First time in Nashville — what locals actually recommend
If it's your first weekend in Nashville, this is the locals' shortlist — the sights worth the queue, the food you can't skip, and the neighbourhood walks that show you the place.
Top spots in Nashville
Country Music Hall of Fame
CultureDowntown
Costumes, guitars and the full arc from bluegrass to Beyoncé.
The Grand Ole Opry
CultureMusic Valley
The country music institution — weekly live broadcast.
12 South
Food & Drink12 South
Walkable strip with murals, pastries and the Reese Witherspoon shop.
Centennial Park
OutdoorsWest End
Full-scale Parthenon replica and skyline-backed lake walks.
Radnor Lake State Park
OutdoorsOak Hill
Quiet trails and wildlife 10 minutes from downtown.
Where to eat
Arnold's Country Kitchen
$$Meat-and-three · Eighth Avenue
Cafeteria-line lunch with roast beef and chess pie — closed weekends.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken
$$Hot chicken · Midtown
Nashville's gateway hot chicken — order shut-the-cluck-up if you dare.
Husk Nashville
$$$$Southern · Rutledge Hill
Sean Brock's local-only Southern tasting in a Victorian house.
Rolf and Daughters
$$$Italian · Germantown
Hand-cut pasta in a converted warehouse — dimly lit and very loud.
The Catbird Seat
$$$$Tasting menu · Midtown
U-shaped counter, chef-as-theater — Nashville's most ambitious meal.
Frequently asked
- Standouts right now: The Grand Ole Opry, Centennial Park, Country Music Hall of Fame. The shortlist is curated by people who live in Nashville and refreshed regularly so it reflects what's actually open and worth your time.