24 Hours In Downtown Nashville

If you want to explore outside of downtown, we really enjoyed the Gulch. It’s between downtown and Music Row and is a up-and-coming area filled with lots of great restaurants and shops.

Check out our how to spend 24 hours in The Gulch post to plan your trip.

24 Hours In Downtown Nashville

As with all of our 24 Hours In … posts, we take you through a full 24 hours in that area. Of course, you can slow travel and break the itinerary into a couple days, but this will take you through a jam packed day.

Morning

Breakfast

We’re starting you off with food because if you’re going to drink for most of the day, you want a solid foundation.

The most famous breakfast restaurant in Nashville is Pancake Pantry (220 Molloy St). It has been a Nashville staple since 1961, famous for its (you guessed it) pancakes. Even if you don’t like pancakes, you’ll like them here.

You know who does really likes the pancakes? Taylor Swift. She isn’t why Pancake Pantry is popular, but it helps.

The line to get in wraps around the building, so be prepared to wait. But, there’s a huge mural on the side of the wall that you can take photos by when you get there.

Also, keep in mind that basically everyone on line is on vacation. So everyone is happy and in a good mood and standing on that line is actually pretty enjoyable.

Not as enjoyable as the pancakes, but I actually really enjoyed the line.

After breakfast, if the pancakes weren’t sweet enough for you, go get your sweet tooth on at Goo Goo Chocolate Co. (116 3rd Ave S).

You have to pass it on your walk from Pancake Pantry to Broadway anyway, so you should stop in.

Goo Goo Clusters, which were created in 1912, were America’s first combination candy bar. It combined marshmallow, nouget, and peanuts with chocolate. And you can still buy it today.

Personally, I like the peanut butter version the best, so I suggest that one.

You can make your own chocolate cluster when you visit, too. I didn’t do that because it’s hot in Nashville and I didn’t want my hard earned work (and money) to melt while we were exploring.

But, it would definitely be fun. Then, snack on it while you’re walking to your next stop.

Late morning

If you wanted to, you could start barhopping already. We noticed most of the bars had live music starting at 10 am.

But, if you’re like my dad and won’t drink until it’s officially the afternoon, there are a few ways that you can pass some time.

The first is Hatch Show Print (224 Rep. John Lewis Way S).

You can take a tour of the printing area, which is very cool. You learn the history of the shop, which creates the letterpress posters that are so iconic, and you actually get to run one of the colors to finish your own souvenir poster.

Hatch Show Print has moved a couple times and it’s now located within the Country Music Hall of Fame. If you love country music, you’re gonna wanna stop inside that museum.

It’s filled with history, memorabilia, the Taylor Swift Education Center, and more.

You can buy a combo ticket for the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Hatch Show Print tour. You don’t have to do them back to back, but if you’re only planning on being in the area for 24 hours, you might want to.

Although, if you are only planning on being in the area for 24 hours, I suggest you do the Country Music Hall of Fame tour.

You can see the employees of Hatch Show Print through a large glass window in the hallway and walk through its gift shop to see posters and postcards made there.

Then, just go online and learn about the shop’s history.

Are you gonna miss a lot that way? Sure. But if you’re on a time crunch, this is the best advice I have.

Outside of the Country Music Hall of Fame is the Walk of Fame Park.

It’s a small town park. Around the park itself are square plaques with names of country music artists on them.

We walked around to admire big names like Dolly Parton and Rascal Flatts. It was pretty fun.

But what was more fun was we happened to stumble upon Artville, Nashville’s annual art festival.

We got to see a ton of art on display at the park, there were vendor tents, and a stage for bands. It was a nice way to enjoy sometime outside.

If you’re visiting Nashville in the fall, definitely stop by.

If you do stop at the park, look up. You have a great view of the AT&T building — also known as the Batman (or Catman) building. It has two antennas up the top that make it look like the caped crusader. And also like a cat.

It’s the most famous building in the Nashville skyline, but if you’re not looking for it, you’ll miss it.

Okay. One more stop before we get barhopping.

At the very end of Broadway is Fort Nashborough (170 1st Ave N).

It was the first settlement in Tennessee and established it as a state. About 20 log cabins were built in the area to keep the pioneers warm — and safe from Indians.

That settlement was named for American Revolution General Nash, but was strictly residential, not militant.

The area is pretty small, and it’s the second replica of the original fort (the first replica was destroyed in the Nashville floods in 2010). So you’re not seeing the original (or the original replica), and you can see it in just a couple minutes, but you should see it.

I’m a big fan of incorporating local history into my trips. Sometimes, a bar is a bar and a restaurant is a restaurant and they’re very similar no matter where you are.

But something like a fort, which is where history happened, you can only get that where you are so you should take advantage.

We rode bikes when we were in Nashville, and this is one of the places that we stopped.

If you’re pressed for time, do you really need to go out of your way for the fort? No. But if you do have an extra couple minutes and are starting Broadway all the way at the very end anyway, stop by.

Afternoon

Lunch

I’m a big fan of eating three meals a day. If you are too, walk over to Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint (410 4th Avenue South) to grab a light lunch.

As light as barbecue can be, anyway.

I got a smash burger topped with brisket and I can still taste the perfect crispy edges of the burger.

Martin’s entrance floor looks like any generic restaurant, but upstairs is so cool. There’s a huge stage for bands (of course, I mean … it is Nashville), but there are also so many plants, it’s like you’re sitting in a greenhouse. It’s very cool.

And that smash burger? I still think about it months later.

Late Afternoon

Now it’s time to or your way up Broadway.

There are more bars and bands than you even imagined.

It’s the blocks and blocks of music and neon signs, cowboy boots and tourists, bachelor and bachelorette parties. It’s so much fun and so much visual and audio stimulation.

Each bar has his own personality, so where you’ll stop really depends on your vibe.

There are so many celebrity bars if you want to stick to those. Posty’s (305 Broadway), which is owned by Post Malone and was brand new (I mean, it was only soft opened) when we were in town is the current hotspot.

Blake Shelton, Kid Rock, Bon Jovi, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, and more all have bars with their names on them.

You can go to one or all.

If you like line dancing, you’ll want to go to Luke Combs’ bar Category 10 (120 2nd Ave N). That has free line dancing lessons throughout the day then full line dancing in the evening.

That’s right next door to DraftKings.

If you’re in Nashville on game day, that’s a great place to watch sports. We watched the Giants game when we were in town and had so much fun with the other football fans.

If you’re looking for older Nashville, with old country music and no celebrity’s name on the marquee, you want to go to Robert’s Western World (416 Broadway # B). It has been a Broadway staple for over 30 years.

It was a guitar store, then a bar and western wear shop, and now it’s home of the recession special, the best deal on Broadway.

For $6, you can get a fried bologna sandwich, a bag of chips, a Moon Pie, and a PBR. There are hardly any bars on Broadway where you can get a beer for less than $6 let alone a full meal and a beer.

It’s very close to Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge (422 Broadway Nashville), which just celebrated 65th anniversary and is the oldest continually operating bar on Broadway.

So if you’re looking for history, stop in there. Just look down Broadway for the purple building. It’s impossible to miss.

We went, of course, and I was so shocked by the first floor. There was a band as soon as you walked in — but the stage was the size of my kitchen table. Maybe not that small but it was the smallest stage Pete and I had ever seen in our life — and somehow there was a three-piece band on there.

If you want to take a break from drinking, stop into the National Museum of African American Music (510 Broadway).

It’s located at Fifth + Broadway, an upscale, outdoor shopping area, which also houses Assembly Food Hall.

The museum, which was opened on Martin Luther King Day in 2021, is one of the most interactive museums I’ve ever been to.

You start by watching a movie that details the history of the genre and educates viewers about how African music came to the United States and became the different styles it is now.

The museum is split into sections and each one has an interactive portion. My favorite is the “Wade In The Water” exhibit, where you get to sing with a gospel choir. You wear a robe in front of a green screen and at the end, you’re superimposed into the footage with the choir. That was so much fun.

In the “In The Message” exhibit, there’s a studio where you can have a rap battle, practice your rap skills, or create your own rhymes. That was pretty cool too.

The museum is free on the first Wednesday of every month, so if you happen to be in town that day definitely go.

But even if you’re not, admission is pretty much the same as two drinks plus tip on Broadway so it’s worth it.

If that’s not for you, look into a tour at the Ryman Auditorium (116 Rep. John Lewis Way N) instead.

The Ryman is filled with so much history because, for a while, it was the home of the Grand Ole Opry (until the Opry moved in 1974).

There are still concerts at the Ryman, like Amy Grant & Vince Gill who have an annual Christmas residency and Old Crow Medicine Show who play annually on New Year’s Eve. If you’re in Nashville at Christmastime, definitely try to get tickets to one of those shows.

And, if you’re not there then but you want to see inside, take a tour.

Dinner

When you’re done with the museum, you’re still by Assembly Food Hall (5055 Broadway), which is exactly where you want to be to get some food.

When you’re in Nashville, you have to have Nashville hot chicken. The originator is Prince’s Hot Chicken.

There are a couple Prince’s locations throughout Nashville, but the easiest in your 24 hours is going to be the one at Assembly Food Hall.

Downstairs, but still within Fifth + Broadway, is Hattie B’s Fried Chicken. Hattie B’s is my favorite chicken sandwich I’ve ever had. Hands down.

We were told to always order one step down from our regular hot chicken order so we don’t blow our mouth’s out. I ordered medium at Hattie B’s and it was just a little spicy. The coleslaw and bun really helped to mellow it out. So I actually would have probably enjoyed one step up.

Either way, though, the chicken was so flavorful and juicy. I want to fly back to Nashville just to have it again.

Late night

We rented BCycle bikes for the majority of our trip and ended up parking them for the night at the station right outside Bridgestone Arena. So, our nightcap was always at Teddy‘s Tavern (104 Rep. John Lewis Way S.), which is right across the street.

The bar is new, but it’s in one of the oldest buildings on Broadway, so it feels old and rugged.

It’s part of the Fat Bottom Brewing family, which brews a few other local beverages: Music City Beer also Bravazzi Hard Italian Soda. So, if you want to end your time on Broadway with something very local, stop there.

Now, this is our very personal experience, but we left Broadway and many nights ended up at Yee-Haw Brewing (423 6th Ave S). It’s three blocks off of Broadway, but it’s still downtown so it counts.

Yee-Haw Brewing was the first place that we went in Nashville, as soon as we landed, so it felt like our home. But the space is so cool even if you don’t have that emotional tie to it.

It’s part of the 6th and Peabody complex, which is also home to Ole Smoky Moonshine and White Duck Tacos.

There’s a huge outdoor space with a large stage, a huge indoor building with another stage, a room with free video games, and another giant TV that was so bright, I think I saw it from the airplane.

So no matter who is in your group, there’s something for them to love at Yee-Haw.

The first night we were there, we saw the Pallay Boys on the outside stage and Pete got invited to a cornhole game within the first five minutes of us being in Nashville. It just set the mood for a really fun night.

Another night, we were there just after the Tennessee Volunteers beat the Mississippi Stat Bulldogs in overtime.

The entire interior (and everyone inside) was covered in orange. Everyone was in a great mood and that was a fun night.

The last time we were there, the band playing the indoor stage ended up being my favorite all trip because they played a lot of pop punk music.

So we went three times, and every time was a very different experience.

If you like moonshine, you can pay $10 for a moonshine tasting at Ole Smokey, which is seven tastings plus a 9 ounce pour of beer.

Our hotel actually gave out coupons to do it for free so Pete did it. But if you pay $10, you also get a $10 voucher to use in the store.

Bedtime

Speaking of our hotel, it’s time for bed.

We stayed at the Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown (301 3rd Ave S), two corners away from Yee-Haw, and it was a great hotel.

Our room had a full fridge (where we kept our leftovers and some cans of Music City Beer, which we bought at Teddy’s Tavern), a living area with a television, and a bedroom with another TV.

There’s a fitness center that Pete used every day and free continental breakfast (which you know I always look for).

It was the most affordable hotel I found downtown and it was a lot cheaper than the more popular hotels that were recommended to me.

The Next Morning

And that’s it. Your 24 hours in downtown Nashville are over.

So go downstairs, grab something at the free breakfast (at the very least get a coffee), and check out of your hotel.

You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.