Destinations United States
Carlie Hoke
Nashville is a city full of life and creativity, so it’s really no wonder why those preparing to tie the knot flock there. The Music City is one of the top destinations for bachelorette parties and the lively southern city has plenty to offer visitors no matter what draws a person there. Famous for churning out some of the most famous country stars of the past and modern-day, Nashville is a no-brainer for lovers of the genre and culture. The city is also home to great food, art, and activities that make any trip there a memorable one.
There is so much to do and explore in Nashville that a long weekend almost isn’t enough to get a full experience of the city, but brides-to-be and their wedding parties sure do try! While it’s easy to have a wild time in NashVegas, Nashville can be a pretty low-key party destination as well. Between some of the very best food spots, outings, and bars, we’ve compiled a list of the very best things to do in the Music City that make for a perfect bachelorette party no matter what type of bride you are celebrating.
Stay in one of Nashville’s unique neighborhoods
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Like most large cities, Nashville is made up of a number of neighborhoods that have their own cultures and unique attractions that draw people in. You’d be hard-pressed to explore all the differing areas in just one trip to Nashville, but choosing carefully where to rest your head at night could increase odds that you familiarize yourself with at least one of the thriving neighborhoods.
According to local blogger Elizabeth Demolat for Travel Lemming, The Gulch is one of the best places to stay in Nashville. Not only is it close to the eye of the city, but it’s also a stone’s throw from Downtown and Midtown, so staying in the trendy community of The Gulch allows you to walk to the majority of the most popular attractions, bars, and honky-tonks. Located just to the east of The Gulch, Sobro has similar perks and is home to a number of iconic Nashville landmarks, like The Listening Room Cafe and The Country Music Hall of Fame.
The only real downfall of these two neighborhoods is how pricey they are. If your group is trying to save money for the wedding and their bridesmaids’ dresses, consider one of Nashville’s more affordable neighborhoods to stay in. More kind to the wallet, Nashville’s West End is a great choice for those wanting to experience the city. As long as you don’t mind the lack of walkability, this is a great option for first-time Nashville partiers.
Add to the experience with stellar lodgings
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Once you figure out which neighborhood fits your group’s needs, you’ve got the choice of lodgings to consider. Nashville has some pretty awesome hotels and short-term rentals that are trendy, comfortable, and everything you could want for a bachelorette party weekend.
Having such a huge tourism industry that brings in a large number of wedding parties, Nashville has a number of hotels that go all out catering to the type of vibe perfect for brides-to-be. Moxy Nashville Downtown is one such hotel that creatively puts together an atmosphere that is both classy and eclectic. The hotel features a rooftop bar and small music venue and is the only hotel located on Nashville’s famous Broadway street. Over in Midtown stands Graduate Nashville, where all of your funky pattern and color dreams will come true. The decor in the hotel is art in itself, and the bright pink overload of its rooftop bar would have Elle Woods herself feeling right at home.
While Nashville has some beautiful and picturesque hotels that would make any bridal party think they’ve gone to heaven, short-term rentals are a great option. Renting an entire house can result in the whole group staying in one lodging and a lot of popular Airbnbs are similarly themed and well-decorated. Dolly’s Dream, inspired by the country queen herself, is an example of a perfect rental for a large bridal party with 12 beds and an aesthetic to die for.
Dress the part
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Where else but Nashville can you fit right in by wearing uniquely designed cowboy boots and flamboyant cowboy hats? Okay, well you might not fit in with the locals, but if there’s any time or anywhere to be an obvious tourist, it’s during a bachelorette weekend in Nashville. While you can certainly get Nashville-themed party gags online with Etsy shops, starting your trip out with a visit to one of the many hat makers and cowboy boot shops is a worthwhile venture.
Investing in quality western gear will not only allow you to indulge in the more stereotypically fun southern traditions, but it also makes for great additions to group photos and bringing home a lasting souvenir to remember the trip by — possibly even incorporating it into the wedding itself. Going all out and purchasing unique and lasting cowboy boots and hand-crafted hats can certainly cost a pretty penny, but it might just be worth it if it’s in your budget.
Local hat makers like Rustler Hat Co. and Travis Austin have ready-to-sell hats and also take custom orders, though each hat is pretty much one-of-a-kind. They are handcrafted, wearable pieces of art. The same kind of craftsmanship and creativity for boots can be found at Music City Leather.
Get the most out out NashVegas
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If you don’t spend at least one night exploring Broadway, the strip of bars and honky-tonks affectionately known as NashVegas, did you even go to Nashville? This part of the city is alive and popping at night, with music floating through the air out of practically every building and rooftop and the streets crawling with people. It’s worth fighting the crowds, though, as practically every bar holds some special history in the city and everyone is there for great music, drinks, and dancing.
A rotation of live bands plays throughout the strip each night, with pretty much every bar acting as a music venue and the bands playing mostly covers of popular country songs. While it isn’t the gritty country scene some look for, the venues and musicians play on the ability for patrons to sing along with their favorite tunes while letting loose on the town.
It’s near impossible to stop at all the bars and honky-tonks on the strip, but there are a few stand-outs that visitors should try to hit. Tootsies is a NashVegas staple and has three stages for live music within its walls, The Stage on Broadway is a vital stop for both first-timers and returning visitors, and Nudie’s Honky Tonk is a wildly fun time that is so worth the constant crowd.
Visit the dives
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NashVegas is a ton of fun, which is why it remains so popular and a top thing to do in Nashville, but the city has a ton of lesser-known bars that are an experience all in itself. Spending a night off the beaten path of Broadway is so worth it – if the main strip is made for patrons to enjoy the music they recognize and can sing along with, dives hold that grittier music scene where you may even see the next up-and-coming star performing in one of the dive bars around the city.
Santa’s Pub is more of a hike out of Nashville’s city center but a long-time favorite and definitely something to plan for. A cash-only bar with live music in a double-wide trailer, Santa’s Pub is decked out for Christmas all year round and is a very relaxed, cozy venue with mixed patrons ranging from regulars to visitors. For groups that want a dive experience without straying far from Nashville’s Broadway, Batters Box is a short walk from the strip and provides a true dive atmosphere. Be warned that the majority of Nashville’s dive bars allow smoking indoors, so if anyone in your party is a non-smoker, the dives might be better saved for the end of the night.
Sing from the rooftops
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Nashville has a relatively large number of popular rooftop bars, and visiting one is a great way to see the city from a new perspective; it’s an experience you don’t want to miss out on when visiting the Music City and would make a wonderful addition to a bachelorette weekend. Most of the hot spots that allow you to sip drinks and listen to live music on the roof are located near the city center around Downtown and NashVegas, so incorporating them into your regular exploration of the city is a great idea.
We’ve already covered some of the city’s epic rooftop bars, like the one atop Moxy Nashville Downtown and Tootsie’s also features a modest rooftop. Like Tootsie’s, Acme Feed and Seed is located on Broadway and is a historic part of Nashville. The three-story, two centuries old building features an indoor live music stage as well as one on its rooftop and it’s a great place to get some food and sip a drink while enjoying the stellar, close-up view of the city. LA Jackson Bar is a classy rooftop bar located in The Gulch. The spacious rooftop is open to anyone over the age of 21 on a first come, first serve basis and since it is Nashville Scene’s 6-year reigning champ for the best rooftop bar, you may have a little trouble getting in. The ambiance is worth it, though, and the food and drink aren’t half bad either.
Book a party on wheels
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If you’ve ever been to Nashville, chances are you’ve seen the party buses and pedal trolleys full of celebrating wedding parties — they may even be a reason you’ve chosen the Music City for your party destination. If it’s big and on wheels, Nashville has put a party on it. You can book party buses, tractors, and even a fire engine along with a number of boats for large groups. Booking one of these private mobile parties is great if you want to have a good time together seeing the city without having to plan out too many stops yourself, and they’re a great way to avoid traversing the large crowds in the street and in the many bars and honky-tonks.
A stand out in this category is definitely the Big Drag Bus, which is exactly what it sounds like. Partygoers step on a huge, tricked-out bus for a BYOB tour of the city with a drag queen for about an hour and a half. A more common way to party on wheels is in an open-aired vehicle where groups are free to see the city while they sip their drinks, and Nashville Pedal Tavern is a commonly seen party bike that passengers actively pedal while being served beer and touring the popular areas of the city. It’s a more lowkey party vehicle, but a great way to bond with your group and talk about wedding details while having fun in a new city.
Make dinner a thing to remember
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Music isn’t the only thing that Nashville does right; the city also has a pretty impressive food scene. Whether your group is looking for an affordable, low-key meal, a luxury fine dining experience, or something in between, there are plenty of restaurants with menus full of mouth-watering dishes to choose from.
The Pharmacy is a restaurant and beer garden in East Nashville that has one of the best burgers you will likely have in your entire life, locally sourced beef and from-scratch components. If you’re looking to set off your bachelorette party by dressing up and heading out for a fine dining experience, House of Cards is a solid and intriguing choice. Located below the Johnny Cash Museum, the gourmet restaurant has a dress code and every meal comes with a live magic show. Another place to catch dinner and a show is at Skull’s Rainbow Room, where live jazz music is played nightly and burlesque dancers take the stage three nights a week.
Take the bachelorette to brunch
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Everyone’s got to eat, especially after a night spent honky-tonk hopping in NashVegas. Brunch is the perfect remedy for a late ladies’ night out, and Nashville has plenty of award-winning restaurants that are known for their brunches.
Ruby Sunshine has brunch all day long, so it really doesn’t matter what time of day you are finally able to rally your group for another outing. Liberty Common also extends its brunch time, but they serve it up all week! It’s a good thing, because everything on their savory brunch menu is fantastic, and you’ll need a whole week to get through it all.
When we’re talking about a boozy breakfast, the only thing better than brunch is bottomless brunch, and there are a few places to go in Nashville if you’re looking for a whole lot of breakfast food and drinks to wash it down. Reinvented from a historical theater, Sinema is a popular brunch spot that features an affordable bottomless brunch, to which you can add on bottomless drinks as well.
Don’t miss out on shopping
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There is so much to do in Nashville and it’s easy to fill your schedule with fun and unique experiences and activities, but don’t forget to have some chill time too. Block off a chunk of your time for strolling the streets full of local boutiques of a neighborhood or two, Nashville is an incredibly creative and business-positive city, so shops are unique and fun to explore.
Some of the very best shopping among locally owned shops comes from celebrity businesses. Reese Witherspoon owns Draper James, Kristin Cavallari is the woman behind Uncommon James, and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line owns Tribe Kelley with his wife Brittney. An outing centering on some famous shops is a great addition to a bachelorette weekend for the shopping-focused bride.
Of course, it’s not just the famous residents of Nashville that have creative and trendy shops. The city is full of shops waiting to be discovered by newcomers, and the Hillsboro neighborhood in particular is ripe with boutiques. Molly Green, United Apparel Liquidators, and Posh are both trendy, popular shops in the neighborhood that each member of the bridal party could find something to covet.
Do a photo-op
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You (with any luck) will only have one bachelorette party, and if you’re making it a destination event in Nashville, you’re already doing it right! You’ll want some photos to remember the time with your closest friends, and there are so many unique murals around the city that make beautiful backdrops for such pictures. Schedule your outings around some of the city’s most iconic murals and you’ll have a camera roll full of cute pictures to last an entire year’s worth of throwback Thursdays.
While you’re shopping in Hillsboro, stop by United Apparel Liquidators’ iconic “Drippy Lip” mural and Molly Green also has an eclectic mural on its side. Heading over to Marathon Village, taking a picture with the “I Believe in Nashville” mural is almost a necessity.
If you don’t want to plan out your own mural tour, there is one offered by Mint Julep Tours and, you guessed it, the tour comes with some spirited sips. The tour company takes groups to murals that seem made just for photo ops, like the “Candy Hearts” mural in The Gulch.
Get your country music fix
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If the bride-to-be is having her last hoorah before marriage in Nashville, chances are she’s a country music lover. While you won’t have to look far to see live country music and it will be very present in your outings to the honky-tonks of NashVegas, there’s also quite a bit of history about the music genre in the city.
Nashville is home to landmarks and tributes to country stars who have made a great impact on the music genre; images of Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson can all be found in the city. All of these big names and more have a place in both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, and both are great places for brides who have a deep appreciation for country music and its history to visit.
Taking a look at the Grand Ole Opry’s schedule during the time you will be in town is wise, as it’s one of the most iconic venues for country music. Playing the venue is a milestone many artists hold dear, and adding a visit to see artists play the stage could be a highlight of a Nashville bachelorette party.
