Sights

For a city of its size, Nashville [1] takes up a lot of space. In fact, Nashville has the second-largest footprint of any major American city. But don’t picture a scene of concrete: Nashville is a leafy, suburban city. Outside downtown is a patchwork of traffic lights, strip malls, and tree-lined residential neighborhoods, several of which are incorporated towns with their own elected officials, city halls, and police.

Nashville’s [1] attractions are spread out among the city’s various neighborhoods. Learn the locations and identities of a few parts of town, and you are well on your way to understanding Music City.

Broadway and the District [2] is the entertainment and retail hub of Nashville. Walk along lower Broadway, as the blocks from 5th Avenue to the river are called, and you will pass a dozen different bars, restaurants, and shops catering to visitors. The District, located along 2nd Avenue near where it crosses Broadway, is a neighborhood where old warehouses have been converted to nightclubs, shops, office space, and loft condominiums.

The greater part of Downtown [3] is dominated by large office buildings and federal, state, and city government structures. From Commerce Street northward to the State Capitol [4], you will find historic churches, museums, and hordes of office workers.

Home to the business end of the country music industry, Music Row [5] can be found along 16th and 17th Avenues south of where they cross Broadway. While there are few bona fide attractions here, it is worth a jaunt to see the headquarters of both major and independent music labels all in one place.

Encompassing the neighborhoods of Elliston Place, Hillsboro Village, and Green Hills, Midtown [6] refers to the parts of Nashville between downtown and the West End.

Head south on 4th Avenue, which becomes Nolensville Pike, towards a diverse array of attractions in South Nashville [7].

Nashville’s West End [8] has the city’s most posh neighborhood, Belle Meade, which is actually a city with its own government. Named after an antebellum plantation, Belle Meade the city is home to Nashville’s elite, and famously possesses one of the most wealthy zip codes in America. Drive through to spy on mansions that look more like museums and lawns that look like botanical gardens.

Jefferson Street [9] runs from downtown through northwestern Nashville, past several of the city’s African-American landmarks.

A knot of tourist attractions separated from the rest of Nashville by the Cumberland River, Music Valley [10] has little to recommend it other than the Grand Ole Opry [11]. A strip of motels, restaurants, and dubious country music “museums,” this is one tourist zone that you will be just as happy to skip. Unless, of course, you just want to soak up the trashy side of Music City tourism.