Your first long weekend in Nashville should cover three landmarks: the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Parthenon, and the Grand Ole Opry. Pair them with a biscuit breakfast, a meat-and-three lunch, and hot chicken. Local favorites, from the Bluebird Cafe to a Broadway honky-tonk, round out the hours in between.
Nashville Landmarks, Restaurants, and Local Favorites
Biscuit Breakfasts and the Parthenon
Nashville’s best mornings start with flour, butter, and a short wait. Two kitchens split the city’s loyalty:
- Out on Highway 100, southwest of downtown, the Loveless Cafe traces its kitchen to 1951. That year, Lon and Annie Loveless began serving fried chicken and biscuits from their front door. Weekend breakfast starts at 7 a.m., and an early arrival beats the longest lines.
- Closer to the center, Biscuit Love cooks every day between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Gulch and Hillsboro Village.
Once you’ve eaten, head out to West End Avenue to Centennial Park. The park holds a full-scale replica of the Parthenon, with a 42-foot Athena and an art museum inside. Know these details first:
- Adults pay $15 at the door.
- Opening times can shift weekly, but most days begin at 9 a.m., Sundays start at 12:30 p.m., and the building closes on Wednesdays.
- The museum’s 63 American paintings, a gift from James M. Cowan, have come off display during gallery improvements, so confirm they’re back before you go.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and a Meat-and-Three Lunch
In SoBro, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opens its galleries from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all week. Allow 90 minutes to two hours, including time for Sing Me Back Home, the permanent exhibition.
On your way out, find Hatch Show Print, a working letterpress shop that has printed show posters since 1879. You can buy posters at its store to take home.
Lunch then turns to the meat-and-three, a Southern plate of one meat and three sides. On 8th Avenue South, Arnold’s Country Kitchen holds a James Beard America’s Classics award from 2009. Its menu leans on roast beef, long-simmered greens, fried green tomatoes, and cornbread.
Weekday lunch lasts from 10:30 a.m. until 2:45 p.m., and Saturday brings brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. If your weekend stretches from Friday to Monday, either end catches the weekday menu.
Local Favorites Near Downtown
The hours before dinner suit a few local favorites, most of them close to downtown:
- Jack White’s label runs Third Man Records at 627 7th Ave. S., a storefront open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Its Novelties Lounge holds a restored 1947 Voice-o-Graph that records up to two minutes of audio onto a six-inch disc. Check with the store before you go, since the booth may be out of order.
- Anyone with a sweet tooth can design a candy bar at the Goo Goo Chocolate Co. shop on 3rd Avenue South, then watch chocolatiers make it. The city’s signature cluster dates to 1912.
- Nashville credits Thornton Prince with hot chicken. His family’s business, Prince’s Hot Chicken, fries it at Assembly Food Hall, inside Fifth + Broadway. That downtown counter spares you the longer drive south to its Nolensville Pike location.
- As the light fades, walk the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge across the Cumberland River. The 3,150-foot span carried traffic from 1909 until 1998, when it closed to cars. Its west end faces the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and its east end lands near Nissan Stadium.
After Dark: Big Stages and Small Rooms
At night, the stages scatter across town. The Opry House sits about 9 miles from Lower Broadway, roughly 20 minutes by road when traffic is light. To cover that distance, you can take a rideshare, drive and park at each stop, or book a reliable limo service for the drive out to the Opry and back downtown.
The Opry, Old Home and New
Opry shows run on Friday and Saturday nights plus select weeknights, and most begin at 7 p.m. at the Opry House beside Opry Mills.
Selected winter shows also return to the Ryman Auditorium, its former home. January can bring dates at both venues, so read the venue on your ticket. Most other nights, the Ryman books concerts across every genre.
A Hushed Room in Green Hills
Songwriters trade their own songs in the round at the Bluebird Cafe, a small listening room on Hillsboro Pike. Most sets last about 90 minutes. Seating is tight, and the house rules matter:
- Only the Bluebird’s website takes reservations, with a limit of six seats per order.
- Most shows from Tuesday through Sunday hold 10 to 12 first-come seats for walk-ups when doors open.
- Each person spends at least $15 on food or drinks, except at the 6 p.m. Monday open mic.
- All ages can come in, though only adults 21 and older can take a bar stool.
- The room asks you to keep your voice low and talking to a minimum while songs play.
An Honky-Tonk with a Bargain
At 416 Broadway, Robert’s Western World sticks to traditional country music, a contrast to the bigger, multi-story bars nearby. Brazilbilly, the house band, claims the longest run of any band on the street.
The kitchen’s Recession Special bundles a fried bologna sandwich, chips, a MoonPie, and a PBR.
The Last Morning Before BNA
Departure day can still fit a landmark. On the same side of town as the airport, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage opens at 9 a.m., which leaves time for a visit before an afternoon flight. Pick a ticket:
- Standard adult admission costs $29.95 and covers the mansion, grounds, gardens, trails, and exhibits.
- Separate guided options include a 90-minute VIP experience and a 60-minute guided tour about the lives of the estate’s enslaved people.
The Hermitage sits about 10 miles from BNA, roughly 20 minutes by road outside rush hour. Plan time for mansion entry and the drive, whether you return a rental or book a Nashville Airport car service straight from the Hermitage to the terminal.
Save a Song for the Return Trip
No long weekend covers all of Nashville, and yours doesn’t need to. The landmarks give you the backstory, and the meals give you the flavor. The small rooms show why the city matters to the people who live there.
Leave one table unbooked and one song unheard, and the next trip already has a starting point.
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