Must-see entertainment in Tennessee

  • Top Choice
    Dollywood

    The most-visited attraction in Tennessee is Dollywood, the self-created ode to the patron saint of East Tennessee: the big-haired, big-bosomed and big…

  • Top Choice
    Station Inn

    Sit at one of the small cocktail tables, squeezed together on the worn wood floor in this beer-only dive, and behold the lightning fingers of bluegrass…

  • Top Choice
    Wild Bill's

    Don't even think of showing up at this gritty, hole-in-the-wall juke joint before midnight. Order a 40oz beer and a basket of wings, then sit back to…

  • Top Choice
    Belcourt Theatre

    A true Nashville gem, this nonprofit cinema showcases the best of independent, documentary, world, repertory and classic cinema 365 days a year. It's also…

  • Ryman Auditorium

    The so-called 'Mother Church of Country Music' has hosted a laundry list of performers, from Martha Graham to Elvis, and from Katharine Hepburn to Bob…

  • Robert's Western World

    A dozen bars wouldn’t get you halfway down Lower Broadway, and this is a cut above all the other joints. It pulls out all the stops for folks making a…

  • Grand Ole Opry

    Though you'll find a variety of country shows throughout the week, the performance to see is the Grand Ole Opry, a lavish tribute to classic Nashville…

  • Basement

    The Basement is a staple of the indie music scene, with an eclectic offering of artists performing most nights of the week. Catch a huge line-up of…

  • Bluebird Cafe

    It's in a strip mall in suburban South Nashville, but don't let that fool you: some of the best original singer-songwriters in country music have graced…

  • Preservation Pub

    With festive Mardi Gras decor and three stories of beer-drinking fun, including a rooftop garden, the Pres Pub's a sure-bet good time. Nice staff, too…

  • Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar

    Bourbon Street bills itself as a little taste of New Orleans in Nashville, but with the best live blues in the city, it stands on its own. There are two…

  • Mercy Lounge

    Housed in an old brick flour mill and cannery just south of Broadway, the Mercy Lounge is a staple of Nashville's live rock scene for all the right…

  • Tennessee Theatre

    Reopening in 2005 after a $25.5-million restoration, this grand 1928 theatre hosts musicians and entertainers – Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, the…

  • Young Avenue Deli

    This Midtown favorite has food, pool and occasional live music that caters to a laid-back young crowd hyped up on 36 taps of draft craft and another 130…

  • Tootsie's Orchid Lounge

    The most venerated of the downtown honky-tonks, with music on three levels at any given moment, Tootsie's is a blessed dive oozing boot-stomping,…

  • Exit/In

    If you’re looking for a great spot to connect with Nashville's music history, head to the legendary Exit/In. This intimate space has hosted all-time…

  • Ascend Amphitheater

    Situated in the middle of the city in Riverfront Park, Nashville’s newest major music venue certainly does impress. The space-age stage structure and…

  • Marathon Music Works

    Located inside the former Marathon Motorworks factory (Nashville’s only local automobile manufacturer, which shuttered in 1914), this venue is simple but…

  • Musicians Corner

    Hailed as Nashville’s weekly lawn party, this is much more than a concert series. Set in beautiful Centennial Park with the famous Parthenon as a backdrop…

  • Basement East

    This lo-fi east-side dive is a newer, larger outpost of the original hole-in-the-wall haunt on 8th Ave S. Catch local and national acts here, with the…