One day in Nashville

Day by day

1. Day 1: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Ryman Auditorium

   Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Ryman Auditorium, Lower Broadway honky-tonks and Johnny Cash Museum, then Grand Ole Opry in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

      Book the Studio B tour with your museum ticket; it is only reached by the museum's shuttle. Allow 2–3 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Ryman Auditorium

      If you can, see a concert rather than only a tour; the acoustics are famous. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Nashville hot chicken

      Hot-chicken shops across the city, including Prince's and several newer specialists; start at medium.

   4. Afternoon

      Lower Broadway honky-tonks

      Go in the afternoon or on a weekday to hear the musicians without the weekend crush, and tip the band. Allow An afternoon or evening.

   5. Late afternoon

      Johnny Cash Museum

      Allow about an hour; combine it with the Patsy Cline Museum on a combined ticket. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

   6. Evening

      Grand Ole Opry

      Check whether the show is at the Opry House or, during some winter weeks, at the Ryman.

Before you go

• Ryman Auditorium: Popular concerts sell out quickly; buy tickets through the official site.
• Grand Ole Opry: Book tickets ahead, especially for weekend shows.

If it rains

• Swap in National Museum of African American Music (Downtown and Lower Broadway): Plan at least two hours; the interactive galleries take time.
• Swap in The Parthenon (Midtown and Music Row): The park around it is free and a pleasant place for a picnic.
• Swap in Frist Art Museum (Downtown and Lower Broadway): Check the current exhibitions online; under-18s go free.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–12 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. Lower Broadway, the Ryman, the Hall of Fame, the pedestrian bridge and the Gulch are all within about 15 minutes on foot.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Nashville
• 3 days in Nashville

Questions travellers ask