One of the reasons Hannah and I decided not to go off to college in a new city is because we love our city so much! There are an insane amount of tourists around town these days so we wanted to offer our top travel tips for you first timers coming to visit Nashville. Although it hasn’t always been as cool as it is now, Nashville is our home, and we want to give you our best tips on how to see the city right.

Bring or Rent a Car

While Uber’s and Lyft’s are all over the city, there are so many special spots to explore in Nashville that require driving. One of the neatest parts of the city’s charm are the different neighborhoods. Each has it’s own personality and have shops and restaurants that reflect it’s own vibe. However, these neighborhoods are spread out across the city, which makes a car very handy.

Explore More Than Just Broadway

Although the iconic honky-tonks are usually the first thing that pops into people’s heads when they think about Nashville, there’s so much more to the city than just the Broadway strip. Don’t get us wrong, we think it’s important to see that, but we think it’s equally important to go to multiple places around town if you want to get a true Nashville experience.

Recommended Neighborhoods

SoBro.

This is the area most people think of when they picture the Nashville Skyline. Broadway is the home to many country music stars’ bars and restaurants like Florida Georgia Line’s FGL House or Blake Shelton’s Ole Red. If you’re craving affordable Italian food and sweet tea, Demos on 3rd Ave is well worth the wait. If you’d rather have fried chicken with a side of live country music, Puckett’s Grocery on 5th is you’re best bet. You also want to walk on the Pedestrian Bridge to get your iconic Nashville Skyline photo for Instagram. If you have time to plan your trip, definitely check out some of the music venues! Our favorite venue hands down is The Ryman. It’s such a small venue that many concerts book up fast so plan ahead! Ascend Amphitheater is our outdoor music venue. The view of the city skyline makes each concert a bit more magical!

East Nashville.

This is one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Nashville right now. It’s where many of the aspiring singer songwriter’s and hipster Nashvillians live. The best part of East Nashville is the food. The Pharmacy has the best burgers and milkshakes in town and the ambiance is amazing. Right across the street, you’ll find the best Mexican food around at Mas Tacos Por Favor. They also have incredible iced coffee! If you’re not feeling burger’s or tacos, Five Points Pizza is also very good, and bonus, its close to The Soda Parlor if you need some ice cream for dessert.

12 South. 

This neighborhood is home to one of the more iconic coffee shops in town, Frothy Monkey. Right across the street is Reese Witherspoon’s store, Draper James, and the I Believe in Nashville mural. Another fun store in the area is White’s Mercantile. It’s very Chip and Jo, and if you go at the right time, you’ll find the Grilled Cheeserie Food Truck or Amelia’s Flower Truck. If your craving tacos, Taqueria Del Sol is amazing, but beware, the fried chicken tacos are addicting. If BBQ is on your mind, Edley’s is a good choice. If you’re a retro lover like us, be sure to go to The Flipside. The decor is amazing, but you have to like chicken because that’s the only thing on the menu!

Hillsboro Village/Belmont. 

This is my (Chelsea) most visited neighborhood because it’s where I went to college! Belmont’s architecture is gorgeous, and there’s many, you guessed it, restaurants and coffee shops around. My favorite coffee shop in town is Bongo Java. I order the McBowl Latte and a Bongo Basic. Bongo also has many other coffee houses and restaurants around town. My other favorites are Fido, another famous coffee shop where I spent many hours studying and where you could potential spot a celebrity, and Fenwicks 300, an incredible Brunch and Lunch restaurant on 8th Ave. Pancake Pantry is also a Nashville favorite located in The Village just beware there’s always a line out of the door! Not far from this area is Centennial Park, home to The Parthenon. We love to grab lunch from one of the many restaurants we’ve listed and head to the park for a picnic.

Germantown. 

This is a super cool neighborhood lined with brownstones and modern condos. There are many amazing restaurants in this part of town, most I haven’t gotten the chance to visit yet. One of my favorite things to do in Germantown is go to a Nashville Sounds Game, our minor league baseball team. The stadium is amazing! If you go, eat at Jack Brown’s Bear and Burger Joint first. It’s a bit of a dive, but the food is so so good! If you’re in Germantown in the morning, swing by The Red Bicycle, a tiny gourmet coffee shop who specialize in crepes!

Historic Downtown Franklin.

If you have time, you can head out to the suburbs to the city of Franklin. It’s an adorable little historic town with lots of shops and restaurants. It also has a restored movie theater where you can catch a movie on a rainy day. If you come in the fall, you can also stop buy Gentry’s Farm for the pumpkin patch!

Well there you have it! Our mini Nashville Neighborhood Guide! It’s one of our goals to create a more official guide in the future so stay tuned!

We hope you have fun in our city!!

-Chelsea and Hannah