A local’s opinion
Nashville Is More Than Broadway
When Broadway is worth it, where to go after, and the Nashville bars I actually send friends to.
Let’s get one thing straight: this is not an anti-Broadway article. Broadway is a dang good time. You know exactly what you are walking into: blocks of bars, live bands everywhere, and no shortage of people ready to get after it.
Broadway is better during the day
If the weather is good, start downtown in the afternoon. Find a rooftop, get a beer, bounce between bands, and enjoy the fact that you can hear quality live music in one room after another without planning the whole day around a single ticket.
Once the sun goes down, a lot of the strip shifts toward the same club-and-party energy. That can still be a heck of a night. You just need to be in the right mood. If you want to listen to a great band over a beer, go earlier. If you want to stay out late and make some questionable decisions, Broadway will be ready for you.
If you only make three Broadway stops
Robert’s Western World
Robert’s is the most unique stop on Broadway. It is an old-school honky-tonk, not another shiny artist-branded bar, and it still feels like its own place. Order the Recession Special. It was listed at $6 when this was published for a fried bologna sandwich, chips, a MoonPie, and a PBR. Then listen to classic country and western swing. It is one of the few deals left on the strip.
Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge
Tootsie’s is another Nashville original. It is busier and less singular than Robert’s, but it belongs on the list for the history, the bands, and the fact that it has been part of the downtown music scene for generations.
The Stage on Broadway
This is my after-dark move. Go to the first floor when you want the real Broadway party: a classic room, a strong band, and a crowd that came to have a dang good time. It feels more like Broadway than a polished new nightclub with a country star’s name over the door.
The newer artist-branded spots around downtown are not bad. Jason Aldean’s, Morgan Wallen’s This Bar, and Luke Combs’ Category 10 are all worth a look if you are curious. Bounce around; that is one of the area’s best features. Just do not confuse checking those boxes with seeing everything Nashville has to offer.
Midtown is my actual default
Midtown is less touristy, lower-key, and still built around live music. Losers Midtown is my favorite bar in town: good bands, an easy vibe, and the real chance that somebody you recognize walks in. I have seen Riley Green there more than once. He even handed me a tequila shot one night. I have also seen Koe Wetzel, Brooks & Dunn, and Ella Langley.
Riley Green’s Duck Blind is attached to Losers, and Odie’s Bar and The Red Door Saloon give you other easy stops nearby. You can still bounce around, but it feels more like going out in Nashville than visiting an attraction built for Nashville.
East Nashville is the low-key move
East Nashville is artsier, looser, and less wall-to-wall live music. That is part of the appeal. When there is a show I want at The Basement East, I will go there first and head to Ernie’s Boondock afterward. It is a good move when you want a real show and a neighborhood night instead of five hours under neon lights.
Do not sleep on Printer’s Alley
Printer’s Alley is close enough to walk from Broadway but changes the pace. Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar is the move when you want blues instead of another round of country covers. It is an easy detour and a good reminder that downtown is bigger than Lower Broadway.
Pick the neighborhood by the night you want
- Day drinking and constant live music: Broadway.
- A full-on party after dark: The Stage and the rest of the strip.
- Lower-key bars with surprise-guest potential: Midtown.
- A ticketed show plus a neighborhood bar: East Nashville.
- Blues or a quick change of pace downtown: Printer’s Alley.
You can spend an entire trip on Broadway and have a dang good time. I have done it. But Nashville gets much better when Broadway is one part of the plan instead of the whole plan.
Bars, lineups, prices, and entry rules change. Check the artist or venue before you head out.