Chapter Two

Music & Theater

The Ryman, TPAC, the symphony, comedy, and the rooms where the live music lives.

Eddie V's

Live jazz, raw bar, martinis. A reliable polished dinner.

Upscale seafood and steakhouse with a downtown Nashville location. Live jazz, raw bar, martinis. Reliable for a polished dinner.

Downtown · Eddie V's, Downtown Nashville · Official site

Skull's Rainbow Room

Printers Alley since 1948. Live music, burlesque, dinner in one room.

Printers Alley institution dating to 1948. Reopened in 2015. Live music, burlesque, dinner, and drinks in one room. Pair with Yolan around the corner.

Printers Alley · 222 Printers Alley, Nashville, TN 37201 · Official site

Station Inn

Operating since 1974. Sunday Bluegrass Jam is the must-do.

The Gulch. One of the most important bluegrass venues in the United States, operating since 1974. Sunday Bluegrass Jam is the must-do night; ticketed touring shows the rest of the week.

The Gulch · Station Inn, The Gulch, Nashville · Official site

The Twelve Thirty Club

JT's place. Coconut margaritas don't require membership.

Fifth + Broadway, downtown. Justin Timberlake's place. The Honky Tonk on the lower levels and the rooftop bar are walk-in. The Supper Club upstairs is members only. Coconut margaritas don't require membership.

Downtown · The Twelve Thirty Club, Fifth + Broadway, Nashville · Official site

The Cowan

600-cap live music room right next to Topgolf.

A two-story, 600-person live music venue on the East Bank, adjacent to Topgolf. Touring acts and local bills in an intimate, modern room.

Nashville · 500 Cowan St, Nashville, TN 37207

Ryman Auditorium

The Mother Church of Country Music. Perfect acoustics, real history.

The 1892 hall that birthed the Grand Ole Opry and shaped American music. Pew seating, stained glass, and some of the best acoustics in the country. A show here is the high-signal Nashville music move.

Downtown · 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219 · Official site

TPAC

Broadway tours, theater, ballet, Nashville Rep. Downtown.

Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Broadway tours, theater, ballet, the Nashville Repertory Theatre. Downtown.

Downtown · TPAC, Downtown Nashville

Schermerhorn Symphony Center

Movies at the Symphony: feature films with the orchestra live.

The Schermerhorn (downtown) hosts the Nashville Symphony plus a "Movies at the Symphony" series — feature films screened with the symphony performing the score live. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pixar.

Downtown · Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Downtown Nashville

Printer's Alley

Nashville's oldest nightlife district — a single alley, a dozen rooms.

The oldest nightlife district in Nashville, dating to the 1940s. A narrow alley between 3rd and 4th Avenues downtown, packed end-to-end with intimate music venues. Skull's Rainbow Room, Bourbon Street Blues, Lonnie's Western Room, Fleet Street Pub.

Printers Alley · Printer's Alley, Downtown Nashville

Garage Sale Bar

East Nashville live music and a proper record shop. Small, real.

A combination record shop, bar, and live music venue in East Nashville — the kind of room where the show is close and the curation is good. A real neighborhood music spot.

East Nashville · East Nashville, Nashville, TN