East Nashville has the most murals, but the answer requires a distinction: 12 South has the most famous murals in the smallest space, and The Gulch has the single most photographed individual mural. Nashville’s mural geography is more complex than any single neighborhood answer suggests.
East Nashville: Volume and Variety
East Nashville has more total murals than any other Nashville neighborhood, spread across a wide geographic area. The most efficient way to see East Nashville murals is to drive or walk Gallatin Pike through the Five Points area and along the side streets. The works range from gallery-quality large-format pieces commissioned by neighborhood organizations to smaller works on residential fences, the backs of commercial buildings, and garage doors. NASHtoday’s comprehensive mural guide lists East Nashville sections separately from other Nashville neighborhoods, and the East Nashville list is among the longest. The neighborhood continues to add murals; artists consider it a natural canvas because the culture welcomes it and the wall space exists.
The East Nashville mural scene is less curated than 12 South’s. You find things by walking and turning down blocks rather than following a published list. That’s either a feature or a drawback depending on your temperament.
12 South: The Highest Density in the Smallest Space
Travel by Brit, after visiting and photographing Nashville murals extensively, concluded that “the bulk of the popular murals are found in 12 South, The Gulch, Hillsboro Village, and East Nashville (in that order).” 12 South is first on that list for density: in less than a 20-minute walk along the commercial strip, you encounter at least six widely known murals. The “I Believe in Nashville” mural at 2702 12th Ave South is the most reproduced Nashville mural image on social media. The Draper James stripe wall, “Nashville Looks Good On You,” “Drippy Lips,” and others follow within a short distance.
The trade-off is that these murals are the most photographed in Nashville, which means you’re photographing the same walls as thousands of other people every year.
The Gulch: The Most Famous Single Mural
The “What Lifts You Wings” mural by Kelsey Montague on 11th Avenue South is the most photographed individual mural in Nashville. It became internationally recognized for its interactive design, you stand between the painted wings to appear to have them yourself, and has been replicated or referenced by similar murals globally. Visit Nashville’s official murals page treats Wedgewood-Houston (adjacent to The Gulch) as a separate section, and 11th Avenue South straddles the two. The broader Gulch/Wedgewood-Houston area has a growing mural scene built around what the wings mural established.
Hillsboro Village and Germantown
Hillsboro Village “offers murals around nearly every corner,” according to NASHtoday. Germantown has several notable pieces, including the “Instagram Like” mural on 4th Ave North (outside Barista Parlor) and community art tied to the neighborhood’s character.
The Honest Map
If you’re doing a dedicated mural tour: start in 12 South for the efficient hit of famous murals, continue to The Gulch for the wings, and allocate the most time to East Nashville for the broadest range of quality and variety. Nashville’s mural culture is citywide enough that almost every walkable neighborhood has something worth finding.
Sources
- Travel by Brit, “20 Popular Nashville Murals You Can’t Miss” (May 2024): travelbybrit.com
- NASHtoday, “37 murals around Nashville” (July 2024): nashtoday.6amcity.com
- Visit Nashville, Nashville Murals page: visitmusiccity.com/trip-ideas/nashville-murals
- Camels and Chocolate, Nashville Murals guide: camelsandchocolate.com/nashville-murals/