink and original hardwood flooring.

Top row: Black Rabbit is located in an historic building with a storied past; Biscuit Love puts their spin on the carb-o-licious favorite including a biscuit-cinnamon roll. Bottom row: Prince’s Hot Chicken is one of many restaurants to have an outpost in the Assembly Food Hall. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Dicey’s Pizza & Tavern has plenty of space inside and out, serving sandwiches and excellent pizzas including classics like Sausage, Build-Your-Own, and Specialty Pizzas like the Cacio e Pepe and Sausage & Giardiniera.
Editor’s Tip: Don’t miss the Peppy Boy, with “cup” pepperoni, hot honey, oregano and Calabrian chili oil.

Humphreys Street coffee drinks or pastries do more than just jump-start your day. The business in the Wedgewood Houston neighborhood is a social enterprise that creates jobs and mentoring to students in South Nashville.

Top row: Humphreys Street cafe has a welcome vibe; Dicey’s Pizza & Tavern (top and bottom rows) serves delicious pizza with a slightly retro vibe. Stop and take a picture in front of the giant Nashville guitar sign across the street from Dicey’s. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Martins’s Bar-B-Que Joint is known for whole-hog bar-b-queing, thanks to the four pits they have at their downtown spot. The casual, popular, pull-up-a-stool-where-you-can restaurant has a fun atmosphere somewhere between a fern-bar, backyard deck and basement hangout. The restaurant has been featured on Food Network, the Travel Channel, in Bon Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler and other places of note.
Editor’s Tip: Pick up Life of Fire, a beautiful book by owner Pat Martin.

There’s plenty to see, eat and drink at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Nashville Craft Distillery leans into the “craft” having been started by a former DNA laboratory director, Bruce Boeko, who put his scientific knowledge to work producing whiskey, gin, sorghum spirits and other craft spirits, which can be enjoyed straight up or in cocktails in the small tasting room.
Editor’s Tip: Take a distiller-led tour to go behind-the-scenes and learn a ton about the technical aspects of fermentation and distillation.

Tennessee Brew Works is an independently-owned and -operated craft brewery and restaurant that focuses on the traditions and culture of Tennessee, having produced the state’s first all-Tennessee grain beers with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
Editor’s Tip: Order the unique combination of a salad and really great fried chicken for something light and delicious that goes great with a flight of beers to sample.

Top row: Nashville Craft Distillery including owner/distiller, Bruce Boeko. Bottom row: Tennessee Brew Works. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

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5 Other Things to Do in Nashville

Visitor Information Center, in the can’t-miss-it glass tower of the Bridgestone Arena at the corner of Broadway and 5th Avenue, should be your first stop. The helpful staff will give you an introduction to Music City and point you in all the right directions.

The Nashville Visitor Information Center is a wealth of information and cool merch to buy. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Carter Vintage Guitars is a guitar-player’s dream. The store is an inviting place to try out a huge variety of guitars and chat with like-minded fans.

If it has strings, you’ll likely find it in Carters Vintage Guitar shop. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Nashville City Tour on Gray Line of Tennessee is a great follow-up to the Visitor Information Center, giving you the lay of the land along with engaging narration. It’s your chance to look out the window all you want, taking in all of the architecture and public art without having to take your eyes off the road if you were driving yourself.

Paddywax Candles, while not related to the music scene, is a fun activity to do during your visit to Nashville. There, you can make your own candle with scent profiles you create. It’s a great take-home memento you’ll associate with your visit every time you light it and enjoy the aroma. In fact, I’m burning mine right now!
Editor’s Tip: If there’s a Paddywax Candles where you live, you can make a refill of your candle to keep the scents going.

Zen out a little by making a candle at Paddywax as a memento of your visit to Nashville. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Frist Art Museum is located in the art-deco former U.S. Post Office building which makes it interesting in itself. But the manageable size and variety of exhibits makes it a great place to stop. Be sure to peruse the gift shop for loads of Nashville-artsy items to take home as gifts.

The Frist Art Museum is a work of art in itself, beyond the exhibits that can be enjoyed by all ages. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

2 Places to Sleep in Nashville:

Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown Convention Center has spacious rooms with a hip loft feel, great views of downtown, a pool with a view of the city and places to enjoy music.
Editor’s Tip: Take advantage of the free breakfast available in Harmony on the 4th floor. This is no typical hotel breakfast. There are made-to-order items, and a wide variety of food and drink plus very friendly service. Hand Cut Chophouse, on the ground level, is a great place for lunch, dinner and live music.

The Embassy Suites by Hilton is a sophisticated, comfortable place to stay in Nashville. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

W Nashville, also in downtown Nashville in The Gulch neighborhood, is a luxury hotel in close proximity to vibrant neighborhoods including Music Row and the Arts District. It’s also a reasonable walk from Biscuit Love and Paddywax, just sayin’.
Editor’s Pick: Grab a bite, drinks and enjoy the rooftop bar and live music.

The W Hotel in Nashville offers some really nice touches throughout rooms and public areas. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Get more information about visiting Nashville, here.

-Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher and Managing Editor, RealFoodTraveler.com

Use our Real Food Travel affiliate links to plan your trip: Hotels.com and Expedia.com. While these links do not, in any way, change your search, reservation or pricing experience, we may receive a small commission on purchases.

Please note: I visited Nashville as part of a tour set up for food- and travel-writing journalists to facilitate being able to write about the destination. The majority of the trip was hosted, as is common practice but does not sway how we inform our readers about the opportunities that await them.