Nashville Weekend Getaway: 7 Great Reasons to Venture Beyond Broadway

We recentely made a weekend trip to the Music City. Due to various factors, we decided to make the 12 hour drive from home in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. The need for a vehicle in the city really depends on where you’ll be staying. That said, it is a highly accesible city. We covered alot of ground on foot on our Nashville weekend getaway, as there is so much more to explore beyond Broadway.

For our Nashville weekend getaway, we arrived in town mid-day Friday, planning to stay for two nights. We checked in to our quaint one bedroom AirBnB, a block from Music Row, and immediately walked over to Hattie Bs for some Nashville hot chicken. Our timing was poor, and we ended up waiting in line for about an hour, but is was time well spent as there are plenty of things to take in here! We watched people go by in limousines, pedal pubs, tractors, cropped top buses, on scooters and more! It soon became clear that Nashville is certainly a city of options.

That night, we did what everyone else does in Nashville. We headed over to the ‘Honky Tonk Highway’ that is Broadway. People travel from all over to wander these four blocks of country music bars that stand up to four stories high. There is so much history here, as it launched the careers of many performers over the decades. But we’re not hear to talk about Broadway, becuase there’s so much more to see on a Nashville weekend getaway.

Division Street (Midtown)

Our little AirBnB was just a block over from this strip of bars and restaurants. After strolling Broadway, we realized that several of the spots you see on the main drag have sister bars on Division Street! You can visit bars like The Stillery and Losers with far less of a crowd in this corner of town. There are several bars boasting happy hours on this strip, and plenty of food options.

A block and a half over is The Graduate, a new addition to the southwest end of Broadway (opened in 2020). This chic hotel has a quirky style and a rooftop bar inspired by Dolly Parton’s ‘White Limozeen’. Depending on the day and time you arrive, you may have to wait in line to make your way to the bar. If you don’t want to wait, you can make reservations but they are quite limited, so we opted to wait.

After an hour, we made our way to the VERY PINK bar. They sat us (and a couple we met in line) at a day bed where we ordered our cocktails and sat in awe of the stunning ambiance. The outdoor part of the bar features a small rooftop pool if your keen for a dip with a view.

Music Row

No doubt you came to this city for the music, right? Music Row is the historic spot where alot of music magic happened. And you actually might miss it if you didn’t know any better. Here you’ll find record label offices, radio stations and recording studios nestled into what looks like a family friendly neighbourhood of houses with a couple modest office buildings on the north end. And this is where the RCA Studio B sits, where the likes of Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton recorded some of their hits.

Local Distilleries, Breweries, Cideries

Just on the outskirts of town you’ll find several distilleries, breweries and cideries. Tennesse is a state of whiskey and there is plenty of it around. Other distilleries (like Corsair) have offer rye, vodka, rum and gin (which we bought a bottle of). If cider or beer are more your jam, you’ll find some here as well! As always, enjoy responsibly, or arrange for a designated driver.

The Gulch

This part of town, just southwest of the Honky Tonk Highway is one of the newer areas. It’s what we would refer to as ‘bougie’, with it’s high end shops and modern architecture, but worth exploring. There are a couple highly recommended restaurants in this area and of good variety, including:

• One of the more popular stops is Biscuit Love – once again, we timed our visit poorly, waiting about an hour in line for food, but the biscuits were unique and delightful!
• Peg Leg Porker – beat the line by hitting up the take out window on the side of the building and try the Kool Aid pickles
• Arnold’s -classic ‘Meat and 3’, visit in the evening and beat the rush
• Party Fowl – a hot chicken smorgasbord

The area also has a busy night life, including LA Jackson, which in our opinion is about as excellent as roof top bars get.

Murals & Sculptures

Street art and murals are all the rage these days and you won’t find a shortage of them in Nashville! If you’re looking for a map of them, head over to this Nashville Murals page. There area also some unique sculptures and interactive installations which make for some great pictures!

Parthenon & Woman Suffrage Monument

If you are on a Nashville weekend getaway looking for something unique, you’ve found it. This is the Parthenon, an ancient Greek architectural marvel that sits on the Vanderbilt campus. Originally built as a temporary structure for the Centennial Exposition in 1897, it is afull scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens. It’s construction was actually inspired by one of Nashville’s oldest monikers, ‘The Athens of the South’. It currently serves as a museum and is open to the public daily.

Also located in Centennial Park is the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument. This monument is an ode to Tennessee’s most influential suffragists Anne Dallas Dudley, J. Frankie Pierce, Sue Shelton White and Carrie Chapman Catt. Read more about the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument here.

21st Ave

This little strips of shops and restaurants is on the outskirts of two of the city’s campuses: Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities. The main area only spans a couple blocks but there is plenty of good food and times to be had. Here you’ll find Pancake Pantry (another popular wait for an hour spot), The Villager Tavern and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

You may have noticed several food destinations on our list, and that isn’t by mistake. Nashville is a culinary destination and has a little something for everyone!

Foodie Tip – SHARE EVERY MEAL! This will allow you to take in as much as possible 😉

Don’t Skip Broadway!

By no means are we suggesting you skip Broadway, as it is certainly a sight to be held. This buslting street is lined with four story bars owned by country music stars. As you walk along the street, your ears are met by a new tune every ten steps or so as you make your way past all the live music. Each bar has a different live act, and it’s fun to imagine how that might have sounded 50 years ago.

Our Nashville weekend getaway was a quick one, but we defnintely plan to come back soon! Which one of these highlights intrigues you the most?

Have you been to Nashville and explored any of these unique locations?