Nashville’s rooftop scene splits cleanly into two categories, and mixing them up leads to wasted nights. There are the Broadway honky-tonk rooftops – four stories max, cheap drinks, loud music, and a crowd that’s 40% bachelorette parties on any given Saturday. Then there are the hotel rooftops that climb 19 to 27 floors and offer views serious enough to stop conversation. Both have their place. Here’s how to use each.
The High-Up Hotel Rooftops
L27 at the Westin Nashville sits 27 floors above downtown and holds the title of Nashville’s tallest rooftop bar. Asian fusion decor, velvet couches, leather banquettes, a rooftop pool, and a view that turns the honky-tonks below into small rectangles of neon. If you want to look down on Broadway rather than stand in it, this is the move.
Lou/Na at the Grand Hyatt is one floor lower at 25 stories and has a more local following than the Westin. The bar draws Nashville residents who want a civilized drink with skyline views and aren’t in the mood for the tourist orbit. The live music is actual music, not backing-track bro country.
Harriet’s Rooftop at 1 Hotel Nashville sits on the 19th floor with a design that feels more garden patio than nightclub – glass-lined fire pits, colorful canopies, house music instead of country. The sustainability angle is real: cocktails are built around seasonal ingredients, and menu waste gets repurposed across the bar program. The frozen pina colada with a Campari float has become a signature. Crowds get thick on weekend nights.
Riviere at the Four Seasons is on the 7th floor, which sounds modest until you see the view: Cumberland River, Nissan Stadium, pedestrian bridge, all visible in one sweep. The Mediterranean-inspired menu means oysters and grilled bronzino, not hot chicken. Fire pits, infinity-edge pool, and an atmosphere that’s elegant without the pretension that usually comes with that word in Nashville.
Denim at The Joseph rises 21 floors with panoramic Cumberland River views from a space that does American-Mediterranean food well. Cabanas available to rent via ResortPass. Weekend DJs lean more electronic than country, which is either a feature or a problem depending on why you’re in Nashville.
White Limozeen at the Graduate Hotel in Midtown is the Dolly Parton tribute rooftop – pink umbrellas, velvet lounges, a rosy onyx bar, and a Governor’s Pool. The food skews French-inspired with Southern touches, which sounds chaotic but works. Worth visiting once for the aesthetic, though the drinks are more expensive than the experience justifies.
The Broadway Rooftops
Every bar on the 500 block of Lower Broadway has a rooftop by now. They share a template: loud live music, domestic beer prices at cocktail prices, and crowds of tourists shouting over each other. That’s not a knock – it’s the experience you’re getting and it’s exactly what plenty of people want.
Category 10 (Luke Combs’ bar at 120 2nd Ave N) stands out from the Broadway rooftop crowd for scale and river views. The Eye Rooftop looks directly over the Cumberland with the Titans stadium beyond – one of the most dramatic sightlines on the strip. Nashville Scene has named LA Jackson at the Thompson Hotel in the Gulch the city’s best rooftop bar for six consecutive years. It’s indoor-outdoor, sits atop a hotel that’s technically in the Gulch rather than downtown, and has held a local following longer than most Nashville rooftops.
Bobby Hotel’s rooftop gets attention for its retrofitted 1956 Scenicruiser bus sitting on the deck. In summer it’s poolside. In winter the team converts it into a Nordic village aesthetic. Odd enough to be worth seeing.
What to Skip
Acme Feed and Seed gets mentioned on every rooftop list and the view is actually good, but the crowds on weekends are overwhelming and the drinks are overpriced even by Nashville standards. The Twelve Thirty Club (Justin Timberlake-backed, 30th floor, 30 Second Street) gets significant buzz but operates more as a full restaurant than a rooftop bar experience.
One practical note: Nashville’s hotel rooftops are almost all 21+ and several require reservations or hotel key access after certain hours. Check before you show up with a group.
Sources
- nashvilleguru.com – Best Rooftop Bars in Nashville (December 2025)
- theinfatuation.com – 11 Best Rooftop Bars In Nashville (August 2025)
- therooftopguide.com – 19 Best Rooftop Bars in Nashville (July 2025)
- nashvillego.com – Complete Guide to Best Rooftop Bars in Nashville (September 2025)
- category10.com – Best Rooftops in Nashville (December 2025)
- lajacksonbar.com