It’s easy to mistake Nashville purely for a party city where everything revolves around country music, but that’s not strictly true. The lifestyle in Nashville is centred on creative endeavours, so newcomers will never have a shortage of things to see and do.
There is always a buzz about the place, and whether you’re looking for art, history, food, sports, or just a good time, you’re sure to find a uniquely Nashvillian experience.
Arts and culture in Nashville
There is more to arts and culture in Nashville than country music. The city was once known as the ‘Athens of the South’ because of the number of academic institutions here. Its modern art scene is thriving too, and the Frist Art Museum is its flagship venue. The gallery is housed in a landmark former post office building downtown. On the first Saturday of each month, you can join the free First Saturday Art Crawl and visit galleries around Fifth Avenue of the Arts and the historic Arcade.
Fans of the performing arts will love life in Nashville, too. The Tennessee Performing Arts Center is the place to be for everything from touring Broadway shows to ballet and opera. If you fancy classical music, head to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, where you can hear the Grammy-winning Nashville Symphony in concert.
Sports and outdoor activities in Nashville
When it comes to sports and outdoor activities in Nashville, locals are as passionate about their teams as they are about their music. Watch the local hockey team, the NHL’s Nashville Predators, in action, and you’ll soon see why fans call the city ‘Smashville’. Nashville also has an NFL team, the Tennessee Titans, and a Major League Soccer club, Nashville SC, which joined the league in 2020. For baseball, you can watch the Nashville Sounds at First Horizon Park.
If you’d rather join in than watch from the bleachers, you can hike the trails at Radnor Lake State Park, cycle the city’s greenways, paddle on Percy Priest Lake, or try the ziplines at Nashville Shores.
Eating out in Nashville
Eating out in Nashville keeps getting better, and new arrivals won’t go hungry in the Music City. Classic Southern comfort food is what Nashville is famous for, so don’t miss local favourites such as hot chicken, which is deep-fried chicken doused in fiery spices and served on white bread with pickles. Another Tennessean institution is low-and-slow barbecue, which means cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and chicken cooked slowly over hot coals until tender.
The city’s restaurant scene doesn’t stop at Southern classics. Head south to Nolensville Road for Nashville’s most internationally diverse dining. Here you can find Mexican street stalls selling tacos, tortas, tamales, and burritos. This stretch of Nolensville Road is also known as Little Kurdistan, home to the largest Kurdish community in the United States, and you’ll find plenty of Kurdish and Middle Eastern food. Latin American cooking is easy to come by as well. Over in East Nashville, boozy weekend brunches have become a fixture.
Nightlife in Nashville
Nightlife in Nashville is exactly what you would expect of the Music City, and there is plenty of it after dark. The most popular venues are in a 20-block stretch of downtown known as ‘The District’. Broadway and Printer’s Alley also have their fair share of bars and clubs.
You shouldn’t miss the free live music at the honky-tonk bars along Lower Broadway, better known as Honky Tonk Highway. Bigger touring acts, including international names, play the city’s major venues such as the historic Ryman Auditorium and Bridgestone Arena.
If you’re after a more low-key night, head to one of the city’s many rooftop bars for a craft cocktail, or catch a show at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center or the Nashville Repertory Theatre.
See and do in Nashville
There is no shortage of things to see and do in Nashville, and new residents are in for a treat. The city may be famous as the ‘home of country music’, but new arrivals will soon learn there is much more to it. Here are just some of Nashville’s top attractions.
The Grand Ole Opry
Founded in 1925, the Grand Ole Opry is one of the cornerstones of Nashville’s country music history. Some of the biggest names in country, from Johnny Cash to Alan Jackson, have played its stage, and any music fan should try to catch a show there.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
At the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, you can trace the history of country music, the sound Nashville is best known for. You’ll see everything from Hank Williams and Patsy Cline to today’s stars, and the building itself is a downtown landmark. Give yourself a few hours if you want to do it justice.
The Parthenon
This full-sized replica of the Greek Parthenon may seem a little out of place in Nashville’s Centennial Park. It was built in 1897 for the Centennial Exposition, and today it is home to an art museum. Inside, you’ll find a 42-foot (13m) gold statue of Athena, the tallest indoor sculpture in the Western world.
Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
You can sample bourbon and Tennessee whiskey at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. Before Prohibition, this was one of the largest whiskey producers in the country, and it is still a family business to this day.
Radnor Lake State Park
Head to Radnor Lake State Park in Forest Hills for a dose of the outdoors. The park is more than 1,300 acres of protected forest, and its quiet hiking trails are a favourite for wildlife watching. Herons, owls, otters, and white-tailed deer are common sights.
Nashville Zoo
Nashville Zoo is on the historic Grassmere estate, and the grounds are close to 200 acres in all. You can spend a day at exhibits such as Lorikeet Landing, Kangaroo Kickabout, Critter Encounters, and the Andean bears of Expedition Peru. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is active in wildlife conservation and rehabilitation.
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens is a 1930s mansion in 55 acres of landscaped grounds in West Nashville. You can wander the botanical gardens, explore the art collection indoors, take the woodland sculpture trail, and plan your visit around the seasonal displays, from spring tulips to the autumn pumpkin trail. It is one of the city’s most relaxing days out.
Adventure Science Center
The Adventure Science Center is a hands-on museum for children of all ages. You’ll find exhibits on everything from the human body to space and the planets. It is also home to the Sudekum Planetarium and its full-dome shows. Staff run regular demonstrations to help visitors get more from the displays.
Making friends and meeting people in Nashville
Making friends and meeting people in Nashville takes a bit of effort, even though the city has a warm, sociable reputation. Ask around, and you’ll hear the same advice: turn up to the same activity again and again rather than relying on one-off nights out. A weekly run club, a rec sports league, a book club, or a monthly board game night will put you in front of the same faces until acquaintances become friends.
Shared interests are the easiest way in. You’ll find recreational leagues for pickleball, flag football, kickball, and cornhole, plus run clubs for every pace and cycling groups such as the Harpeth Bicycle Club. Volunteering is another reliable route, and Hands On Nashville lists opportunities across causes from food security to animal welfare. Online, Meetup has large Nashville groups for almost any hobby, and plenty of newcomers use Bumble BFF, since so many transplants here are also looking to make friends.
To build a professional circle at the same time, look at Young Professionals Nashville or CreativeMornings Nashville. Both are aimed at people in their twenties and thirties. App-based supper clubs have also caught on. You share a table with strangers over dinner, which takes the awkwardness out of meeting new people.
One last tip from locals: skip Lower Broadway if you’re actually trying to make friends, since that strip is built for tourists. Neighbourhood bars, local libraries, coffee shops, and community groups in areas like East Nashville and Bellevue are far more likely to foster friendships that last.