By day, blue-collar workers and the city's elite sit side-by-side in no-nonsense eateries to savor the mouth-watering barbecued meats that are the pride of the region. After dark, the sounds of live music — country, rock, bluegrass, jazz, and soul — pour out of every open door, making Nashville's sidewalks a melting pot of American sounds. Whether you come for business or pleasure, you'll leave with music in your heart and a bit of barbecue sauce on your shirt.
When to Visit
Prices in Nashville are fairly stable year-round, although prices, along with temperatures, dip during the winter months. January and February are the coldest months in Nashville, with the highest snowfall measurements and the fewest number of visitors.
Tourists usually visit from April through October, with the peak season beginning in mid-spring and ending in mid-August. By that time, temperatures are reaching their peak in the high 80s. A second bump in tourism occurs from October through December as people from smaller surrounding towns come to the city for their holiday shopping.
The most popular events of the year happen in April, such as Awesome April and the Country Music Marathon, and June, with the CMA Music Festival.
Below is a chart of the current pricing seasonality of hotels and motels in Nashville, TN:
Nashville by Star Rating
Below are 3 charts demonstrating mean nightly cost trends by star rating class in Nashville, TN. You can use these illustrations to evaluate the cheapest time to stay in Nashville for upcoming travels.
Luxury Hotel Options in Nashville, TN
4 Star Average Prices: £167.75
Nashville may pride itself on its down-home sounds and flavors, but that sentiment doesn't mean you can't find luxury lodging in the city. If you like to be surrounded by historical architecture, you'll be happy at The Hermitage Hotel.
The Hermitage offers a vintage hotel experience, with a décor that positively drips with Southern charm, a staff that will go out of their way to accommodate you, and luxurious rooms with custom-made beds and marble fixtures. Some rooms at The Hermitage offer deep soaking tubs or breathtaking views of the Capitol.
The Capitol Grille offers fine dining in an elegant setting, and the Oak Bar offers a dignified setting for a nightcap. Tip: Ask the staff to show you the infamous Prohibition tunnel in the men's bathroom — women are allowed in for tour purposes.
The Omni Nashville Hotel is another impeccable option. The Omni gets all the details right, from the beautifully decorated lobby to the quiet, comfortable rooms. Beautiful views of the city, a convenient downtown location next to the Music City Convention Center, and high-quality restaurant options make this hotel a perfect choice for business travelers who want to enjoy their time in the Music City.
An outdoor rooftop swimming pool with a poolside bar offers the perfect spot to take a dip, relax with a cocktail, or book a massage or treatment at the on-site spa to melt your stress away. Room service and a sumptuous buffet breakfast are also available.
For more space or longer stays, consider the Homewood Suites by Hilton Nashville Vanderbilt. This property offers large suites with full kitchens at surprisingly affordable prices and a complimentary shuttle to downtown Nashville. The Homewood Suites property is the place to stay if you have mobility issues, too. Many of the rooms and suites are accessible and offer amenities like accessible bathtubs. The nightly reception with wine and appetizers will help you feel at home, and the hotel's top-notch service has secured a strong reputation.
Economy Options in Nashville, TN
3 Star Average Prices: £122.39
If you're willing to leave the town center, you can get more value for your money. The Quality Inn in nearby Murfreesboro is about 20 miles from the city center. At this hotel, you can pay about the same rate and get a comfortable room, pool access, and free full breakfast.
Americas Best Value Inn - Nashville/Downtown offers a great compromise between rate and location. Situated in the city, the hotel is near the Capitol and offers great rates on rooms and suites. Many of the rooms have mini-fridges, hair dryers, and microwaves.
If your Nashville plans center around the Grand Ole Opry, you'll find affordable lodging nearby at the GuestHouse Inn & Suites Nashville/Music Valley. Here, you'll enjoy a clean, comfortable room or suite, fitness facilities, an indoor pool, and free breakfast.
At the higher end of the budget price range, you'll find the Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown. The property features an outdoor pool, free breakfast, and a fitness facility. The rooms and bathrooms tend to be a little more spacious at this price, and some rooms at the Hampton offer refrigerators, microwaves, and other extras, such as whirlpool tubs and balconies. A range of rooms with various accessibility options are available as well. Overall, this Hampton Inn & Suites hotel is surprisingly comfortable and well-equipped for a property in this price range.
2 Star Average Prices: £79.72
Nashville's Best Discounts
You will find plenty of opportunities to secure a special rate in Nashville. The Hermitage Hotel, for example, offers discounts for members of both AAA and AARP. At the Omni Nashville Hotel, you can find special online rates and discounts for booking early. The Omni also honors the Select Guest program, an Omni loyalty program that can earn you free nights at more than 350 locations in 60 countries.
Americas Best Value Inn also offers online booking discounts and has corporate rates available. Join the Americas Best Value Inn Value Club for 15 percent discounts and other perks, such as free upgrades and late checkouts. The Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown is a winner in the group pricing category, with an average group discount of around 12 percent. If you think you might qualify for military or government discounts, it's always a good idea to ask.
Best Value Options in Nashville, TN
Nashville does an exceptional job balancing affordability against quality, and that talent extends to its hotels. The Sheraton Music City Hotel, for instance, is a competitively priced 3.5-star airport hotel with many amenities.
This hotel sits on 23 acres of manicured greens, giving the property the feeling of a peaceful retreat, with a courtyard that offers a delightful escape from the city. Complimentary airport shuttles, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and rooms with pillow-top beds and balconies make this place feel like a much more expensive property. The on-site spa adds the right luxury touch to a traveler's stay.
The Sleep Inn on Percy Priest Drive is another solid value option. Located close to the airport, this hotel occupies an area close to easily accessible restaurants. The service is good, and the breakfast is better than average for a value-priced airport hotel. The rooms are generally well-equipped with mini-fridges, hair dryers, and free Wi-Fi access. The Sleep Inn also features an outdoor pool and fitness facility, but, for the most part, this hotel focuses on getting the basics right — clean room, good service, and reliable high-speed wireless Internet — rather than lavish amenities.
Honky-Tonking: Discover the Nashville Way to Hang Out
Nashville is brimming with attractions, ranging from plantation tours to malls, but if you want to get a feel for the way of life that has made this a mecca for American songwriting and musical creativity, you have to get out into the streets and experience the city's nightlife. In these parts, bar hopping is "honky-tonking," the Nashville way to get your nightly dose of live music and connect with the pulse of the city.
On Monday nights, be sure to stop by Whiskey Jam at Winners Bar and Grill, where you can catch national artists alongside fresh faces in a free show. Other stops on your honky-tonk trail include The Bluebird Café, a local legend where songwriters test their material, and the infamous Wildhorse Saloon. Plan a stop at The Station Inn to hear homegrown bluegrass music if you really want to put your finger on the pulse of Americana.
Food and alcohol are as important to the Nashville spirit as music, so when you've worked up an appetite for some slow-smoked, sweet and spicy ribs, stop by Jack's Bar-B-Que to fill up with the authentic local flavor. Try the award-winning microbrews at Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery or Yazoo Brewing Company.
Of course, your visit to Nashville isn't complete without a pilgrimage to the Jack Daniels Distillery in nearby Lynchburg. Serious whiskey lovers can spend a full day traveling along the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, visiting the local distilleries, and learning more about the history of this honorable Southern beverage.
Take some time to explore your options in Nashville to find a hotel that suits your fancy. After all, a stay in Music City should be as melodious as the tunes surrounding you on its streets and sidewalks.
Nashville, TN in a nutshell
Tennessee's slopes of farmlands and gentle hills lures millions of visitors each year, a majority of which visit to immerse in country music, whether at the mainstream showcases like the Grand Ole Opry, or in the honkytonks and smaller clubs found beyond downtown. Nashville is best known as the heart and soul of country music - songwriting, publishing, and yes, performance. The city is undoubtedly the best place to get an earful of the tales of broken hearts, cheating lovers, and revenge that have yet to make the airwaves. You can stroll along Lower Broadway casually and catch enjoyable performances by would-be stars singing a variety of tunes. For the best Nashville experience, head to the snug Bluebird Café in the city's Green Hills neighborhood. Every night the storefront hosts new and accomplished songwriters try out their works. But if you like an all-in-one adventure, hop aboard Nash-Trash Tour's Big Pink Bus, with guides that double as singers.With attractions such as the Parthenon, a colorful Hillsboro Village, imposing Fisk University, Riverfront Park, and numerous auditoriums, clubs, restaurants, and galleries, Nashville will have you singing your own story in no time.
'Music is my life. It's my calling. And I owe it to Nashville that I could make something of my life.
Duane Allman, often rated as one of the best guitarist who ever picked a note, had this to say about his home city “ Nashville.
Nashville, to those who have been here once, acts as a magnet of sorts. It is not really a metropolis in any sense of the word. At best, it's a sizeable city that has a good deal of history woven into its soul. But something makes Nashville a lot more enticing, a lot more attractive and a lot more amusing than that. Call it the charisma of its historic buildings, the sweet history of its world class music or just the insurmountable hospitality of its lovely people “ Nashville is often found at the to-visit list of thousands of people, not just from the US, but entire world. If you happen to be a tourist visiting Nashville, or just a traveler passing by, and stopping for a night or two in this Athens of the South can well be the high point of your tour.
Stay in a Hotel Without Spending a Fortune
If you are a solo traveler, finding cheap hotels here in Nashville is not really a task that you should fret over. Being a historical city, Nashville hosts people from all walks of life. To cater to the needs of these people, it also houses a number of hotel establishments that not only provide good, homely accommodation, but also make sure that you don't have to spend too much for it. Nashville hotels, without many exceptions, are as well-known for their hospitality, as are its people. Regardless of what you are paying, you can be pretty sure that you will never have a reason to worry about Nashville as far as staying is concerned.
Extra amenities like free parking, free laundry and free ticketing assistance provided by some of the establishments make the whole deal a whole lot sweeter.
Enjoy the Royal Treatment
At the other end of the stick lie luxury hotels in Nashville. When we discuss luxury hotel establishments present in the city of Nashville, it goes without saying that the iconic Hermitage Hotel is a worthy mention. The hotel that has hosted everyone from Frank Sinatra to Coltrane and from Chuck Berry to Gary Clark Jr., Hermitage is always on the priority list of tourists who are loyal patrons to luxury establishments.
Staying at a luxury hotel in Nashville only means that you will be getting to soak in the whole Nashville vibe that treats all of your senses. Many establishments in Nashville, like Loews, Marriot, Park Inn, Hilton and Hyatt provide world class luxury stay to travelers who are note entirely averse to the idea of spending upwards of $200 per night for a comfortable (luxurious, really!), stay in Nashville. These establishments, much unlike cheap hotels, also provide a host of freebies to their guests “ from airport pickups and drops to free sightseeing tours and from cultural tours to culinary tours.
Boutique and Independent Choices in Nashville
In a totally different category, boutique and independent hotels in Nashville try to strike a balance between the opulence of luxury establishments and the simplicity of budget ones. A boutique or independent hotel in Nashville often comes with many associated perks that travelers seem to cherish. These can range from private cars to free laundry and homemade food to long stay facilities.
The key to finding a great place to stay in Nashville is to ensure that the place provides you complete travel assistance “ especially if it's your first time in this Music City, USA.
What Should I Know Before Sightseeing in Nashville
For those who are planning on sightseeing in Nashville, the first and the foremost thing to know is that sightseeing in Nashville is a multi-sensory experience that will most likely be nothing like you have every experienced before. Sightseeing in most parts of the world is about monuments, places, buildings, scenic sights and other associated things. Nashville, however, is a touch different. Sightseeing in Nashville is all about feeling the city. You can feel this city of lights through its music, its people and most importantly, its music.
You will struggle to find a restaurant or a bar in Nashville that doesn't feature a live band. Music is, quite literally, the soul of this beautiful city and if you miss out on it, your sightseeing in Nashville will probably be a futile effort. Other than the music, Nashville is also best known for its food. So, before sightseeing in Nashville, make sure that you are well in a physical shape to experience various culinary treats of authentic Southern origin “ from numerous chicken recipes that will keep you wanting more to traditional Southern desserts that will leave a sweet pang of satisfaction in your mouth.
Before fixing your travel dates, you should also make it a point to go through various upcoming events in Nashville. There are quite a few remarkable music and festival happening in Nashville all year round. So, if you can sync your stay with one of such events, your trip will definitely become even more memorable!
Best Time to Travel to Nashville
Another thing that precedes any discussion regarding Nashville hotels is the time of the year when it's best to visit Nashville.
From the weather point of view, winter (October to February) is a slow period in Nashville, barring the Christmas and NYE. You will find it much cheaper to travel to Nashville during these months as most airlines and hotel managements slash prices sizeably during these months. However, on the down side, you won't be able to enjoy Nashville that much during these months.
The best time to travel to Nashville, in that sense, is summer “ from March to September. During these months, it's warm “ at times piping hot “ and that's what makes Nashville what it is. You will find Nashville streets full of travelers and restaurants always flashing Waiting Line signs.