36 Hours in Nashville

Things to Do and See

The New York Times

By Colleen Creamer Photographs by William DeShazer 

Within five years, 200,000 people are expected to move to Nashville, the home of country music and Tennessee’s capital. The city welcomes the business boom, but is also coping with gridlock, an overwhelmed entertainment district and steep rents. Cue emerging neighborhoods like the Nations, Madison and the Buchanan Arts District, which are taking the heat off lower Broadway, the stretch of downtown where the bachelorette parties flock. The city has a thriving L.G.B.T.Q. scene in East Nashville, although the state last week passed a law aimed at curbing public drag performances. Nashville today combines tradition and evolution, where you can visit old-school restaurants and slick cocktail temples, stroll ravishing gardens and trace the impact of Black music at a new interactive museum. Venture into the heart of Broadway, but also take a chance on newer, smaller performance spaces. They’re everywhere. This is Music City.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Museums and shopping

Savant is a well-curated vintage clothing store.

Draper James, the actor Reese Witherspoon’s shop, embraces all things Southern.

White’s Mercantile is a charming “general store for the modern-day tastemaker” in the 12South corridor.

The Ryman Auditorium’s self-guided tour lets you browse the history of country music’s most iconic concert hall at your own pace.

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