A Culture Lover’s Guide to Nashville

While Nashville may be famous first and foremost for its country music history, the city’s musical heritage doesn’t stop there. Nashville is home to the National Museum of African American Music—the only museum in the US solely dedicated to celebrating the music of African American artists and communities.

Opened in 2021, the museum invites you to explore immersive exhibits that chart the inspiration and impact behind musical genres including gospel, jazz, blues, hip-hop, and R&B.

Insider tip: If you want to dive deeper into Nashville’s Black music scene specifically, visit the Jeffrey Street Sound Museum, which is only open on Saturdays.

If you’re itching to tap into Nashville’s famous live music scene, a stop at The Bluebird Cafe is a must. Bluebird isn’t your typical live music venue; rather, it heralds itself as a listening room, where two shows take place each night, every day of the week.

On the Bluebird’s stage, you’ll see up-and-coming songwriters alongside established country, pop, and rock musicians. Many stars got their start by playing at Bluebird, including Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift. The venue seats 90 people around small tables and is located just outside downtown Nashville.

Insider tip: Book tickets in advance—the Bluebird is popular. Tickets for weekday shows are available a week in advance, while tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday shows are released the previous Monday.

Look beyond the crowded, tourist-heavy venues of Music Row and instead catch some guitar-strumming, fiddling, and other live tunes at the Station Inn. Opened in the 1970s by bluegrass musicians, this listening room in the heart of The Gulch is one of the best venues for live music in Nashville, with shows seven nights a week.

Additionally, the neighborhood itself is known for its craft breweries, trendy restaurants, and concept shops, which makes it a great spot to explore before or after a show.

Insider tip: Come early on a weekend to grab a table at this popular spot—and be aware that door cover charges are cash only.

Biscuits, fried chicken, banana pudding, fried green tomatoes: Nashville serves some finger-lickin’ southern eats. If you’re looking for a spot to try homemade southern food in a homey, historic setting, then head to Monell’s in Germantown.

Join other diners around a family-style table, where you’ll dig into plates of corn bread, mashed potatoes, grits, fried chicken, salads, stews, and much more.

Insider tip: Arrive early on the weekends or with extra time to spare—the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, and this popular spot usually has a line of guests waiting to enter.

If you have time for just one stop to tap into Nashville’s music culture and history, the Country Music Hall of Fame should be it. Located in Downtown Nashville, this massive space provides a fun and comprehensive glimpse into the world of American country music through an array of immersive exhibits, temporary exhibitions, and the Hall of Fame, where you can learn about the genre’s most revered stars.

If you time your visit right, you may also be able to catch a live performance or event—the museum often hosts musician talks, performances, and workshops.

Few names are more associated with Nashville than Johnny Cash, and at the Johnny Cash Museum, music and culture lovers can learn about the musician’s life, legacy, and his rise to fame. Located in Downtown Nashville, the museum showcases a comprehensive collection of memorabilia and artifacts, including records, costumes, personal letters, handwritten lyrics, and guitars.

Many of the collection’s pieces were donated by Cash’s friends and family and therefore offer an intimate glimpse into his life and work. The museum is a popular destination for music lovers, and it features on many city sightseeing tours.

Before Nashville became the capital of American country music, the city was—and still is—central to Southern culture. There are few places where this history is more accessible than at the Belmont Mansion, a grand 19th-century antebellum estate that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This historic landmark is a living record of 19th-century Nashville, featuring manicured lawns, Italianate architecture, and original furnishings. Book your entry ticket in advance for a self-guided tour of the house museum and its grounds.

A far cry from the bright lights and traffic of downtown, East Nashville draws you away from the more commercialized attractions and into Nashville’s local arts and culture scene. Think: street art, galleries, independent restaurants, bookshops, breweries, and wine bars.

Come with time to wander the streets (or cycle through them on an East Nashville e-bike tour), pop in and out of shops, and taste your way through East Nashville’s food scene. Stop by Bolton’s for Nashville’s famed hot chicken or The Treehouse for farm-to-table fare in an actual treehouse.

Insider tip: Join a food tour to taste some of the best bites around East Nashville.

The Frist Art Museum may house art from around the world, but the building itself is also considered an artwork: the art deco landmark is on the National Register of Historic Places. Opened in 2001 in Nashville’s former central post office, the Frist showcases temporary exhibitions that typically change every few months (so it’s well worth a repeat visit, even if you’ve been before).

Don’t miss the Martin ArtQuest (MAQ), an interactive space with drawing, painting, and printmaking stations—it’s especially popular with families visiting with kids.

Insider tip: The museum is a stop on hop-on hop-off trolley tours—a great option if you have limited time and want to fit in plenty of Nashville sights.