Yes, but only if you understand what you are actually visiting and go under the right conditions. Broadway misunderstood is a crowded, overpriced tourist trap. Broadway understood is a genuinely unusual American experience with real musical history embedded in the buildings.
The Case For
There is nowhere else in the United States where you can walk into a bar at 10 a.m., hear a professional musician playing Patsy Cline or Hank Williams with genuine skill, and pay nothing for the privilege. The no-cover model on Broadway means that access to live music is structurally free in a way that no other major music city has maintained at scale. Austin comes close, but Nashville’s concentration of talent on a single walkable strip is unmatched.
Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge at 422 Broadway has been operating since 1960. Willie Nelson received his first songwriting gig after singing there. Kris Kristofferson swept floors to settle his bar tab there. The building behind the Ryman Auditorium where Opry performers snuck out between sets to grab a drink is still standing, still serving, still packed most nights. That specific historical continuity is not manufactured.
Robert’s Western World is a working honky-tonk that has preserved traditional country music on the most tourist-saturated block in the American South, against every economic incentive to rebrand as something more profitable. The musicians who play there are excellent. The Recession Special still costs $6. That resistance is worth something.
The Case Against
Weekend nights on Broadway are exhausting in ways that have nothing to do with music. The crowd density from 9 p.m. to midnight on a Saturday makes it difficult to hear the bands clearly, difficult to move, and difficult to have the experience that the street’s history promises. Drinks at the celebrity-branded megabars are expensive. The rooftop at Jason Aldean’s costs money per drink that would fund an entire evening at Robert’s. The bachelorette-party density is what it is.
The honest critique is that Broadway has become so successful at attracting tourists that the tourist experience has largely swallowed the authentic one. You can find the authentic version on the same street, but you have to know which doors to walk through, which floor to stay on, and what time to arrive.
The Verdict
Go to Broadway. Go during the day or on a weekday evening. Spend time at Robert’s Western World, Tootsie’s, and Legends Corner before or instead of the celebrity bars. Tip the bands. Come back for the nighttime version if you want to understand what it feels like when 200,000 people decide to be in the same five blocks.
Broadway is worth visiting because it is the only place in the country that is simultaneously a legitimate piece of American music history and a world-class party destination. The two coexist improbably on the same street. That is unusual. It is worth seeing.
Sources
- Rolling Stone, Why Robert’s Western World Is the Last Nashville Honky-Tonk: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/nashville-roberts-western-world-honky-tonk-1234579609/
- Traveling Canucks, Unpopular Opinion: Broadway Street in Nashville Is Overrated: https://travelingcanucks.com/2024/06/broadway-street-in-nashville/
- National Trust for Historic Preservation, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge: https://savingplaces.org/stories/historic-bars-tootsies-world-famous-orchid-lounge
- Notes on Nashville, Complete Broadway Honky Tonk Guide: https://notesonnashville.com/live-music/honky-tonks-broadway-nashville-guide/