Nashville Live Music
& Music Lovers Guide

The definitive museum of American country music. Costumes, instruments, and artifacts from every era, plus rotating exhibitions that go deep on specific artists and movements. Plan for at least 2 hours. The combo ticket with RCA Studio B is the best value and the best experience.

The studio where Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and hundreds of other artists recorded. You stand in the actual room, see the original equipment, and hear the stories of how those recordings happened. Only accessible through a guided tour from the Hall of Fame. The combo ticket is worth every dollar.

One of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, operating since 1879. They've printed posters for every major Nashville show for over a century. Tour the shop, watch the presses run, and make your own souvenir poster. Inside the Hall of Fame complex.

Dedicated to the session musicians and studio players who actually made the records. The instruments and gear on display were used on recordings you've heard thousands of times. Less crowded than the Country Music Hall of Fame and arguably more interesting if you care about how music is made, not just who made it.

The only museum in the country dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, shaped, and sustained by African Americans. Gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and more. Interactive exhibits, deeply moving, and a crucial part of understanding why Nashville is Music City. One of the most important museums in Nashville.

Two separate museums in the same building on 3rd Avenue downtown. The Johnny Cash Museum has the largest collection of Cash artifacts in the world. The Patsy Cline Museum upstairs covers her life and music with personal items and memorabilia. You can visit one or both. Allow about an hour per museum.

The longest-running radio show in American history and the most famous stage in country music. A live Opry show features multiple artists across generations, and the energy in the room is unlike anything else in Nashville. The backstage tour is worth adding, especially if you can't make a show.

Walk the hallways where artists wait to go on, see the dressing rooms, stand in the famous circle on stage, and hear the stories from a guide who knows every corner. The show + backstage combo is the ultimate Opry experience.

Originally a church, then the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974, and now one of the best live music venues in the world. The acoustics are legendary. Daytime self-guided tours are excellent. But seeing a live show here is a top-five Nashville experience, full stop.

A 90-seat cafe in a strip mall in Green Hills where Nashville's best songwriters perform the songs they wrote for other artists. Taylor Swift was discovered here. Garth Brooks played his first Nashville show here. Reservations are required and go fast. This is the most intimate, authentic music experience in Nashville, and nothing else comes close.

The best bluegrass venue in the world, tucked in the Gulch. A small, no-frills room where the musicianship is world-class and the crowd knows every song. If you've never heard live bluegrass, this is where you should hear it for the first time. Cover is usually modest. No reservations needed, just show up.

A private songwriter performance inside the Country Music Hall of Fame, followed by full museum access. A Nashville songwriter plays and tells the stories behind songs you've heard on the radio. An intimate, VIP-level experience that combines two of the best things in Nashville music.

Record your own song in a professional Nashville recording studio with a real engineer and session musicians. No musical experience required. You pick the song, they handle the rest, and you walk out with a professional recording. One of the most unique souvenirs you can take home from Nashville, and genuinely fun for all skill levels.

Jack White's record label, store, and live venue. The record store is excellent on its own, but the real draw is the direct-to-vinyl recording booth where you can step in, record a song, and walk out with your own vinyl record. A completely Nashville-only experience. Also check their live show schedule.

A full-day guided trip from Nashville to Memphis with VIP access to Graceland and a tour of Sun Studios, where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins recorded. Transportation, admission, and a guide included. About 3 hours each way, and genuinely worth it for anyone serious about American music history.

The East Nashville venue with the "I Believe in Nashville" mural on the side. Indie, rock, alternative, and everything in between. Ticketed shows, and the lineup consistently features artists right before they blow up. The room holds about 800 people, intimate enough to feel the music but big enough for a real show.

The original Basement on 8th Ave South, smaller and grittier than its East Nashville sibling. A true underground venue (literally in a basement) where emerging artists play to crowds of 200 or fewer. Some of Nashville's biggest names played here early in their careers. Check the calendar and take a chance on someone you've never heard.

A songwriter-focused venue in SoBro where the crowd is genuinely there to listen. Similar concept to the Bluebird but larger, easier to get into, and right downtown. Nashville songwriters play the songs they wrote for artists you know, and tell the stories behind them. Reservations recommended, especially on weekends.

A Nashville institution on Elliston Place since 1971. Rock, indie, and alternative in a room that's seen everyone from Jimmy Buffett to The Black Keys. The kind of venue where the stage is at eye level and you can feel the bass in your chest. A legacy Nashville music venue that still books excellent shows.

A Nashville staple for blues, Americana, roots, and soul music. The venue has a full bar and restaurant, so you can make it a dinner-and-show evening. Regular weekly residencies mean you can count on quality any night of the week. One of the most consistent music venues in the city.

Live music, bowling, and food in a massive Germantown venue. Named Billboard's top Central U.S. club in 2024 and Pollstar's best new concert venue in 2022. The lineup ranges from jam bands to hip-hop to country, and the bowling lanes add an energy that most music venues can't match. A great option for groups.

A neighborhood honky-tonk in East Nashville with live music, cheap drinks, and the kind of energy that makes you stay longer than you planned. No cover, no pretension, just good music in a room that feels like Nashville felt 20 years ago. The kind of place locals will fight to keep a secret.

A small, dark, loud rock venue on Elliston Place next to Exit/In. Capacity around 200, which means every show feels packed and personal. The kind of venue where the band is three feet away and you walk out with ringing ears and a story. If you like your music raw and close, this is the room.

A beloved East Nashville neighborhood venue with themed music nights, dance parties, and an eclectic lineup that changes every night. Monday Night Soul, Motown Monday, 80s dance parties. The kind of place where locals bring out-of-town friends to show them what Nashville actually feels like. Small, sweaty, and unforgettable.

Four floors of live music on Broadway, from the ground-floor honky-tonk to the rooftop with river views. One of the top 20 rooftop bars in America (iHeart Radio). Better food and drinks than most Broadway spots, and a crowd that's a genuine mix of locals and visitors. The most well-rounded music venue on Broadway.

The one Broadway honky-tonk that locals actually go to. Traditional country and rockabilly played by musicians who are genuinely great. Order the Recession Special (fried bologna sandwich, PBR, and a Moon Pie) and enjoy the best live music on Lower Broadway. No cover. The real deal.

A three-story honky-tonk on Broadway with live music on every floor and a locals-approved reputation. Named after the Eric Clapton song. Less tourist-heavy than some of its neighbors, with consistently good bands and a vibe that feels more authentic than the neon-lit party bars around it.

A narrow alley just off Broadway that was Nashville's nightlife center in the 1940s through the 1970s. Jimi Hendrix and Waylon Jennings played here. Today it has a handful of bars and clubs with live music that feel hidden from the Broadway chaos just one block away. Walk through even if you don't stop in.

Tucked in Printer's Alley, this is one of the best blues venues in Nashville. Live blues and boogie every night in a small room that packs genuine energy. The kind of place where the band sweats and the audience moves. A completely different experience from the country music on Broadway just around the corner.

A small, no-frills bar in Printer's Alley with live music, cheap drinks, and the kind of dive bar energy that Nashville's polished Broadway scene has mostly lost. Popular with locals, especially service industry workers after their shifts. If you want to feel like you discovered something on your own, this is it.