How Hollywood Does Nashville: Where to Eat, Stay, and Play as Music City Hosts CMAs

While Nashville‘s calendar of marquee events is essentially booked year-round, the 58th annual Country Music Association Awards held at the Bridgestone Arena on November 20 and broadcast live on ABC means an even brighter spotlight shines in town this week. When the Nashville skyline comes into view on any day of the year, it’s clear that Music City is booming. Tower cranes stab at the downtown sky, prompting some to joke it’s the new state bird. Since the TV series Nashville helped spark a renaissance period in 2012, the Tennessee capital’s ongoing growth — approximately 66 people moved to Nashville daily in 2023 — also reflects the evolution of music as an economic driver that’s expanded with healthcare, insurance, and other sectors. 

“This is a community of creatives versus a cohort of conglomerates,” explains Bob Raines, Executive Director of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. Offices of WME, UTA, CAA, major record labels, and digital media companies don’t change the fact that “we’re still a small big city.” The Commission estimates that the industry overall contributed approximately $6.4 billion to the state economy in 2023. Music accounts for the lion’s share of revenue—this dynamic is not Atlanta’s “Y’allywood”— but film and TV are increasingly part of the picture as “a lot of these companies from California [are] trying to find authentic content,” Raines says.

As a blue city in a solidly red state, Nashville is pulled between innovation and tradition, a tension that came to the fore this year amid national conversations about gatekeeping and shifting perceptions in country music. The infectious, genre-transgressing tracks on Beyonce’s Act II: Cowboy Carter dove head first into these questions, and the album now dominates the Grammy nominations, with nods in 11 categories, after having been snubbed by the CMA Awards committee. And Tennessee’s recent passage of anti-LGBTQIA+ and pro-gun legislation has not significantly ebbed the flow of West and East Coast transplants to Nashville that began during the pandemic as Hollywood stars increasingly flocking to the city — whether to dine, to catch a show, or to house hunt.

Eat and Drink

Adventurous diners face a ridiculous amount of choices given this ever-evolving food scene. At Henrietta Red in Germantown, the raw bar and restaurant’s atmosphere and chef/co-owner Julia Sullivan’s menu feel simultaneously down-home and elevated. This vibe appealed to Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman who have met up here for a double date, as well as to diners like Kacey Musgraves, Jon Hamm, Laura Dern, and Brandi Carlisle. Pinewood checks many boxes, combining vintage bowling lanes with a food and beverage program that seamlessly transitions from a morning coffee bar featuring local roaster Crema to nighttime cocktails, plus a full menu at all hours. The beloved James Beard Foundation-recognized meat-and-three Arnold’s Country Kitchen is back in action after a temporary pause. Silver Sands Cafe is another classic going 70-plus-years strong under the dedication of second-generation owner Sophia Vaughn. At the Butter Milk Ranch in the 12 South district, prepare to face intense savory vs. sweet daytime eating dilemmas. Best, then, to order both, pairing hearty fare with must-haves like Alyssa Gangeri’s unforgettable biscuits, expertly laminated croissants, and brown butter beignets.  

In East Nashville where the indie spirit thrives, Bad Idea is a shining example of architectural adaptive reuse matched with culinary inventiveness. Local firm Design Object‘s transformation of the former church sanctuary provides a dramatic yet comfortable setting for chef Colby Rasavong’s Lao-inspired cooking that seamlessly integrates Tennessean heritage and ingredients, and owner and sommelier Alex Burch’s eclectic, geographically diverse wine program. The central bar capped by a stained-glass canopy is the ideal setting for a late-night bite. 

Leina Horii and Brian Lea, who both cooked with Ludovic Lefebvre and Jordan Kahn in L.A. and were named among the 2024 Food & Wine Best New Chefs in September, share their spin on Japanese comfort foods at lunch-only Kisser in the Highland Yards development. (Gwyneth Paltrow popped in for a meal during an Easter weekend family jaunt to see daughter Apple, currently an undergrad at Vanderbilt.) “It has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and one that we never thought was possible until we moved to Nashville,” comments Horii. “We love L.A., but we could never have been able to afford our own restaurant there.” The Frankies complex further out in East Nashville is the restaurant group’s first presence outside of its Brooklyn base, complete with Frankies 925 Sputino, casual Pizzeria, and Bottega marketplace.

James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock‘s move from Charleston to Nashville yielded Joyland and Audrey. (He closed Bar Continental and June restaurant in recent months.) Also atop the must-do agenda for passionate eaters are Locust, City House, Rolf and Daughters, the Catbird Seat, and Bastion. Visitors line up for the iconic when-in-Rome Nashville food specialty at famed Prince’s Hot Chicken and Hattie B’s, both of which have multiple locations. A trip to the South rightfully isn’t complete for many without barbecue.  Few establishments satisfy that craving better than Peg Leg Porker and sister restaurant Bringle’s Smoking Oasis, and Martin’s (multiple locations). 

Where to Stay

The Hermitage has been the grande dame of Nashville hotels since 1910 (231 6th Ave. N., nightly rates from $599). The vaulted subterranean restaurant, Drusie & Darr, is helmed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten who serves his bold and fanciful take on fried chicken. Much of the Hermitage has been regularly updated over the last century, but the famed Art Deco-style green-and-black tile-clad men’s room remains an intact landmark. The bar and banquettes are equally suited to special occasion dining and hush-hush power broker meetings. 

From the outside, The Joseph (401 Korean Veterans Blvd., nightly rates from $359) appears to be another downtown flashy hotel tower. But inside, the SoBro (south of Broadway) building tells a more nuanced story, thanks in part to the over 1,100 pieces of artwork on display in its public spaces and 297 rooms and suites. Carpets created to evoke Florentine marbling techniques, drawer pulls fashioned after textured stereo equipment knobs, and embroidered throw pillows that are an homage to Nudie Cohn’s iconic embellished “Nudie suits” reflect subtle nods to the owners’ Pizzuti family’s Italian roots and the property’s home. The Four Walls speakeasy takes Nashville decor inspiration to new levels with its fabulous fringe ceiling.  

The quiet luxury at the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences (100 Demonbreun St., nightly rates from about $440) offers a welcome reprieve from downtown revelry. Four Seasons brand loyalists can expect top-tier service and smartly tailored interior design featuring regionally sourced materials and original art. For musically-inclined guests, instrument loans and access to Gibson Garage tours can be arranged, and a partnership with Songwriter City brings performances by Nashville’s leading songwriters such as Highwomen supergroup member Natalie Hemby and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Liz Rose into the comfort of a hotel suite. The sleek lounge and restaurant Mimo is perfectly located for a refreshing cocktail break or a modern Italian feast near the waterfront.  

Strewn with adaptively reused warehouses, the Wedgewood Houston neighborhood hosts such entertainment powerhouses as Live Nation and Apple Music. Soho House Nashville (500 Houston St.) is its buzzing hub, with an expansive pool, landscaped outdoor areas, a cozy theater, and a natural light-filled gym. Stylish co-working space The Malin nearby offers a simpatico complement to Soho House. Wedgewood Houston is a draw for devoted clients of bespoke leather atelier Savas—especially those who may be familiar with the Melrose Avenue L.A. branch and want to see the home base.  

East Nashville boasts more novel lodging options. Hoteliers Lyon Porter and Jersey Banks debuted the groovy 23-room Dive Motel and Swim Club (1414 Dickerson Pike, nightly rates from $295) along with the 21-and-over-only Urban Cowboy Nashville (1603 Woodland St., rates from $290), which inserts rustic maximalism into a nineteenth century Victorian brick manse with convivial outdoor gathering spaces. The Drift (10 Interstate Dr., nightly rates from $179) —with properties in San Jose del Cabo, Santa Barbara, and Palm Springs — brought its quiet, earthy aesthetic and techy sensibility to a mid-1960s building in the East Bank area.

Opened in 2022, Southall Farm & Inn  (2200 Osage Loop, nightly rates from $599) is just over a half-hour away but its 325 acres near the town of Franklin feel blissfully removed from city life. With its abundance of local art and the low-key rustic—yet no doubt pricey—details that adorn its interiors, this sprawling campus provides the ultimate eco-luxe immersion. The 15,000-square-foot spa and 62 rooms and suites (with 16 standalone cottages), sit lightly upon the Middle Tennessee landscape. Southall walks the farm-to-table talk as evidenced by its two beekeepers on staff, hydroponic lettuce growing facility, chicken coops, and extensive greenhouses on the farm run by veteran Nashville chef Tyler Brown, which provision the kitchens at all-day eatery Sojourner and at January, executive chef Andrew Klamar’s dinner-only, seasonally-driven restaurant.  

What to Do

The ubiquity of live music is apparent as soon as you step off the plane at Nashville International Airport. With the revival of the Honky Tonk Highway, some of the biggest names in country music have lent their names to branded multi-story clubs and restaurants that sit cheek-by-jowl on Lower Broadway. Luke Combs most recently joined the Lower Broadway lineup this month with Category 10, Jon Bon Jovi threw open the doors to JBJ’s in June, and Garth Brooks’s Friends in Low Places honky-tonk, operated in partnership with Strategic Hospitality, kicked off in June. Old school spots Robert’s Western World and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge still cater to locals willing to brave the tourist hordes and bachelorette parties. More intimate venues include the bluegrass-centric Station Inn, the multifunctional Eastside Bowl, the Blue Room at Jack White’s Third Man Records, and the legendary Bluebird Cafe, where Taylor Swift and Faith Hill have been known to catch emerging acts. 

A live show at the Ryman Auditorium, AKA the Mother Church of Country Music that’s been a foundational landmark since 1892, is a bucket list item. The post-1974 home of the Grand Ole Opry fully merits the trip from downtown, given the likelihood of surprise appearances at the hallowed broadcast of the WSM radio revue. Hours fly by in the many galleries within the encyclopedic Country Music Hall of Fame, where “Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock,” the outstanding installation on view through May 2025, explores a Nashville-Southern California connection through artists such as the Eagles, Gram Parsons, Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakam, and Los Lobos. 

The National Museum of African American Music deftly balances interactive multimedia exhibitions with physical memorabilia to celebrate, among other compelling topics, the oft-overlooked influence of Black musicians on American country music. Seeing the Nashville Symphony perform at the Schermerhorn Symphony Centerdowntown is another essential local experience, as is taking in a Nashville SC soccer game at state-of-the-art, 30,000-capacity GEODIS Park, where fans include Nashville native Reese Witherspoon, who is a team minority owner. 

In a dispersed auto-dependent city, 12 South is an appreciated pedestrian-friendly zone. Witherspoon’s Draper James flagship stands a couple blocks away from where country music royalty Holly Williams (granddaughter of Hank Williams and daughter of Hank Jr.) turned a former gas station into an outpost of her lifestyle boutique White’s Mercantile. Ranger Station, known for collaborations with founders’ Steve and Jordan Soderholm’s musician friends such as Noah Kahan, stocks apothecary goods in this sensory-rich store and workshop. Paltrow and Sheryl Crow were among those who spread the gospel of Imogene + Willie jeans, whose origins go back to its 12 South workshop and retail store. 

So you want to move to Nashville…

“It has such a positive energy. I’m obsessed with it,” proclaims real estate agent Chris Cortazzo, who is typically associated with Malibu but purchased a penthouse at the Four Seasons Nashville and a nearby 150-acre farm, where he plans to establish an animal sanctuary. This market’s upward trend continues apace; according to Greater Nashville Realtors, home closings were up 3 percent in February 2024 compared to the previous year. Median sales numbers for residential single-family homes and condominiums have also risen, now at $478,870 and $339,990, respectively. “Downtown is fun and lively, but the farmlands outside the city are the magic of Nashville,” Cortazzo observes. (Swift’s real estate portfolio reportedly covers each base.)

Rhinestone glitterati and other boldfaced names have settled down in and around the historic town of Franklin in Williamson County thanks to a general low-key, no-harassment code of conduct. This ethos explains why Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Brad Paisley, Kristin Cavallari, and Billy Ray Cyrus choose the environs of Franklin and Leiper’s Fork, where Chris Stapleton earns extra helpful husband points while pitching in at Tennessee Turquoise Company, his wife Morgane’s jewelry store. Brentwood and Belle Meade, where a $32 million sale set a residential real estate record in Tennessee earlier this year, are among other graceful suburbs that lure denizens in search of rolling hills and quiet. “No one get hassled. Everyone is kind,” Cortazzo says. Plus, accountants might point to other incentives. “I think people are liking no state tax,” he adds.