nashville is known for country music, but there is so much more to this thriving city to explore! i’ve been to nashville twice and would happily go back again! my sister and i went during hte summer of 2015 for a girls roadtrip. then in june of 2017 nick and i went as part of our honeymoon trip.
here is a perfect weekend itinerary for nashville. save this post for later!
getting to nashville
by car
for my first trip to nashville my sister and i drove. it is about a 7 hour drive from kansas city so it took most of a day to get there. this was part of a longer road trip so having a car was great. here are some other things we did on our trip!
by plane
for my second trip nick and i flew into nashville. we were able to find cheap flights and use points to fly for free. there are direct flights from kansas city to nashville so i thought saving the time was worth it. we did rent a car once we were there to make our tennessee road trip!
know before you go
car vs uber
we had a car both times we were in nashville. while we did use an uber to visit music row at night we drove everywhere else. some attractions are a bit spread out so a car can be useful if you’re planning to venture out of downtown (and i highly recommend you do). we didn’t want to have to deal with parking and traffic when we were on music row for the night so an uber was perfect and inexpensive from our air bnb in east nashville.
travel outside nashville
one of the biggest reasons we had a car was to be able to continue our roadtrip through tennessee, kentucky, and north carolina. i love nashville as a city, but i am always up for getting some nature in on every vacation. smoky mountain national park is just a few hours away, as is mammoth cave national park in kentucky.
if you have time i recommend hitting up these destinations as well and a car makes that possible.
where to stay
east nashville
both times i was in nashville we stayed in east nashville. this trendy area of town is about a 15min drive from downtown. it has it’s own charm too including shops and restaurants.
there are a lot of old beautiful houses in this area of town and a lot of air bnb options. we stayed in air bnbs both times and really enjoyed our experiences. we use air bnb regularly and highly recommend it. if you haven’t used it before, use this link to get money off your first stay (and we’ll get something towards our next stay too).
downtown
if you want to be closer to the action there are a lot of hotels downtown. they were out of our price range, but would cut down on costs for transportation including potentially making it so you didn’t have to rent a car.
day 1
corsair distillery
your first stop in tennessee will be for some good tennessee whiskey! we went on a tour of this small distillery. the tours have set times each day and for $12 you get a tour and tasting. the tour guide was a lot of fun and we had a great time tasting. they also have a little bar area where you can get more drinks and cocktails.
we tried cream soda with their spiced whiskey and it was delicious! it’s something we still make at home with spiced rum. you can check out the details for your tour at their website here.
the listening room
before you get to nashville i recommend booking tickets for the listening room. this venue is similar to the famed blue bird cafe. it is a live music venue for up and coming artists and serves food and drinks. i had an easier time getting tickets here and we really enjoyed the show.
i booked us tickets to the early show. we were able to stay at the bar and watch the second show as well so it was a great value!
music row
once you’re done with dinner and the show at the listening cafe, you can walk on down to music row to get a real taste of nashville night life.
i recommend walking into any bar that catches your eye, or ear! have a drink, listen to the music, and move on to the next bar when you’re ready. there is really no way to go wrong when exploring music row.
make sure to take time to people watch and enjoy the atmosphere of the home of country music!
on both of my trips i was shocked at the number of bachelorette parties on music row! we started counting one day and got above 30!
day 2
sky blue cafe
start day 2 in nashville with a hearty breakfast at sky blue cafe in east nashville. if you are sleeping in after a fun night out be prepared for a wait.
this is a tiny little diner like spot with great food and coffee. they have a lot of vegetarian options too which was great for my sister.
ryman auditorium
once you are done with breakfast head to the ryman auditorium. we didn’t do an official tour on either trip to try to save money but we did walk around outside. we also overheard some details of a bike tour who had a stop there as well.
mas tacos por favor
head on back to east nashville for some great tacos at this hole in the wall restaurant. they have great tacos including breakfast tacos and vegetarian options.
they also have elote (awesome corn), great coffee, and aguas frescas. once again it is a very popular spot so get there early or be prepared for a wait. when the weather is nice it is great to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere and great food.
farmers market
during my first stop in nashville it was the peach festival at the farmers market in nashville. this isn’t just your normal farmers market. there are vendors for food and crafts as well as actual restaurants with great food.
nearby is also bicentennial capital mall state park with a memorial and water feature.
it was a fun break from music row and getting to see a little more of nashville off the beaten path.
jenny’s ice cream
if you are in nashville you have to get some ice cream at jenny’s. there are also locations in other cities across the country.
this ice cream place has unique flavors that are locally made and delicious! you can also buy larger quantities to take home! it is definitely a local favorite.
grand ole opry
nick is a huge country music fan, so a stop at the grand ole opry was a must for our time in nashville. we decided to book a show with a tour after and it was perfect.
our show didn’t have any big names from the current music scene, but did have both old and new country artists. it was a lot of fun and our seats were perfect. going on the tour after the show was really nice too.
on the tour we got to walk on the stage, visit dressing rooms, the artist entrance and so much more. nick was thrilled! it is expensive but we really enjoyed it.
day 3
pancake pantry
to start your final day in nashville head to another local breakfast favorite the pancake pantry. once again, this spot gets busy later in the morning, so try to get there early or be prepared to wait.
they have all sorts of pancakes including fruity, sweet, etc. i had one with pecans and it was great! there is also a pancake pantry in gatlinburg tennessee where you can get another fix of their tasty pancakes.
olive and sinclair chocolate
for something off the beaten path i recommend taking a tour of olive and sinclair chocolate company. the tour is only $5 and you get to see and taste all the different stages of the chocolate making process.
they have a lot of unique chocolate flavors and you can buy their chocolate bars here too. to book a tour visit their website here.
music row
since music row is the most popular attraction in nashville i recommend spending more time here before leaving town.
i really enjoyed our time here earlier in the day before the crowds got too crazy. it has a very different feel and different crowd.
again i recommend walking until you see or hear something you like. stop in to listen to their set and then head on to the next. some bars have more of a party vibe, some are more laid back, some are old, and some are new.
on both trips we ended up spending quite a bit of time in tin roof. it has a fun vibe and a lot of different genres of music and the musicians we heard were awesome!
five points pizza
for a quick and tasty meal before leaving nashville head back to east nashville for some pizza and garlic knots.
we enjoyed pizza here on our last night before heading home on both trips. those garlic knots are delicious!
summary
there is a lot to bring visitors to nashville. this itinerary will give you a good taste of the country music scene as well as some of the more popular local activities and restaurants.
read next: a weekend getaway in nashville
what was your favorite spot in nashville?
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