Music, art, and meaning
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At the National Museum of African American Music, just blocks from Broadway, more than 1,500 artifacts trace Black music from gospel and blues through jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and rap.
Holdings include a gold-plated trumpet owned by Louis Armstrong, a Grammy Award won by Ella Fitzgerald, and a fur coat she wore on stage. The museum also has immersive musical installations where you can step into a rap battle, mix beats in a recording booth, or sing with a virtual gospel choir.
You gets a wristband to tap at exhibits along the way, and it builds a personal playlist of everything that caught your ear. By the time you leave, the playlist is in you inbox.
In East Nashville, the woman-owned and run Red Arrow Gallery has monthly contemporary exhibits with emerging and mid-career artists from the South and beyond. Recent shows have explored identity, place, and material experimentation, with painters and multimedia artists working across local and international scenes.
12South, the stylish side of Nashville
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The 12South neighborhood has a walkable mix of national brands and local boutiques. It’s the kind of neighborhood where you can sip a latte on a patio, then wander tree-lined streets full of shops.
Among the bigger names, Draper James — founded by Reese Witherspoon and named for her grandparents — leans into bouncy dresses and skirts in the brand’s signature Southern style. Down the street, you’ll find name-brand shops like Lululemon, Buck Mason, and Faherty.
The smaller, locally owned boutiques are just as much of a draw. White’s Mercantile — founded in 2013 by Nashville singer-songwriter Holly Williams in a converted gas station — stocks candles, kitchenware, leather goods, and Nashville-specific gifts.
Serious cowboy boot shoppers should skip the tourist traps on Broadway and head to Planet Cowboy at the south end of 12South. The shoes here are handmade from fine leathers, with each pair requiring more than 130 steps to achieve a quality boot.
Hit the right note on Nashville’s food scene
Nashville’s dining scene has grown far past hot chicken and barbecue, with everything from inventive fine dining to classic Southern bites.
Coffee and breakfast
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Frothy Monkey opened in 2004 in a converted bungalow and has since grown into a small Nashville institution. Its 12South flagship still has the original beer garden out back and a menu of seasonal lattes, scratch-made breakfast, and house-roasted coffee.
Bagel lovers will find Ugly Bagel in Nashville’s historic Arcade lives up to its motto: “Ain’t cute, always tasty.” Hand-rolled bagels rotate through traditional and seasonal flavors, like maple bacon and French toast, paired with inventive cream cheese spreads like caramel apple crisp and candy corn swirl. No matter the choice — classic or bold — Ugly Bagel stands alongside those you’d find in New York or Montreal.
Lunch and midday snacks
Epice has been serving Lebanese mezze and grilled mains in 12South since 2014. The bistro is known for shareable mezze and a wine list weighted toward Mediterranean producers in the Middle East and Europe. The arnabeet (cauliflower with beet tahini, lemon, and dukkah) is a standout and pairs nicely with the options on the wine list.
Dinner, drinks, and beyond
The Patterson House is a Nashville institution. This speakeasy-style cocktail bar — which relocated in 2025 to the fifth floor of the Bill Voorhees Building — helped usher in the city’s craft cocktail movement when it opened in 2009. The cocktail menu has a rotating “Short” menu of experimental drinks, plus a “Long” menu of more than 150 classics. Small plates like fried green tomatoes, cheesy potatoes, and elegant catfish are hearty enough to stretch into a full meal.
For a special occasion, Audrey is among the city’s most ambitious kitchens. Founded by chef Sean Brock as an ode to his Appalachian grandmother and now led by chef Sam Jett, the restaurant pairs modern technique with heirloom Southern ingredients. Recent menus have featured Buck Snort trout with roe and roasted Joyce Farms chicken.
For a final round, head to Coral Club, on the second floor of an unassuming building at the corner of Gallatin and Eastland in East Nashville. This bar feels like a secret shared among locals. Coral Club channels a Mediterranean-coastal vibe, complete with a rooftop patio and drinks led by alums from some of Nashville’s best bars.
Where to stay: The Westin Nashville
Photo: The Westin Nashville
The Westin offers a calm oasis in the city’s center that’s far enough from Broadway to escape the nightly chaos but close enough for a 15-minute walk. Rooms feature the brand’s signature Heavenly Beds and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the downtown skyline.
On the 27th floor, the rooftop pool and L27 Rooftop Lounge share panoramic skyline views. The lounge — velvet couches, wooden chairs, craft cocktails — works for both a quick meeting and an end-of-day drink.
Decker & Dyer, the all-day on-site restaurant, doubles as a lounge. Breakfast serves up chilaquiles, lox omelets, and, of course, cheese grits.
The Rhapsody Spa goes a step beyond the usual hotel wellness offering. Here you’ll find a full suite of traditional services: facials, massages, and body treatments. An uncommon addition: an IV therapy lounge. Drips like Hydrate, Recover, Immunity Boost, and the house Rhapsody blend define the spa’s “Healthy Happy Hour.”
Getting around Nashville
Nashville is generally easy to get around. Downtown is walkable, but neighborhoods like 12South and East Nashville are 10 to 15 minutes by car. Rideshares are widely available; some hotels also run shuttles. The city’s WeGo bus system covers most routes.
Broadway is the easy way into Nashville. The most interesting moments of any trip are likely happening a few miles in any direction — in galleries, kitchens, and cocktail bars where Nashville is figuring out what comes next. 
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