Nashville explodes with neon-lit bars hosting the best up-and-coming country music acts. The lively nightlife scene centers around Broadway Street’s iconic honky-tonks and celebrity-owned venues like Florida Georgia Line’s three-story FGL House. But today’s Nashville, aka “NashVegas,” also boasts trendy rooftop watering holes overlooking the boot-stomping crowds below.
Table of Contents
- Experience Nashville’s High-Energy Bar Scene On Famed Broadway Street
- 10 Can’t-Miss Honky-Tonks To Catch Tomorrow’s Stars
- 1. Robert’s Western World Sticks To Twang’s Roots
- 2. Legend’s Corner Brings The Boot-Stomping Two-Step Downtown
- 3. The Stage Spans 3 Rockin’ Floors Of Live Music Access
- 4. Layla’s Honky-Tonk Offers A Bluegrass Detour Off-Strip
- 5. Bootleggers Inn Juices Creative Cocktails Into Its Honky-Tonk Ethos
- 6. Nashville Crossroads Lets You Channel Country Legends Daily
- 7. The Diner Nashville Dolls Up Greasy Spoon Fare With Nightly Shows
- 8. Nashville Underground’s Basement Stage Showcases Tomorrow’s Pop-Country Stars
- 9. The Local Spotlights Nashville’s Latin Music Scene Too
- 10. Bourbon Street Blues And Boogie Bar Stays True To Its Roots
- 5 Massive Rooftop Bars Offering Peak Views & Libations
- 1. Jason Aldean’s Four Stories Sport 10,000 Square Feet Of Rooftop Revelry
- 2. FGL House Crowns Downtown With A 40-Foot Cargo Container Bar
- 3. Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge Anchors Acme Feed & Seed’s Trendy Tri-Level Venue
- 4. Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa Triggers A South-Of-The-Border Fiesta
- 5. Bobby’s Idle Hour Blends Dive Bar Grit With Rooftop Glam
- Craft An Epic Nashville Bar Crawl Spanning Eras
Experience Nashville’s High-Energy Bar Scene On Famed Broadway Street
Broadway Street serves as Nashville’s hotbed of late-night action. Over 30 bars and restaurants offering live tunes spill onto the streets here nightly. At times, the neon-bathed avenue gets closed to vehicles, allowing for a teeming pedestrian party. The smells of leather cowboy boots and cigarette smoke mix with promising new artists’ strains emanating from every open venue door.
Honky-Tonk History Still Thrives On Broadway’s Stages
Modern stars like Jason Aldean and Dierks Bentley have opened new bars carrying their names. However, you can’t miss the old-school honky-tonks that made this strip famous. Venues like Robert’s Western World and Legend’s Corner keep classic country’s sound alive with nightly shows on their small stages. And Tootsies Orchid Lounge still oozes gritty charm despite hosting legends like Willie Nelson since the 1960s.
Celebrity-Owned Bars Ratchet Up The High-Tech Sizzle
While paying homage to Nashville’s past, today’s celebrity-helmed bars also employ state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and kitchen tech. Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge, Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, and FGL House all tempt crowds with a sleek modern allure plus owner star power. Florida Georgia Line’s three-floor FGL House wows with concert visuals even during ordinary evening sets from up-and-comers.
Rooftop Bars Soar In Popularity Above Broadways’ Bustling Boulevard
As competition for tourist dollars increased, Nashville bars expanded upward, giving rise to plush open-air rooftops. From these aerial perches, you can gaze over Lower Broadway’s pulsing action with a bespoke cocktail in hand. Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar accommodates over 500 partiers on its 4th story. And FGL House’s 40-foot “Cruise” shipping container turned bar offers unobstructed views.
10 Can’t-Miss Honky-Tonks To Catch Tomorrow’s Stars
Let’s zero in on ten funky honky-tonks offering nightly live music with no cover charge, reasonably priced drinks, and zero Nashville attitude. Wander between their stages to catch country music’s rising talents before others grab them for stadium tours.
1. Robert’s Western World Sticks To Twang’s Roots
Billed as “home of traditional country music,” Robert’s hosts talent keeping genres like Western swing alive. Between sets, browse boots or vintage gear for sale. Order a fried bologna sandwich from their “Honky Tonk Grill” to complete the retro experience.
2. Legend’s Corner Brings The Boot-Stomping Two-Step Downtown
This self-proclaimed “dive bar” oozes well-worn charm. With dancing encouraged and nightly live acts, it epitomizes the Broadway ethos. Shoot pool, practice your two-step, and sip reasonably-priced drinks at this Lower Broad anchor.
3. The Stage Spans 3 Rockin’ Floors Of Live Music Access
The Stage’s gritty come-as-you-are tri-level space spotlights novice artists singing their hearts out via awards shows and open mics. Observe ground-floor pool sharks, grab middle-tier seats for emerging acts, or relax upstairs within rustic sightlines of the ryman auditorium.
4. Layla’s Honky-Tonk Offers A Bluegrass Detour Off-Strip
Craving pickin’ and grinnin’ with your PBR versus pop country? Head to Layla’s rowdy cinderblock corner stage ever-pouring regional craft brews. Their name aptly salutes classic tune “Layla” in this bar inhabiting a former mechanic’s garage.
5. Bootleggers Inn Juices Creative Cocktails Into Its Honky-Tonk Ethos
Despite assuming the moniker “dive bar,” this recently revamped space mixed bespoke cocktails into its longtime honky-tonk slant. Sip handcrafted whiskey drinks under its taxidermied moose head or out on the petite patio.
6. Nashville Crossroads Lets You Channel Country Legends Daily
Nashville Crossroads’s exterior pays homage to the Ryman Auditorium’s original building facade. Inside, its small stage sees artists recreating superstar sets hourly. Catch tribute takes on Johnny Cash, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks classics feet from your stool.
7. The Diner Nashville Dolls Up Greasy Spoon Fare With Nightly Shows
The Diner spices its scrumptious all-American cooking with twangy acts unveiling soulful songwriting nightly. Come for heaping helpings of chicken and waffles; stay for the cathartic acoustics from emerging voices.
8. Nashville Underground’s Basement Stage Showcases Tomorrow’s Pop-Country Stars
Directly across from boot-scooting bastion Wildhorse Saloon, Nashville Underground sticks to chart-topping country canceled upstairs. Its subterranean setting provides a chill atmosphere to ingest dz mai tais while evaluating budding talent’s radio-ready chops.
9. The Local Spotlights Nashville’s Latin Music Scene Too
Beyond country and rock, Nashville hosts a thriving Latin music landscape. The Local serves as its anchor venue, slinging craft margaritas alongside nightly Latin jazz, salsa, reggaeton and more. Local dance instructors even host mini-lessons some evenings to get your feet moving.
10. Bourbon Street Blues And Boogie Bar Stays True To Its Roots
This Printers Alley haunt dedicated itself to blues and R&B long before Broadway glittered with neon beer signs. Authentically scruffy, its acts carry the torch for Chicago blues legends and Memphis soul stalwarts nightly. Soak up these seminal sounds without any cover charge most nights.
5 Massive Rooftop Bars Offering Peak Views & Libations
Nashville didn’t just expand upward with its bar scene. Some celebrity-backed venues seem intent on straddling the Tennessee clouds thanks to their mammoth rooftop lounges dwarfing the cramped honky-tonks dotting Broadway’s sidewalks below.
1. Jason Aldean’s Four Stories Sport 10,000 Square Feet Of Rooftop Revelry
Country star Jason Aldean funnels the arena energy of his stadium shows into this four-story restaurant and bar complex. Its mammoth open-air roof proved so popular, second reservations get snagged fast. The food impresses too, but people flock here for Birds-eye views of neon-lit Broadway.
2. FGL House Crowns Downtown With A 40-Foot Cargo Container Bar
Country duo Florida Georgia Line chose a bold centerpiece for their three-floor FGL House – a 40-foot retired shipping container turned swank open-air bar. Nicknamed the “Cruise Rooftop Bar” after their breakout 2012 hit, its eye-level perspective of Broadway bustle seduces patrons for hours on end.
3. Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge Anchors Acme Feed & Seed’s Trendy Tri-Level Venue
Luke Bryan added his name to Lower Broad’s three-story Acme Feed and Seed complex. Book dinner on Floor 1, enjoy your meal watching the stage show on Floor 2, then head to the expansive rooftop for more music beneath the stars on Broadway’s outskirts. The retractable roof comes in handy during Nashville’s sultry summer months!
4. Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa Triggers A South-Of-The-Border Fiesta
Blake Shelton’s ex and fellow country firebrand Miranda Lambert splashes Broadway with her pink-hued Mexican cantina themed bar. Head up its whimsically decorated stairwell to a Technicolor rooftop lounge ensuring tequila buzzes through your veins all evening long. An ideal escape from the beer-soaked honky tonks downtown!
5. Bobby’s Idle Hour Blends Dive Bar Grit With Rooftop Glam
Bobby’s Idle Host erected a surprisingly chic rooftop addition above its longtime punk rock and heavy metal dive bar leaning. Now three spaces in one, shot Jen at the downstairs bar, enjoy pub grub in their mellower second-floor dining room, or sip bespoke cocktails on the third level’s sleek outdoor lounge lined with market lights. The trifecta helps Bobby’s defy genres spectacularly.
Craft An Epic Nashville Bar Crawl Spanning Eras
Follow my footsteps to experience Nashville’s layered music history via its beloved venues:
- Start with a round of dusky early evening sets in the intimacy of folky singer-songwriter haven The Bluebird Cafe.
- Experience the ghosts of country music’s past at Tootsies Orchid Lounge, where Willie Nelson may slide you a drink if you’re lucky.
- Contrast Tootsie’s funky 1960’s vibe with the state-of-the-art sound and lighting tech at Florida Georgia Line’s slick FGL House axis for some boot-stomping line dancing practice.
- Cap your night with bespoke rooftop cocktails at Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, overlooking neon-lit Broadway as the night winds down.
From hole-in-the-wall listening rooms to megastar flagship bars, Nashville mixes country’s nostalgic past with poppy future seamlessly!