Last updated August 13, 2026 · Editorial policy
Things to Do in Nashville, TN: What Is Actually Worth Your Time
Quick answer: This is an honest look at Nashville, TN: which popular attraction to think twice about, what to do with that time instead, and the spot most visitors never reach. It also covers the transit and money moves that save the most hassle.
The strip of Broadway honky-tonks gets the postcards, but bars like Tootsies run loud, crowded, and overpriced once the bachelorette buses arrive. For actual songwriting, book the Bluebird Cafe in Midtown instead. Its ‘In the Round’ format seats three or four writers in the center of the room trading the stories behind hits you already know. Reservations open online only (there is no phone booking), and there is about a $15 per-seat food-and-drink minimum, so plan a few days out.
The pick most visitors skip is RCA Studio B on Music Row, where Elvis Presley cut a large share of his catalog. You can only reach it on the shuttle tour that departs from the Country Music Hall of Fame, so buy that combined ticket rather than treating the studio as a walk-up.
For a smart money move, eat lunch at Arnold’s Country Kitchen, the James Beard American Classics meat-and-three near 8th Avenue South. It serves weekday lunch only, roughly 10:30am to mid-afternoon, and a tray of meat plus three sides costs far less than a Broadway sit-down dinner.
If you still want the historic room, tour the Ryman Auditorium, the 2,362-seat hall that hosted the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 — the music carries better there than on any patio bar.
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John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
