Nashville spreads well beyond Lower Broadway. Stay Downtown or in SoBro for the Ryman, honky-tonks and Country Music Hall of Fame. Midtown, Germantown and East Nashville have their own evening scenes, but the walk to Broadway is longer.
Lower Broadway, the Ryman Auditorium and the riverfront are Downtown. South of Broadway, SoBro has the Country Music Hall of Fame, Music City Center and Bridgestone Arena. Stay central and you can walk back after a show. The streets around Broadway can stay loud late into the night.
The Gulch has restaurants, shops and hotels just southwest of Downtown. Farther west, Midtown and West End are near Vanderbilt University and Centennial Park, where the Parthenon stands. Stay out here for the campus or the park. Broadway is a separate walk or ride.
North of the Capitol, Germantown is close to Bicentennial Capitol Mall, the Tennessee State Museum and the Farmers’ Market. Across the Cumberland River, East Nashville’s Five Points has independent restaurants and music venues. Check the route back from Downtown before choosing either for late shows.
The Grand Ole Opry is in Music Valley, well away from the Ryman downtown. Pick Opryland if the Opry or a convention there is the reason for the trip, and plan a ride to Broadway. Summers are hot and humid. Spring and fall are better for long walks between neighborhoods. WeGo Route 18 runs from BNA to Downtown, and most trips between neighborhoods mean a bus or rideshare.