24 Hours in Nashville

Start at the Hall of Fame when it opens at 9 a.m. or soon after; the museum itself says peak hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adult admission is $32 (£24). Walk south for a meat-and-three lunch at Arnold's Country Kitchen, then back up to the Ryman for a self-guided tour, and out onto the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge for the skyline. Dinner is hot chicken at Fifth and Broadway, and the evening is Robert's Western World and whatever band is playing next door.

Nothing on the route needs a timed ticket. The Ryman's self-guided tours run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Its published price, $25 (£18.70) plus tax, is a promotion that ends October 31, 2026, so check the rate for your date. The guided backstage tour, $43 (£32) with fees, has limited tickets. If a big-name show is on at the Ryman that night, that is your evening.

The day that breaks the plan is the weekend. Arnold's serves lunch Monday to Friday only, with brunch on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. On a Saturday, swap it for the food hall or Biscuit Love. The Ryman is closed on Thanksgiving Day. Robert's admits all ages until 6 p.m. and only those 21 and over after that.

We searched Kayak for two adults on a Friday, total price with all taxes and fees, 3 stars or better and a guest rating of 8 or more, downtown and in The Gulch:

• Downtown: Motto by Hilton Nashville Downtown was the cheapest qualifying room on January 15, 2027, at $191 (£143), rated 8.6. The Hilton Garden Inn Downtown/Convention Center was $213 (£160). In June the cheapest downtown room was $521 (£390).
• The Gulch: the Homewood Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown The Gulch was the cheapest qualifying room on June 11, 2027, at $428 (£321), rated 8.8. In January the Holiday Inn Express Downtown - Broadway was $239 (£179).

That June date falls inside CMA Fest, which the organizers have set for June 10 to 13, 2027. Check the festival and big-concert calendar before you pick a weekend; a quiet Friday is where the savings are.

The Route 18 Airport bus boards at the Ground Transportation Center on Level 1 of the Terminal 2 Garage. On the daytime timetable it leaves every 30 minutes and takes about 37 minutes to WeGo Central on Fifth Avenue; WeGo says local trips take 35 to 45 minutes, and the few express trips about 20. The fare is $2 (£1.50), paid by contactless card or QuickTicket, and covers two hours of rides. WeGo caps a day at $4 (£3).

The airport sets a flat taxi fare of $30 (£22) to downtown Nashville. Uber and Lyft pick up at the same Ground Transportation Center; the airport does not publish their fares.

• Hot chicken at Prince's, which traces its recipe back more than 100 years and has a counter in Assembly Food Hall at Fifth and Broadway. The hall is open 9 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
• A meat-and-three at Arnold's Country Kitchen, 605 8th Avenue South, Monday to Friday 10:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
• The Recession Special at Robert's Western World, a fried bologna sandwich, $6 (£4.50) on the bar's own site.
• Biscuits at Biscuit Love in The Gulch, open daily 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the bonuts come warm and rolled in sugar.

Prince's, Arnold's and Biscuit Love did not publish menu prices on their own sites when we checked. For a bigger food day in the South, see 24 hours in New Orleans.

Keep the Hall of Fame, hot chicken and an hour on Broadway. BNA is about 6 miles (10 km) from downtown in a straight line, and a $30 (£22) flat-fare taxi each way makes a daytime layover of eight hours or more workable. Drop Arnold's and the bridge if you are short of time.

Add the Ryman tour at the 2027 rate, and food. Two people sharing the flat-fare taxi both ways instead of the bus pay $60 (£45) for the pair. For cheaper music cities, compare the best 24-hour trips in the US.

BNA has nonstops from every US hub on our list: JFK, Newark, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Miami and Dallas/Fort Worth. That makes a two-city music trip with New Orleans or a pairing with Chicago easy to fly.

From the UK, British Airways flies nonstop from Heathrow. British travelers need an approved ESTA: CBP charges $10.62 (£8) to process it and $30 (£22) on approval, about $41 (£30) in all. Our entry rules guide explains how to apply.

Spring and fall are the comfortable seasons for walking between Broadway and the Gulch. Summer is hot and busy, and early June is CMA Fest. Winter is the cheapest season but, on our dates, still not cheap. Whatever the month, check the big-concert calendar before you book; for other solo-friendly music nights, see the best solo city breaks.

Airport to center

37 min from Nashville International Airport: WeGo Route 18 Airport bus from the Ground Transportation Center (Level 1, Terminal 2 Garage) to WeGo Central downtown; a few late-night express trips take about 20 minutes, $2 (£1.50)

One night, Friday

$191 (£143) on January 15, 2027 · $428 (£321) on June 11, 2027 (Downtown (January: Motto by Hilton Nashville Downtown, 4-star, 8.6) and The Gulch (June: Homewood Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown The Gulch, 3-star, 8.8))

Day ticket

WeGo Full Day fare cap (QuickTicket or contactless; you never pay more than this in a day): $4 (£3)

24 hours, per person

$163 (£122): half the average room, the airport ride both ways and a day ticket (entries extra)

Nonstop from the US

All 10 of our 10 US hub airports

Nonstop from the UK

LHR

Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better double, 1 night (Friday), 2 adults, stay total including all taxes and fees, guest rating 8+, Kayak area searches for Downtown and The Gulch, each result's neighborhood checked; June 11, 2027 falls during CMA Fest (June 10 to 13). Kayak, checked 2026-10-21.

Best months for walking around by our weather score: March, April, October. Daytime highs and lows, rain days (1 mm or more) and sunshine hours are 2016–2025 averages for Nashville (Open-Meteo historical weather archive).

Nashville: Authentic Food Tour with 5 Tastings of Local Dishes

You pick the neighborhood when booking; both are a short ride from Broadway, and the page gives the meeting point only once you choose. The page contradicts itself on whether tips are included.

3 hours

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(3,145 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Grand Ole Opry Show Admission Ticket

Seats run from $61.55 (level 6) to $101.29 (level 3) with all fees included, and floor seats are not guaranteed. The Opry House is at 600 Opry Mills Dr, a drive or ride of roughly 15-20 minutes from Broadway, with free parking at Opry Mills; shows start at 7 pm, and late November and December dates are the Christmas show.

2-2.5 hours

4.7★★★★★★★★★★(2,816 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Nashville Unveiled: The History, Music, and Hacks Tour!

Meets on the steps of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, 100 7th Ave N, just off Broadway; water and taxes are included. The $22.50 seen was a 10% sale off $25 whose stated end date had already passed, so expect $25.

1.5-2 hours

5.0★★★★★★★★★★(400 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.