Nashville

A Music City weekend of Broadway, the Ryman and an Opry night

Day one, morning. Begin at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Fifth Avenue South and give it two or three hours. Next door, Hatch Show Print still letterpresses concert posters. Walk two blocks to the Ryman Auditorium for a daytime tour of the Mother Church of Country Music.

Afternoon and evening. Lower Broadway's honky-tonks start live sets before lunch and play past midnight, with no cover in most of them. Go early for space at the bar, then return to the Ryman for a show if one is on, or cross the Seigenthaler bridge at dusk for the skyline.

Day two. Spend the morning in Centennial Park at the Parthenon, then eat lunch in 12 South or the Gulch. In the afternoon, drive to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home east of the city, or tour Belle Meade's antebellum mansion. Head out to Music Valley for the Grand Ole Opry in the evening, the long-running radio show performed live on most weekends.

Day three. Explore East Nashville's cafes and record shops, or catch a songwriter round in a small listening room. Further afield, the Jack Daniel's distillery at Lynchburg makes a long day out. For a second southern city, our Atlanta guide is a four-hour drive south-east.

Take the daytime tour of the Ryman even if you have a concert ticket. Steamboat captain Thomas Ryman built it as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892, and it took his name after his death in 1904. The Grand Ole Opry broadcast from here from 5 June 1943 until 15 March 1974, moving the next night to the new Opry House out by Opryland. Empty for nearly two decades, the hall was restored in the 1990s and now seats 2,362 on its original church pews, which is why acoustic shows sound so good here.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at 222 Fifth Avenue South is the starting point for two add-ons: guided trips to RCA Studio B, Nashville's oldest surviving recording studio, leave from the museum during the day, and Hatch Show Print, the letterpress poster shop, works from the museum's Fifth Avenue lobby. Book both with the museum ticket.

Hot chicken, meat-and-three and Goo Goo Clusters

Nashville hot chicken is the dish everyone asks about: fried chicken soaked in cayenne-laced oil, served on white bread with pickle chips. Restaurants grade the heat from plain to brutal, and the local advice is to order one level lower than you think. Prince's is the name tied to its origin, and lines form outside the best-known shops at lunch.

The other institution is the meat-and-three: pick one main (fried chicken, catfish, meatloaf) and three sides from a long list of southern vegetables, mac and cheese, greens and cornbread. These canteens often open only for lunch on weekdays. Monell's serves family-style at long shared tables, and the format suits a hungry group.

Biscuits with country ham turn up at breakfast across the city, and barbecue is everywhere, though Memphis takes the bigger reputation. The Goo Goo Cluster, a chocolate, caramel, marshmallow and peanut bar first made here in 1912, makes a portable souvenir.

For something different, Nolensville Pike in the south of the city is lined with Kurdish, Mexican, Vietnamese and Indian groceries and restaurants. The Arcade downtown, an open-air two-level passage between Fourth and Fifth Avenue North, hides cheap lunch counters and an old peanut shop.

CMA Fest in June and the Big Bash on New Year's Eve

Middle Tennessee has four real seasons. January highs average about 8C, with lows just below freezing, and ice storms do happen. By April the city is at 22C, and spring is the wettest time, with around 120 mm of rain in March and April and the risk of strong thunderstorms. July and August both average 32C, with nights near 19C. September cools to 29C and October to 22C, the most comfortable month for walking.

Early June is CMA Fest, four days of country music with stages on the riverfront and evening concerts at Nissan Stadium. It brings the biggest crowds of the year; hotels book out months ahead. Summer evenings also bring free outdoor concerts at parks around the city.

In autumn, college football fills Vanderbilt Stadium and the Tennessee Titans play at home on many Sundays. Their new enclosed stadium, going up beside the current Nissan Stadium, is due for completion in early 2027, ahead of the 2027 season. The weather is dry and warm enough for patios well into October.

New Year's Eve ends the year with Nashville's Big Bash, a free downtown concert with a giant music note dropping at midnight and fireworks over the river. Expect road closures in the centre and long rideshare waits afterwards.