Do
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
The city’s multipurpose center for the performing arts boasts three separate stages capable of housing everything from national Broadway tours such as Hamilton and The Color Purple to lavish Nashville Opera and Nashville Ballet productions and works from the excellent Nashville Repertory Theatre.
National Museum of African American Music
Officially opened in 2021, the National Museum of African American Music — or NMAAM — quickly became a global destination for music lovers. With galleries dedicated to R&B, jazz, blues, gospel and hip-hop, the downtown museum offers something for every generation.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Because the museum’s collections and stories are so well presented, and because the exploration of country music runs so deep, even verging into blues and gospel at times, there’s plenty for all music fans to appreciate.*
Nashville Farmers’ Market and Bicentennial Mall
Gardens of Babylon
John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
Big Drag Bus
Step onto a bus full of dancing, singing, high heels and sightseeing with this tour. Voted “Best Transpotainment” in the Scene’s Best of Nashville Readers’ Poll several years in a row, Big Drag Bus is a good time for tourists and Nashvillians alike.*
Historic RCA Studio B
Johnny Cash Museum
Hatch Show Print
Bad Axe Throwing
The Arcade
Haley Gallery
Fifth + Broadway
Printers Alley
Eat and Drink
Robert’s Western World
Lower Broadway is lined with honky-tonk options, and while many of them are a good time, they pale in comparison to Robert’s, with boots lining the walls and incredible fried bologna sandwiches.*
888 Nashville
Located in a space within the JW Marriott Hotel, 888 is inspired by jazz kissas in Japan — combination coffee shops and bars where jazz fans gather to listen to records on a high-fidelity stereo system. It’s a unique experience with plenty of sushi on the menu — from hand rolls to nigiri — and late-night offerings like Godzilla Fries (made with pork belly, Tokyo spice and miso ranch dressing) and seasonal mochi ice cream.*
The Southern Steak & Oyster
Long considered one of downtown Nashville’s best restaurants, The Southern Steak & Oyster is perfectly situated at the intersection of commerce, entertainment and tourism. A delectable selection of oysters is always on the menu, as are the signature steaks, but the Beaux Bros. gumbo and Saffire steak biscuits are not to be missed.*
Assembly Food Hall
Located inside Fifth + Broadway is this food hall, featuring more than 30 different dining options.
Acme Feed & Seed
Housed inside a multi-story building from 1890, Acme Feed & Seed might be the most well-rounded entertainment spot on Lower Broadway. There’s a stage with live music that’s streamed on Acme Radio Live, a wide selection of regionally sourced retail items, a curated collection of country music artifacts hanging on the walls, and a restaurant menu that features everything from chicken-fried chicken and Redneck Lo Mein to a full sushi bar. All this and a rooftop bar, too.*
Tasty Tour
Don’t miss anything historic Nashville has to offer by taking this tour where a maximum of 12 people ride in a mobile glass-wall-enclosed showroom. Eat, drink (BYOB) and enjoy the sights down Broadway and beyond. Tour options include mural tours and dining tours.*
Black Rabbit
Martin’s B-B-Que Joint
Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant
Etch
Drusie & Darr by Jean-Georges
Scene tips:
Tinney Contemporary at 237 Rep. John Lewis Way N. hosts rotating exhibitions of artists from all over, including Nashville-based artists Wendy Walker Silverman, Marilyn Murphy and James Perrin. Tinney also curates a world-class exhibition series at Bobby Hotel on Fourth Avenue, where you’ll find works from a variety of emerging and mid-career artists.
Sure, Lower Broadway has its charms, but there are plenty of hidden gems to discover in the city’s center. A cluster of buildings is influenced by Egyptian Revival architecture, most notably Downtown Presbyterian Church, the sanctuary of which is one of Nashville’s most interesting spaces. The church’s third-floor attic also houses a small colony of local artists who keep studios and run a gallery. The Ryman Auditorium is Nashville’s most venerated venue — except for during the 20 years it was abandoned. Book a tour there to learn about the storied past of the Mother Church. On Rosa Parks Boulevard, look for a historical marker commemorating Nashville’s first gay bars, Juanita’s Place and The Jungle.
