Two Days in Nashville: Food, Museums, and Live Music
Guitars at the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
A conference brought me to Nashville, Tennessee, and I made the most of my time there by diving into the city’s standout food scene, from classic barbecue and hot chicken to surprisingly elevated dining. Between meals and conference sessions, I visited two excellent museums: the Frist Art Museum and the National Museum of African American Music, both well worth a stop. Downtown Nashville is compact and easy to explore on foot, with a lively stretch of music venues that rivals Austin or New Orleans - live performances spilling out of nearly every bar. Country music may not be my playlist, but if it’s yours, Nashville makes for an especially fun and easy two-day getaway.
Places to Stay
Stay at The Noelle, a short walk from a lively music district, but far enough away to ensure a quiet night’s sleep. The lobby has an excellent coffee shop (see below) and awesome original art abounds in the hotel’s public spaces. A special bonus is a gift shop with unique souvenirs to bring back home.
The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel in the Marriott family is a great choice if you’re looking for boutique luxury (and if not staying there, the JW Marriott is a strong alternative).
The Omni is a large conference hotel across from the sprawling Music City Center conference center and caddy corner to the Bridgestone Stadium home to the Nashville Predators hockey team. Another plus of the hotel is its connection to the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
On a budget? The Hyatt Place offers surprising value. Low prices on rooms and an included breakfast that actually tastes good and has wide variety.
Where to eat
Start your day with a cup of coffee from Drugstore Coffee Shop in the lobby of the Noelle. Great brew, friendly service, and fun gifts to take home.
For lunch, try barbecue at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint in a huge space with two bars and an upstairs seating area filled with natural light. If you like barbecue but find the large plates of meats and sides overwhelming at most places, the option to get a smaller serving like the brisket and mac and cheese below is a great benefit of this vibrant and popular restaurant.
You can’t leave Nashville without trying hot chicken, and a great place to do that is at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, a local chain usually packed with people enjoying the very reasonably priced platters of chicken. This was the one of the best and cheapest meals we had in Nashville!
Lemonade, collards, chicken tenders, and bacon cheddar grits at Hattie B’s - all amazing
We had a wonderful meal at a crowded and popular place, The Finch, recommended by a Nashville local colleague, with great happy hour deals on both drinks and bites and a staff (including hostess, servers, and managers) that were both warm and highly professional. This is a great place for an early dinner before an evening visit to the Frist Museum (see below.)
For elegant dining, visit Rolf and Daughters. With a warmly lit and welcoming bar, we enjoyed drinks and appetizers that were truly distinctive - tuna crudo with rhubarb and currants and a decadent, slightly spicy beet salad.
On the next trip, there are a number of additional recommended restaurants we plan to try:
Tailor (in the Germantown neighborhood near Rolf and Daughters)
Bastion (in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood)
Locust (in the 12 South neighborhood)
The Catbird Seat (on 8th Avenue South)
Peninsula (in east Nashville)
Things to do
Visit the Frist Museum. This is a small, but well-curated museum right next to the to The Finch.
Go to the National Museum for African American Music, which could be a nice change-up if you’ve otherwise been taking in country music while in Nashville.
Visit and then shop at the museum store at the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame.
Listen to live music - it is abundant in this town and you can catch a casual show at most bars or go big with a concert at The Opry.
Explore the outside art of downtown Nashville and learn about John Lewis a critical civil rights leader who began his activism in Nashville, Tennessee in the late 1950s.
