Welcome to Nashville, the capital of Tennessee also known as ‘the Music City’. Whether you’re a first-timer or are visiting again, here’s my suggested itinerary in case you’re in town for 24 hours. I promise you will have the time of your life!
Here I am again reporting on the road trip adventures that took my friends and I across various states in the United States, from Washington DC to Charleston, Savannah, northern Florida, New Orleans and Memphis. Our last big city to visit before returning home was Nashville, where we arrived in the middle of the afternoon and spent a full day.
What to do in Nashville in a day
Learn more about what you can do in the Music City in 24 hours base don my suggestions below.
Discover ‘the Athens of the South’
Before being nicknamed the Music City, Nashville was called ‘the Athens of the South’. The full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon at Centennial Park is one of the main attractions in town. The Vanderbilt University area lies nearby, being one of the most prestigious institutions in the country.
Enjoy Southern cuisine family-style
In the evening of our arrival, we went to have dinner at the original Monell’s, a place that had been recommended to us and that I loved.
Serving Southern classics going from green beans to skillet fried chicken or biscuits and gravy, the food was delicious and I tasted the best cornbread of my entire life. But what I liked the most was the concept. The meals are shared family-style with your neighbors and you have to pass the bowls to your left. This means that, by the end of the night, you have become friends with the people sitting with you at the large table. Cool, don’t you think?
Check out the honky-tonks on Lower Broadway
If you’re in Nashville, honky-tonking is a must. After all, there’s a reason why it’s called the Music City. Indeed, music is everywhere.
After dinner, we headed to Broadway St in downtown to enjoy the vibrant nightlife this town has to offer. Actually, there are plenty of bars and clubs with live shows to choose from. Covers are usually free although bands play for tips. We had loads of fun at The Stage and at The Legend’s Corner, dancing to good country music and mingling with locals. We loved the vibes in Nashville!
Explore the ‘Batman Tower’ or buy a pair of boots
Don’t be surprised if you think you’re in Gotham City for a moment. Most probably, what you’re looking at is the AT&T Building (colloquially known as the ‘Batman Building’). This 33-story skyscraper, completed in August 1994 and located in downtown Nashville, is currently the tallest building in the state of Tennessee.
In case you would like to feel like a local, I would recommend buying a good pair of boots. However, I have to warn you they are extremely expensive (around 200$ a pair). So I didn’t buy any from the various boot stores in Broadway St this time around, although I tried quite a few.
The AT& T building is one of the most distinctive features in Nashville 
Boots were everywhere 
Trying the cowgirl outfit, yeah! 
I had a good time looking at all these boots!
Other attractions in Nashville include the Capitol, located on top of a hill and with an equestrian statue of President Jackson in front. Finally, the Shelby bridge that spans the Cumberland River offers a good perspective of the city.
Bridging old and new 
The Jackson statue next to the Tennessee Capitol 
People crossing over the Shelby bridge after a race 
A street in Nashville
Visit all the music landmarks
Nashville is home to some legendary music venues such as the Grand Ole Opry (the longest-running radio broadcast in US history dedicated to honoring country music), the Ryman Auditorium (a live-performance venue known as the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 and where bluegrass was born ) and the Country Music Hall of Fame (which seeks to collect, preserve, and interpret the evolving history and traditions of country music through exhibits, publications, and educational programs).
The Ryman Auditorium is a legendary music venue 
Street musicians abound in Nashville 
A sign in the Walk of Fame Park
After our short one-day visit to Nashville, it was time to drive to our final destination of this road trip: the Great Smoky Mountains.
In case you’d like to read all the road trip posts in this adventure, here’s the full list:
I hope you enjoyed this post. Feel free to leave me a comment below!
