Nashville City Guide: The 15+ Best Things to See and Do

From the original hot chicken to sequined power suits, killer cocktails and the perfect balance of history and hip, Music City is a funkadelic nexus with top-tier restaurants and innovative hotels, an idiosyncratic blend of Southern hospitality and authenticity and surprises around every corner. Find out what new and old sites you need to check out in this buzzy city.

By: Felicia Feaster

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Endless Reasons to Visit Nashville

Though many locals bemoan Nashville's popularity as a girls' trip destination, there's a reason why fun-lovers flock to this cool Southern city. Nashville has earned the nickname Nashvegas for its glittering music scene, friendliness and no-holds-barred love of a good time. But this sophisticated, culturally rich and eccentric metropolis is far more than just a party mecca.

Learn More: Nashville's Top 22 Landmarks

A Shop to Add a Little Rock' n' Roll to Your Life

Any Old Iron is an over-the-top clothing showroom on Music Row whose witty British owner and designer Andrew Clancey dreams up endless uses for leather and sequins to outfit a host of celebrities, from Lady Gaga and Beyonce to Elton John. Make an appointment to get some one-on-one outfit direction from the utterly charming Andrew who can create a custom wedding dress or special occasion outfit that will out-dazzle anything you could find off the rack.

Icons of Cool at Nashville's Bespoke Clothing Showroom

Bowie and Prince are just a few of the icons channeled in the peacocking fashion on offer at the jewel box Nashville shop Any Old Iron where you can score a bedazzled sweatshirt for a song or a custom blazer to slay at your high school reunion. Proprietor and iconoclast Andrew Clancey brings a distinctive sense of fun to both his designs and his shop which boasts a hypodermic needle chandelier and a disco ball wall of undulating reflective tiles. You can make an appointment for some of Andrew's one-on-one fashion guidance. But definitely make a stop at this Nashville temple of cool for the kind of unforgettable Nashville fashion souvenir you won't find anywhere else.

Get Your Hot Chicken in the Town Where It Was Invented

Though hot chicken has expanded from Nashville to become a national — and international — phenomenon with even chains like Kentucky Fried Chicken getting in on the spicy bird action, the Black-owned local institution Prince's Hot Chicken Shack remains the purist's chicken source, recognized by national publications and locals as the real thing. You can find it at downtown's Assembly Food Hall or at its original location on Nolensville Pike where owner André Prince Jeffries carries on the family tradition of serving up this uniquely Nashville delicacy.

The James Beard Foundation has given Prince's Hot Chicken an America's Classic award and in her hot chicken history Hot, Hot Chicken: A Nashville Story, writer Rachel Louise Martin describes how the history of hot chicken is a window into Southern race relations. You can pick up Rachel's book at local bookshop Parnassus and, if you are lucky, have her school you in the pleasures of current Nashville foodways from her perch at Sean Brock's Audrey where she may be the most highly educated server in town.

Nashville Is a Celebrity Locus

Music City was naturally always a destination and home for the music crowd. But the city has become increasingly popular with movie stars and other luminaries looking for a more relaxing vibe beyond Los Angeles with ready access to great food and shopping and plenty of creativity. Nashville native Reese Witherspoon founded her boutique Draper James here and Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Evan Rachel Wood, Oprah Winfrey and Keb' Mo' all have homes in the city.

Imogene + willie Is a Nashville Original for Almost-Custom Jeans

Founded in 2009 by Matt and Carrie Eddmenson in a funky former service station in the 12 South neighborhood, imogene + willie is a denim lover's gold mine. The couple created the concept after working at Carrie's father's denim wash house in Kentucky with the goal of designing the perfect jeans and offering made-in-America manufacturing.

How to Source the Perfect Jeans

The imogene + willie staff is well-versed in the lost art of customer service, working one-on-one to help customers find the perfect pair of jeans to fit their body and preferences, whether their taste runs to slim or wide leg, dark or light wash, low or ultra high-rise. All washes have been developed in-house to replicate the look of vintage jeans.

After working with their staff to pick out the perfect pair, the jeans are hemmed to your specifications on site and come with a one-year warranty.

In addition to blue jeans, the shop offers perfect trucker hats and a line of ultra-soft, funky t-shirts designed by Matt Eddmenson. The imogene + willie collection of loungewear, button-downs and jackets is inspired by vintage military and workwear.

A Classic Hotel With an Eye on the Future

Under the helm of the young, glamorous managing director Dee Patel and owners Robert and Molly Hardie who are far from risk-averse, Nashville's historic Beaux-Arts jewel, the Hermitage Hotel has undergone a style makeover equal parts Wes Anderson and Southern luxe. Fresh details like staff uniforms from Reese Witherspoon's lifestyle brand Draper James, the hotel's canary-yellow and black graphics and its gorgeous ForrestPerkins' redesigned lobby bring a lighter and brighter — and cooler — twist on its previous jewel-toned, clubby and masculine vibe.

Leaning into the hotel's history as a definitive site for organizers, opponents and activists during the passage of the 19th Amendment, the Hermitage has embraced opulence with grace notes of femininity. Craft cocktails in the rooms and an ultra-Gen Z pink-themed in-house coffee shop, the Pink Hermit Cafe, make this downtown landmark elegant with an edgy twist that will appeal to a new generation without alienating the traditional historical hotel crowd.

A Lighter Touch in Hermitage Guest Rooms

The Hermitage Hotel's multiyear restoration has yielded welcome changes for the 112-year-old Nashville institution that was the city's first million-dollar hotel. The 122 guest rooms and suites were redesigned by ForrestPerkins with a clean, fresh palette and thoughtful modern touches that make the rooms feel elegant but never stuffy.

A Hotel Whose Rooms Balance Residential Comfort and Well-Appointed Glamour

Spacious hotel rooms (most average 500 square feet) at the Hermitage Hotel were re-envisioned by interior designer ForrestPerkins for a more comfortable, residential feel. A large table can function as both a work station or a place for in-room dining, and thoughtful touches like a pillow library including a buckwheat pillow (said to be the secret to more restful sleep), ultra-cozy slippers and Molton Brown skincare offer indulgent pampering. An embedded television in the bathroom, separate water closet and Italian marble enhance the luxurious ambiance.

Old World Glam Meets a Hip New Attitude

An utterly memorable Nashville restaurant, global phenom chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's absurdly pretty Drusie & Darr in the Hermitage Hotel is testament to the city's world-class cuisine and unmatched quirkiness. There's no better evidence of the hotel's rebranding for a changed 21st century audience than Drusie & Darr's eclectic, multigenerational and racially diverse mix of diners which one night included a movie set-worthy collection of cocktail-swilling priests, a woman dining in a cowboy hat, buttoned up business travelers and a giggly group of chic thirtysomethings.

Intimate and cozy, the Thomas Juul-Hansen designed space's subtle pink glow and mother-of-pearl chandeliers from French lighting designer Hervé Descottes offer a refined take on the German rathskeller. The food is nothing short of sublime. Memorable craft cocktails and an array of options (artisanal, oven-fired pizza, sushi, pasta, plenty of plant-based options and expensive account proteins), most sourced with Tennessee ingredients, are built to please any hotel diner longing for a deeply satisfying meal with some foodie cred. Don't miss the crispy sushi, warm shrimp salad (an understandable local favorite) and a Parmasean-crusted chicken that will change every notion that chicken is a menu safe choice.

A Southern Approach to Preppy at Draper James

It's all about the dress at Draper James, the brainchild of movie star and Nashville hometown girl Reese Witherspoon who has channeled her blend of sweetness and quirkiness into the clothing at the flagship outpost of her girly fashion empire. Located in the 12 South neighborhood, Draper James is a great source for the perfect heat-beating sundress and some cheeky t-shirts ("What Would Dolly Do?") with a Southern attitude.

Songwriting Commands the Stage at the Listening Room Cafe

A Nashville music venue that spotlights the city's incredible talent, SoBro's (south of Broadway) the Listening Room Cafe offers live music performed by local songwriters. Two shows a night are a chance to take in some rising talent or see the faces behind famous songs. There is a required $15 minimum food/drink order per person whether you choose to eat dinner or just snack on some better-than-average pimento cheese and a solid Old Fashioned. There are shows devoted to single musicians and others featuring women songwriters so check the schedule and reserve a ticket for a great window into Nashville's remarkable talent pool.

Learn More: 15 Under-the-Radar Nashville Music Venues

A Restaurant With a Social Message

Slim & Husky's Pizza Beeria not only makes great artisanal pizza, but these hip hop-inspired and Black-owned restaurants founded by three Nashville entrepreneurs Clinton “Clint” Gray, Derrick Moore and Emanuel Reed (all former roommates at Tennessee State University) aim to revitalize underserved areas like North Nashville and employ area residents all under the concept of P.R.E.A.M. (Pizza Rules Everything Around Me).

Pizza With a Purpose

The Slim and Husky's concept has spread to other cities including Atlanta where the brand offers shoutouts to Black culture like the Big Poppa Pizza and Cee No Green, making this a serendipitous blend of delicious made-to-order pizza and a mission to revitalize underserved neighborhoods you can feel good about.

1 Hotel Nashville

It’s not until you stay in a hotel with such warm, human-scale design that you realize what you've been missing. The 1 Hotel brand is an eco-conscious hotel chain from the Starwood brand that opened in Nashville in summer 2022 and bills itself as offering both luxury and sustainability. Carbon neutrality and LEED building certification are two pillars of the hotel brand's sustainability efforts, but there are plenty of show-outs to less-waste and environmental-awareness throughout 1 Hotel Nashville including its striking green facade which reduces heat and generates oxygen.

The Local- and Eco-Friendly Message Starts at the Front Desk

The front desk of the 1 Hotel Nashville features dried tobacco as a nod to the South's agricultural focus, a living wall and a natural granite desk as part of its mission for biophilic design (there are live plants on every floor and in every room as well as public areas). The 1 Hotel brand focuses on conservation of resources; low or no-waste; water conservation; diversity and inclusion goals in its corporate policies; donating to environmental causes and highlighting locally sourced ingredients in its restaurants. Read on to see how some of those policies play out during a stay at 1 Hotel Nashville.

Neutrals, Warmth and Plenty of Texture Offer a Hotel for the Modern Age

1 Hotel Nashville's lobby features a stylish coffee shop and snack and gift emporium and the kind of cozy, welcoming vibe defined by wood, plants and a living room feel that modern travelers will love.

Bedroom at 1 Hotel Nashville

The 1 Hotel Nashville bills itself as "the city's first mission-driven sustainable luxury hotel." And the brand stays close to the second "luxury" part of that mission by offering plush, on-trend organic cotton linens, natural fibers and reclaimed materials and a neutral color palette that immediately sets a tranquil mood.

But what really makes an impact in this handsome space is the comfort factor evident in both rooms and public spaces. At the 1 Kitchen restaurant and bar, piles of nubby pillows at the high top bar tables lend a cozy feel and woven rugs soften footfalls. A Lobby Farmstand near the elevators offers "imperfect" produce to guests that would otherwise be discarded. And then there are the rooms, which feel Scandi sleek with their wooden benches draped with sheepskin throws, wood rafters, burlap lampshades and a side table crafted from a tree stump. The 1 Hotel Nashville makes you realize how sterile and soulless so many high-end spaces can be.

Organic Chic Hotel Room Design

The 1 Hotel Nashville features small touches that both conserve waste and make travelers aware of ways they can be more attentive to making daily environmentally-friendly changes in their own lives. The shower comes with an hour glass you can use to turn a water-conserving shorter shower time into a fun activity. And it's not punitive: the water doesn't turn off if you don't fit your shower into an allotted time. Other touches like no plastics in objects like key cards and hangers; multi-use soap and lotion containers instead of wasteful, miniature disposable bottles; and metal rather than plastic water bottles are part of the brand's commitment to not using single-use plastics and are evidence of how small changes can yield big results. The redesign of these key elements of everyday life with more organic and natural products also gives 1 Hotel Nashville its eco-chic, unique look.

Visit a Mind-Expanding Museum Dedicated to African American Music

The National Museum of African American Music which opened in 2021 is a must-see in this music-centric town. The only museum of its kind in the country, NMAAM traces the influence Black Americans have had on American music from the slaves who brought sounds and rhythms from Africa to these shores to the enormous impact of hip hop on contemporary life. Immersive and participatory, the museum is welcoming to a variety of ages and with so much to see and experience, it's a good idea to devote 2-3 hours (the museum recommends 90 minutes) to experiencing NMAAM. You can purchase a wristband for $1 that allows you to save music and videos to enjoy later, a great interactive element that expands your experience beyond the museum's walls.

A Walk Through American Music History

From the blues to spirituals, pop music to hip hop, the National Museum of African American Music is an opportunity to see the many ways that Black Americans have shaped American culture and history. The visit begins with a soul-stirring film that offers a valuable introduction to a central message at NMAAM: the evolution of African American music over time and how certain sounds and techniques reoccur throughout its history.

Tour a Historic Nashville Press

Located within the Country Music Hall of Fame the Hatch Show Print was founded in 1879 and provided posters for politicians, businesses, ministers and, most famously, musicians like Elvis, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. Still in business, this world famous letterpress continues to create posters for artists like Tedeschi Trucks Band, Post Malone and Sleater Kinney. Take a tour of the press to find out the various posters Hatch Show Print has created and see some of its historic printing presses. The tour concludes with a visit to the on-site Haley Gallery which hosts exhibitions, features designs by artists working at Hatch Show Print and offers beautiful posters for sale.

A Chef-Driven Seafood Experience

If you are looking for a deep, up-close-and-personal dive into Nashville's white hot culinary scene, you could do no better than the artful tasting menu experience at chef RJ Cooper's Acqua. Billed as a "sea-life avant garde restaurant" every dish arrives at the table looking like a piece of minimalist art.

A Temple of Seafood

The industrial chic restaurant-within-a-restaurant Acqua inside James Beard award-winner RJ Cooper's Saint Stephen restaurant is an opportunity to see how one Nashville celebrity chef approaches seafood and the art of dinner.

Chef RJ Cooper at Seafood Pop-Up Acqua

If some serious face time with an award-winning chef is your idea of foodie heaven, then RJ Cooper is your man and his seafood pop-up Acqua should be your destination. With only a few tables, the experience is extraordinarily intimate with one diner even asking to select the evening's soundtrack (opera) and plenty of opportunities to share ecstatic eyerolls over reconceptualized scallops, roe, tuna belly and sea urchin (depending upon that night's menu) with your fellow diners. RJ's guitar solo riff on the concept of seafood involves the chef crafting dishes in front of you and his expert staff offering insight into each dish which focuses almost entirely on highlighting the variety and complexity of seafood in a 12-course menu.

A New Hotel Brand Coming Soon

Already a hub for great stays, Nashville will see the debut in fall 2022 of the Four Seasons Hotel, a 40-story glass skyscraper featuring 235 rooms and suites and a showstopping rooftop pool, all close to the downtown SoBro action.

Coming Soon: Mimo Restaurant

Nashville's memorable food scene will get even better with the opening in late 2022 of the new Four Seasons Hotel in the SoBro district downtown. The hotel's flagship upscale Italian restaurant Mimo will be helmed by Naples-born and Michelin-starred chef Aniello Turco formerly of Beijing's Mio and Noma in Copenhagen.

A Bookstore Helmed by a Bestselling Author

The brainchild of author Ann Patchett and business partner Karen Hayes, Parnassus Books was their response to the nationwide phenomenon of disappearing independent bookstores. Located in a nondescript strip mall in the Green Hills neighborhood, Parnassus Books is a celebration of all things independent bookshop with employee highlighted recommendations, a hyper knowledgable staff and book-crazed fans from around the world who make special pilgrimages to Nashville just to visit this well-curated shop.

A Star Chef Comes to Town

James Beard award-winning renowned Southern chef Sean Brock has imprinted the food world with his heralded Charleston, South Carolina restaurants McCrady's and Husk and with his dedication to honoring traditional Southern foodways and heritage ingredients. Now the influential chef has moved his dining empire to East Nashville with Audrey, a romantic-meets-rustic homage to his beloved grandmother. “Audrey is the restaurant I want to retire in, I plan to take a minimalistic approach to exploring the future of Southern Food and working towards creating a healthier workspace,” says Sean on his website.

An Immersive Dining Experience at Audrey

Audrey draws inspiration from Sean Brock's Virginia heritage blended with a very contemporary focus on biodynamic and organic foods, employee wellness and a holistic approach to every part of the dining experience. From its shou sugi ban exterior to its walls lined with Sean's folk art collection and local art, the Audrey space is a blend of rustic and funky focused on wood and boho homespun touches like the charming bundles of dried flowers that hang from the ceiling. The food and the aesthetics blend Sean's Appalachian roots (look for Appalachian classics like killed lettuce and greasy beans on the menu) with his love of Japanese culture into one warm, welcoming whole. Head for the upstairs bar where you will be presented with a tray showcasing local fruits. Choose one as the basis of your craft cocktail. Downstairs in the main dining room an open kitchen makes you feel connected to the people making your meal happen. You'll want to try any dish featuring Brock's Jimmy Red corn grits and Gulf-iconoclastic Royal Red shrimp. Other magic tricks abound like a salt-risen bread made without yeast and carrot jam enrobed in cultured butter that might be the most beautiful object you've ever seen outside a Van Cleef & Arples window. An impressive selection of zero-proof cocktails and wines is just one indication of how Audrey is blending old traditions and new approaches to create a unique and memorable experience.

An Inventive Take on Brunch at the Butter Milk Ranch

If breakfast is one of your favorite meals of the day you'll want to seek out the cozy ambiance and next-level most-important-meal-of-the-day menu at this 12 South neighborhood spot. The Breakfast Croissant Cube (pictured here) is indicative of Butter Milk Ranch's brand of playfulness. A 3x3-inch architectural wonder, the Bacon Squared features a toasted croissant with house-cured bacon, steamed Kentucky farm eggs, gruyere and homemade bacon onion jam. The Kale and Grits bowl was a particular favorite, hearty and good-for-you with chef Daniel Scott Gorman's chili crunch loaded with the kind of complex flavors you don't necessarily imagine so early in the day.