Nashville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, and it’s quickly becoming a hub for commerce, tourism, arts and culture. Make no mistake though: Nashville is Music City, and it’s proud to embrace the country music scene that helped put it on the map.
Honky-tonks are great places to party and hear first-rate musicians cover your favorite songs, but Nashville’s country music scene really comes to life in storied venues off Lower Broadway, ranging from the cozy to the cavernous.
Here are seven iconic country music venues in Nashville.
It’s where Johnny Cash fell in love with June Carter. It’s where Hank Williams brought down the house and reportedly earned an incredible six encores of “Lovesick Blues” in 1949. And for many diehard country fans, the Mother Church of Country Music is Nashville’s ultimate draw. Originally built as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892, the Ryman Auditorium was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry and hosted genre-defining moments even after the radio show moved east. The aging venue was renovated in the 1990s and continues to host career-defining moments for artists of all genres.
116 5th Ave. N.; 615-889-3060; ryman.com
Garth at The Ryman:Garth Brooks teaches a master class in entertainment at Ryman show
Located in a nondescript shopping center just across from The Mall at Green Hills, the Bluebird Cafe is a far cry from the raucous honky-tonks of Lower Broadway. The low-key venue hosts artists in the round, giving audience members a chance to see emerging performers or the lesser-known songwriters behind country stars’ greatest hits. It’s one of Nashville’s most prized incubators of talent — just ask Taylor Swift, who was discovered there as a teen in 2004.
4104 Hillsboro Pike; 615-383-1461; bluebirdcafe.com
The Grand Ole Opry helped propel country music from a regional genre into a global sensation when it started broadcasting in 1925, and becoming an Opry member is still one of the highest honors a country artist can achieve. Since 1974, the show has broadcast from a dedicated space just east of Nashville. The venue regularly hosts performances from Opry members and still broadcasts the nation’s oldest live music radio show, online and over the radio waves at 650 AM.
2804 Opryland Dr.; 615-871-6779; opry.com
Country music history 101: How the Grand Ole Opry put country music (and Nashville) on the map
Opry 5,000:5 unforgettable moments from the Grand Ole Opry’s 5,000th Saturday night show
Station Inn regulars will rightfully point out that the longtime music venue in the Gulch is first and foremost a bluegrass club. We still think it’s easy to sell country music fans on an intimate venue where you can watch fiddle, banjo and mandolin players jangle away at weekly jams and ticketed events.
402 12th Ave. S.; 615-255-3307; stationinn.com
Hear that fiddle cutting through the covers of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” or “Before He Cheats” as you’re walking down Lower Broadway? Follow the sound, and chances are you’ll end up at Robert’s Western World, the honky-tonk row’s home for traditional country music. Artists here play standup bass, Dobros and banjos, and they kick off Sunday mornings on Broadway with traditional gospel songs.
416B Broadway; 615-244-9552; robertswesternworld.com
The Grand Ole Opry isn’t the only long-running country radio show in town. Ernest Tubb’s Midnite Jamboree has broadcast on Saturdays since 1947, and recorded at the Texas Troubadour Theatre in Music Valley until summer 2021 before moving back to Ernest Tubb Record Shop. The venue now showcases traditional country artists and hosts a cowboy church for locals and visitors looking for unique fellowship during their Nashville visit.
2416 Music Valley Dr.; 615-585-9301; texastroubadourtheatre.com
Looking for old-school country music in a no-frills environment? Head to Honky Tonk Tuesday at East Nashville’s American Legion Post. The weekly show hosts “classic country, western and hillbilly bands” playing toe-tapping tunes and, recently, dance lessons for square and contra dance novices.
3204 Gallatin Pike; 615-228-3598; facebook.com/honkytonktuesdaynights
Cole Villena covers business at The Tennessean, part of the USA Today Network — Tennessee. Reach Cole at [email protected] or 615-925-0493. Follow Cole on Twitter at @ColeVillena and on Instagram at @CVinTennessee.
