Five days in Nashville is the point where the city opens up properly. Three days covers the essentials. Five days lets you do at least one day trip, spend serious time in two or three neighborhoods, and see things that require leisure rather than efficiency. It’s also enough time to revisit one thing you liked and slow down in places that deserve more than 90 minutes.
Day 1: Music Row and Downtown Foundations
Morning
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, full combo ticket ($54.95) including Historic RCA Studio B. Arrive at 9 AM. Spend 2.5-3 hours in the CMHOF, then take the shuttle to Studio B for the 75-minute guided tour. This is the best-structured single morning in Nashville for anyone who wants to understand the city’s music identity.
Afternoon
Lunch at Hattie B’s (downtown location). Order medium heat for a genuine first-time experience.
Walk to Hatch Show Print (224 Rep. John Lewis Way S, inside the CMHOF complex). Hatch Show Print is one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, operating since 1879. Tours run daily and include a hands-on demonstration; you can also purchase custom prints or make your own ($65+ for a print session). This is Nashville material history and worth the stop.
Evening
Broadway for one serious evening. Robert’s Western World for the genuine honky-tonk format (free entry, tip the band), then Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge for the history. End the night at the Listening Room Cafe songwriter show (book in advance).
Day 2: Ryman + National Museum of African American Music
Morning
Ryman Auditorium self-guided tour ($25, 116 5th Ave N, opens 9 AM). 1.5 hours. If a show is happening that night, attending beats the tour.
Walk to the National Museum of African American Music (501 Broadway). The NMAAM documents the complete scope of Black music contributions to American culture from African roots through hip-hop, gospel, soul, and R&B. It is one of the more substantive and well-designed museums in Nashville and routinely mentioned by locals as undervisited by tourists who focus solely on country music. Budget 1.5-2 hours.
Afternoon
Johnny Cash Museum ($22, 119 3rd Ave S). 1.5 hours with interactive exhibits.
Evening
Dinner in Germantown: Henrietta Red for seafood (book in advance), or Etch (305 Demonbreun St) downtown for Chef Deb Paquette’s inventive global-influenced menu. Germantown evening walk: gas lamp-lit cobblestone streets with Victorian-era buildings.
Day 3: East Nashville + Cheekwood
Morning
East Nashville: Barista Parlor for coffee, Five Points for neighborhood walking. The Pharmacy for lunch ($14 Farm Burger). Browse the vintage stores.
Afternoon
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens (1200 Forrest Park Dr). The 55-acre botanical garden and estate requires a half-day; admission runs $20-25 for adults. The grounds include 13 themed garden areas, a fine arts museum inside the estate mansion, and regular visiting exhibitions. Cheekwood is 15 minutes from downtown by car. Multiple Nashville guides note it as consistently underrated by first-time visitors who skip it in favor of downtown activities.
Evening
Return to East Nashville for dinner. Lockeland Table (1520 Woodland St) does seasonally-driven food in a warm neighborhood setting. The Five Spot has live music most nights starting around 10 PM.
Day 4: Franklin Day Trip
Franklin is 25 minutes south of downtown Nashville on I-65. Nomadic Matt describes it as “one of my favorite cities in the country,” with a preserved historic main street with genuine Civil War history, a strong food scene, and distilleries/wineries in the surrounding area.
Morning in Franklin
Park on Main Street (free street parking in town) and walk the historic district. The Carter House and Carnton Plantation are the two primary Civil War sites; the Battle of Franklin in November 1864 was one of the bloodiest days of the war. Guided tours of both sites run through the Franklin on Foot operation.
Afternoon
Lunch at Frothy Monkey (Franklin location, 128 Watson Glen, Franklin), the original Frothy Monkey location before the Nashville expansion. Browse the independent shops on Main Street.
Company Distilling (formerly H Clark Distillery) is in the Franklin area and does tastings. The Natchez Trace Parkway begins (or ends) near Franklin, and even a 20-mile drive south on the Trace is worth the detour for the landscape.
Evening
Return to Nashville. Station Inn in The Gulch for bluegrass, or catch whatever is scheduled at 3rd and Lindsley for soul, jazz, or R&B.
Day 5: Centennial Park + 12 South + The Gulch
Morning
Centennial Park and the Parthenon ($10 adults). The 132-acre park is Nashville’s primary urban green space. The Parthenon is the only full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon; inside is Nashville’s permanent American art collection and the 42-foot statue of Athena Parthenos, one of the largest indoor sculptures in the Western world.
Afternoon
12 South neighborhood: Biscuit Love for a late breakfast or brunch (go before 10:30 AM to avoid waits). Walk the half-mile Twelfth Avenue South strip. The “I Believe in Nashville” mural, Sevier Park (one-mile loop), and concentrated independent retail.
The Gulch in the late afternoon has walkable shopping and cocktail bars. L27 rooftop bar at the Westin (920 Broadway) has one of the better skyline views in the city.
Evening
Grand Ole Opry if the schedule aligns (Tuesday, Friday, or Saturday, $35-60, book in advance). This works particularly well on the final night. The Opry House is in Music Valley, six miles from downtown. Shows run about 2.5 hours.
Sources:
- Nomadic Matt, “The Perfect 3-4 Day Nashville Itinerary for 2025/2026”: nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/nashville-itinerary
- Fodor’s Travel, “The Best Things to Do in Nashville in 3 to 5 Days” (May 2025): fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/tennessee/nashville
- Avant Stay, “Nashville Itinerary: 2 to 10 Days Travel Guide” (January 2026): avantstay.com/blog/nashville-itinerary
- Hatch Show Print official site: hatchshowprint.com
- National Museum of African American Music: nmaam.org
- Cheekwood Estate and Gardens admission: cheekwood.org
- Grand Ole Opry ticket prices: opry.com