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We made a cross-country road trip from Los Angeles, California to Tampa, Florida, and we were looking forward to our stop in Nashville. We were limited on time, so we tried to see as much as we could before we headed home to our final destination. Here is how we spent our 24 hours in Nashville.

Downtown Nashville

Honky Tonk Highway
500 Broadway (MAP)

On the first night, we had to check out the famous Music City. It would be a shame if we didn’t see for ourselves the world’s most famous city for live music performances.

We were staying in Downtown Nashville in an area called the Arts District. We were within walking distance from our hotel at Homewood Suites (an 8-minute walk) and had to see the famous stretch of neon lights, gift shops, restaurants, and more.

large crowds outside on Honky Tonk Highway

Giant neon lights throughout Honky Tonk Highway

When we approached the highway, the sheer amount of people was a bit staggering. Granted it was a holiday weekend, but we weren’t expecting lines out the door for every single bar in town.

We enjoyed some music outside of the venues and also grabbed some ice cream at Mike’s Ice Cream (no line here, yay!).

The Gulch

What Lifts You Mural
302 11th Ave. S. (MAP)

Nashville has a ton of famous murals and the one we wanted to check out was called the “What Lifts You” mural. This mural went viral and we couldn’t resist getting a picture of Kuma with doggie wings.

Uncommon James Flagship Store
601 9th Ave. S. (MAP)
@uncommonjames

Another place we stopped by in this area was the Uncommon James flagship store. We rarely go shopping when traveling, but Crystal is a huge fangirl of Kristin Cavallari and her effortlessly chic jewelry. It was such a fun space to shop around and we took home a handful of goodies.

Crystal waiting in line to purchase her necklace

12 South

12 South is an adorable neighborhood with a stretch of boutique stores and restaurants. Since the neighborhood is a residential area, it was a little tricky to find parking.

I Believe in Nashville Mural
2702 12th Ave. S. (MAP)
@ibelieveinnashville

One of the famous murals you’ll find here is called the “I Believe in Nashville” mural. It was easy to spot and in an area that was shaded. We thought it would be super busy here, but there was only a handful of people when we arrived midday.

I Believe in Nashville Mural at 12 South

Draper James
2608 12th Ave. S. (MAP)
@draperjames

We also noticed that Reese Witherspoon’s clothing line, Draper James, was right next to the “I Believe in Nashville” mural. It’s a great place for photo ops as well since they have a cute little set up right outside their storefront.

Reese Witherspoon’s clothing brand

Loving this large striped wall at Draper James

Christie Cookie Co.
2606 12th S. (MAP)
@christiecookieco

We didn’t do any shopping here, but we did stop to grab some cookies at Christie Cookie Co. The cookies were great, but the customer service was very disappointing. Hopefully, if you decide to go, the service will be better for you.

Arts District

We had plans to dine at some of the trending restaurants around The Gulch, but we were met with huge waiting times everywhere we went. Since we were only in Nashville for 24 hours, we didn’t have the luxury of waiting in 1-2 hour lines. Luckily, there were some pretty nice options near our hotel in the Art District.

Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant
500 Church St. (MAP)
@pucketssgrocery

We grabbed breakfast at Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant where we dined outside on the patio. Puckett’s was originally a little grocery store back in the 1950s but has since grown into a restaurant that offers live music. The service was fantastic and we were also able to bring Kuma with us too.

E+ROSE Wellness Cafe
501 Church St. (MAP)
@eandrosewellness

For lunch, we walked over to E+ROSE Wellness Cafe. Not only is the decor here colorful and inviting, but the food selection was super healthy. We also purchased some food-to-go for our road trip.

Makeready - Libations & Liberation
200 4th Ave. N. (MAP)
@makeready_nashville

We had a light dinner at Makeready - Libations & Liberation which we just happened to pass by when we were on our way to Honky Tonk Highway. The airey-industrial vibe drew us in and they have fantastic reviews on Google. It’s both a restaurant and beer hall, so if you are looking for a cold pint of beer, this is a great place to grab one.

Final Thoughts

Nashville is a popular destination these days and we found out very quickly that anything trending needs a reservation. We had several places in mind that we wanted to check out, but every single place was either fully booked or had long wait times. Unfortunately, since we were only in Nashville for 24 hours, we skipped anything that had super long wait times.

We also got the vibe that Nashville is a party town. We saw tons of bachelorette parties going on and Honky Tonk Highway was packed shoulder to shoulder. We loved the live music, but it definitely wasn’t a place where we could sit down, relax, and enjoy a few drinks.

Where To Stay

We booked our stay at the Pet-Friendly Homewood Suites in Downtown Nashville. It was within walking distance to Honky Tonk Highway with many restaurants and cafes. The rooms were spacious and the customer service was super friendly.