Neighborhood 48H guide
Downtown & Lower Broadway: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
The Ryman, Broadway’s honky-tonks and the Johnny Cash Museum.
Downtown Nashville runs from the State Capitol down to the river. Lower Broadway is the strip of honky-tonks with live music from late morning, and the Ryman Auditorium is a block north on Fifth Avenue.
Photo gallery
Photo: An Errant Knight · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Isaac777 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: FaceMePLS from The Hague, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Mx. Granger · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Warren LeMay from Chicago, IL, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Walk to the Ryman, Broadway and the museums; everything else is a short ride.
Who it's for: First-timers, live-music fans and groups.
Pros
- Walk to Broadway and the Ryman
- Live music day and night
- Museums within a few blocks
Cons
- Loud and crowded on weekends
- Bachelorette-party central
- Expensive parking
48H Downtown
Ryman tour, Johnny Cash, Broadway.
10:00 – Ryman Auditorium tour
Self-guided or backstage tour of the Mother Church of Country Music.
13:00 – Johnny Cash Museum
On Third Avenue South, a block off Broadway.
16:00 – Robert’s Western World
Classic country and a fried bologna sandwich on Broadway.
10:00 – Day 2: Frist Art Museum
Rotating exhibitions in the Art Deco former post office.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Drink
Drink
Robert’s Western World
416 Broadway
Traditional country bands from late morning on, with no cover.
Photo: Mx. Granger · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →Drink
Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge
422 Broadway
The purple honky-tonk behind the Ryman, with music on three stages.
Photo: FaceMePLS from The Hague, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
See / do
See / do
Ryman Auditorium
116 5th Ave N
The 1892 former tabernacle and onetime home of the Opry; daily tours and nightly shows.
Photo: Isaac777 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Johnny Cash Museum
119 3rd Ave S
Costumes, guitars and handwritten lyrics from the Man in Black.
Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Frist Art Museum
919 Broadway
Touring exhibitions in a 1934 Art Deco post office.
Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Tennessee State Capitol
600 Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Blvd
The 1859 Greek Revival capitol on its hill, with free weekday tours.
Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
The Hermitage Hotel
231 6th Ave N
Nashville’s 1910 Beaux-Arts grand hotel, a few blocks up from Broadway.
Check rates on Expedia →Hotel · Expedia
Grand Hyatt Nashville
Nashville Yards, Broadway
Big modern tower at Nashville Yards near Broadway.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Downtown & Lower Broadway.
Nashville requires a short-term rental permit, and whole-home rentals are limited in many residential areas. Look for the permit number on the listing before you book.
Browse vacation rentals in Downtown & Lower Broadway on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Nashville
- SoBro — The Country Music Hall of Fame, the Symphony and whole-hog barbecue.
- The Gulch — Bluegrass at the Station Inn, Biscuit Love and the wings mural.
- Midtown & Vanderbilt — The Parthenon in Centennial Park, Hattie B’s hot chicken and Vanderbilt’s campus.
- Music Row & Hillsboro Village — Elvis’s RCA Studio B, songwriters at Analog and pancakes in Hillsboro Village.
- Germantown — The Farmers’ Market, Bicentennial Mall and Rolf and Daughters.
- East Nashville — Five Points, the Pharmacy’s beer garden and Shelby Bottoms along the river.
- Music Valley & the Opry — The Grand Ole Opry, Opryland’s indoor gardens and a riverboat cruise.
- Franklin — Main Street’s storefronts, Civil War history at Carnton and Puckett’s.