Top 5 Honky Tonks to Visit in Nashville, Tennessee
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Every honky tonk on Broadway has live music, no cover charge, and a rooftop. That’s the part nobody tells you, and it’s why every “top 10” list blurs together.
What actually differs is the crowd, the kind of music, and how likely you are to hear Wagon Wheel in the next twenty minutes.
We’ve been to all five of these. Here’s what each one is best for, in the order we’d walk them.
If you only have one night
Start at Legends Corner, walk next door to Tootsie’s, and finish at Honky Tonk Central when you want the music to stop being country. Three bars, four minutes of walking, no cover at any of them.
First, what is a honky tonk?
A bar with a stage, live music from late morning until roughly 3am, and usually no cover charge. Musicians play for tips, which is why a bucket comes around between sets and why you want cash.
On Lower Broadway they’re stacked shoulder to shoulder for about four blocks, most are two or three floors with a rooftop, and you can walk the whole strip in under ten minutes.
The route we’d walk
Here’s the map we’d hand you. Five stops, north to south, taking you from traditional country at the start to whatever’s happening at midnight by the end.
Legends Corner
5th and Broadway
Our favorite, and the one we’d send a first timer to before anywhere else. It’s covered wall to ceiling in memorabilia and records, and the live music is the most traditional country you’ll hear on the strip. If you want country that actually sounds like country, start here.
The mural of country legends on the outside wall is the photo everyone takes, so expect a short queue. Inside, don’t miss the life-size Billy Ray Cyrus cutout, which is exactly as excellent as it sounds.
Best for: your first stop of the night
Music: traditional country
Address: 428 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
Get directions: Open in Google Maps
Website: legendscorner.com
Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge
Lower Broadway, next door to Legends Corner
The purple building, and the most historic honky tonk on the strip. It’s been running since the 1960s under its original owner Tootsie Bess, and Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline both played here back when it was where Grand Ole Opry performers drank between sets.
All three floors have different music and a different feel. The ground floor is local artists, the upper floors get more established acts, and the rooftop has the Broadway view.
Best for: the one to see if you only do one
Music: country, varies by floor
Hours: music from noon to 3am, every day
Address: 422 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
Get directions: Open in Google Maps
Website: tootsies.net
Take the stairs at Tootsie’s. Most people walk into the front room, stand there, and leave. The better acts are on the upper floors and the rooftop is the view you came for.
Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row
Broadway
The celebrity-owned one that actually delivers. The performances were the most energetic we saw and the staff were the friendliest we dealt with all weekend.
There’s a proper dance floor, which is rarer on Broadway than you’d expect, and the whiskey and cocktail list is good rather than an afterthought.
Best for: dancing
Music: high-energy country, local and touring acts
Address: 400 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
Get directions: Open in Google Maps
Website: dierkswhiskeyrow.com
Jason Aldean’s Kitchen and Rooftop Bar
Broadway
The one to head for when somebody says they’re hungry. The Southern food comes out fast and it’s better than bar food needs to be, which matters at hour four of a Broadway night.
Every floor has its own feel, and the rooftop has the best skyline view of the five.
Best for: eating without leaving the strip
Music: local bands, country
Address: 311 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201
Get directions: Open in Google Maps
Website: jasonaldeansbar.com
Honky Tonk Central
Lower Broadway
Three floors, and the only one here where the music stops being strictly country. You’ll get country, rock, live bands and DJs depending on the floor and the hour.
Busy from late morning until very late, and each floor has a different view of the street.
Best for: late night, and anyone who’s had enough Wagon Wheel
Music: country, rock, DJs
Address: 329 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201
Get directions: Open in Google Maps
Website: honkytonkcentral.com
What nobody tells you about Broadway
The bands play for tips. There’s no cover because the musicians are paid from the bucket. If you liked the set, put something in it, and bring cash rather than assuming you can tap a card.
The rooftops are the point. Almost every bar has one, most people never go up, and Broadway lit up from above is the thing you’ll actually remember.
It gets loud enough that conversation stops. If you want to catch up with someone, do it before Broadway rather than during.
Weekends are a different animal. Bachelorette parties, pedal taverns, and pure volume. If you have the choice, a weeknight is a completely different and better night out.
You will hear Wagon Wheel. Possibly more than once. Make your peace with it early.
Tips for your Broadway night
- Get there earlier than feels necessary. Arriving before the evening rush is how you end up near the stage instead of watching from the back.
- Carry cash. For the tip bucket, and for the occasional venue that does charge.
- Wear shoes you can stand in for hours. You’re walking between bars and standing in all of them.
- Match your drinks with water. Nashville is hot and humid and the bars are hotter.
- Talk to people. Broadway is one of the friendliest strips we’ve been on and half the fun is who you end up standing next to.
Planning the rest of your trip?
We built a full Nashville weekend around these bars, including where to eat and what’s worth booking ahead.
Frequently asked questions
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