North of Broadway

Big Jimmy’s

@109 2nd Ave. N. Actually Big Jimmy’s isn’t that big but it’s a place to enjoy live music while having a burger and beer. Concise menu of burgers, flatbreads, and chicken sandwiches. A bucket of 4 beers will run you $20.

Doc Holliday’s Saloon

@112 2nd Ave. N. In contrast to the most places, this feels like a southern version of a cozy pub with a cool staircase leading to a small second level. It can still be loud there. There’s no stage per se but solo artists are tucked into a corner by the stairs.

Still G.I.N. Lounge by Dre and Snoop

@128 2nd Ave. N. West Coast rap/hip-hop culture takes a southern turn with this new arrival inside the Nashville Live! complex. In addition to serving Dre and Snoop’s branded drinks, there will be DJs, live music, and special events. To quote the press release, they promise to”bring the best of hip-hop, R&B and funk, setting the tone for unforgettable nights.”

Cerveza Jack’s

@135 2nd Ave. N. First and foremost, this is a Mexican restaurant touting tacos, tequila, and tunes. Tequila Tuesday means 25% off any tequila. Friday and Saturday, 9pm-close, a Dulce Vida tequila shot is $6. Happy hour. specials Monday-Friday, open to 6pm: $6 wells, $7 margaritas, $6 Buena Cerveza drafts.  The early shift of live music leans toward country and things get more adventurous as the night wears on. Hours: Sun-Thurs, 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat, 11am-1am.

Luke Combs’s Category 10 (formerly the Wildhorse Saloon)

@120 2nd Ave. N. This huge facility features five entertainment experiences: a honky tonk, the Hurricane Hall with downtown’s largest dance floor carrying on the Wildhorse’s line-dancing tradition, a songwriter speakeasy, a sports bar, and a huge rooftop deck called The Eye. 

Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar

@152 2nd Ave. N. Pretty self-explanatory concept for a rip-roarin’ evening of sing-alongs. Head downstairs for this party atmosphere with a bit of a speakeasy vibe.

Coyote Ugly Saloon

@154 2nd Ave. N. I’m not big into the franchised bar vibe but I’ll tip you off that they have live music and happy hour specials including $5 drafts on Saturday and Sunday, noon-8pm.

Freebird

150 2nd Avenue, N. It’s a little weird to include a nationally franchised boot store yet that’s what you’ll find here–boots, a coffee and booze bar, and live music.

Morgan Wallen’s This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen

107 4th Avenue, N.  Six floors of Wallen memorabilia, three stages, six bars and a menu that features hot chicken, barbecue, steaks, and sandwiches. Compact space but really well-designed.

Blueprint Supply Co.

156 Printers Alley. The name pays homage to the businesses once housed here. An extension of Underground Cocktail Club in Chicago, the aim here is provide a home for live music, experiential evenings, and elevated good times. Fashioned as an upscale, uptown lounge, check the schedule for their mix of acoustic sets, open mics, live band karaoke, and DJ sets. Open Thursday-Saturday.

Urban Cowboy Bar

234 5th Avenue, N. No live music but worth the visit for the architectural gumbo–antique taxidermy, an Old West saloon bar, a disco ball, a view of the Arcade built in 1902 inspired by Milan designs. And pizza. Definitely brings a different flavor to downtown.

South of Broadway (aka SoBro)

Teddy’s Tavern

104 Rep. John Lewis Way (formerly 5th Ave. S.). Housed in Nashville’s oldest residence (circa 1820). Teddy’s is smaller than the celebrity-driven honky tonks and keeps the volume of live music at a sane level. Drafts are $6 and wells are $8 all day Sunday.  Other deals on their Instagram page.

Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up

@120 2nd Ave. S. Formerly FGL House, it boasts two stages, four bars, and a ’70s-meets-Western vibe on its rooftop. Head downstairs for the Bayou Keys dueling piano bar Thursday-Saturday. The menu takes its cues from Lainey’s Louisiana upbringing with Cajun pasta, shrimp boils, and crawfish crabcake sliders. It’s also the first place I’ve seen charcuterie boards offered. There’s even a kids menu.

Show Pony

@121 3rd Ave. S. Yes, there’s live music but they try for novelty by breaking things up with cabaret, games and contests, and other forms of audience interaction. But probably their most novel distinction is its assortment of $5 domestic beers. Note: kitchen closes at 10pm.

Big Machine Brewery and Distillery 

@122 2nd. Ave. S. Big Machine is not just the record label that launched Taylor Swift. It’s also a combo honky tonk/tasting room/distillery/souvenir store. Tours are available for $25 which includes tastings of several products. There’s another location sans live music in Berry Hill that operates as a tavern with a limited food menu and full bar.

6th and Peabody

SoBro. I think if you add Yee-Haw Brewing Co. and Ole Smoky Distillery with live music you come up with an approximation of a honky tonk. That’s exactly what you’ll find here–along with huge TV screens and an outdoor patio with games.

Station Inn 

The Gulch. It’s not exactly a honky tonk but this mecca for bluegrass (and sometimes traditional country) definitely bears the well-worn feeling of a spartan dive bar. Long respected, you never know what big-deal musician might show up. I love that this humble building is standing its ground against the uber-trendiness of the Gulch, the last bastion of what the area once was. Generally charges $20-25 but there’s no fee for their every-Sunday-night bluegrass jams.

Martin’s BBQ

SoBro. It’s a family-friendly barbecue joint but, in the upstairs beer garden, you’ll find live music Thursday-Sunday. (Check the website for hours.)

Beyond Downtown

If you take the greater Nashville area into consideration, the number of honky tonks mushrooms–although most would call themselves clubs, music venues, or beer joints. They tend to cater to locals but these are some of the more popular destinations only a short drive from downtown. TIP: You’re more likely to find happy hour specials at these places.

Green Light Bar

Just south of The Gulch. This former warehouse is a whirlwind of multi-tasking–there’s food and drink, live music daily, darts, a $5 mechanical bull ride, a luggage drop-off, and it’s the hub for local transportation company Joyride. It hosts weekly songwriter rounds, karaoke, trivia nights, and open-mic comedy. Whew!

Bobby’s Idle Hour

Off Music Row. Sometimes it seems like a songwriter listening room. At others, it’s more of a honky tonk. Like the Little Engine that Could, Bobby’s has chugged forward following two relocations. Look hard and you’ll find it at 9 Music Square S., between 16th and 17th Avenue S. (also known at Music Square E. and W.) As the only longstanding tavern near Music Row, it’s collected a good bit of music folklore over the years.

The Local

Vanderbilt-West End. Definitely more low-key that the downtown ruckus, crowds tend be…well, locals. Mostly songwriters through the week and goes more retro on the weekends with bands like Organic Country.

Santa’s Pub

@2225 Bransford Ave. Nashville, 37204 adjacent to GEODIS Stadium, home of the Nashville SC soccer team. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa and he’s the proprietor of a bar where locals vastly outnumber the tourists. Some would call this repurposed mobile home a dive; others might call it homey. A few heads up: it’s open Wednesday-Sunday nights, it’s cash-only, and also you don’t need a lot of money because beers start at $2 a bottle or can. (There’s an ATM outside for those who forget the house rules.) Primarily karaoke with live music on Sundays.

Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge

Madison. Wasn’t sure where to place Dee’s. It opened in 2016 but the decor really nails the look of a ’70s honky tonk. Appearances (and the name) are deceiving as their musical line-up varies greatly, embracing rock, blues, soul, and bluegrass. Even if you don’t like the band d’jour, the atmosphere is worth the trip. Buoyed by mentions in Esquire and Rolling Stone, hipsters frequent the place but please, keep the attitude in check. To view previous bands, visit Dee’s YouTube Channel.

Skinny Dennis

East Nashville. The original honky tonk is in Brooklyn but I’m giving it space because I hear great things about the quality of the live music, the overall Texas-inspired vibe, and (go-figure) Asian fare by Little Miss Mao.

American Legion Post 82

Madison. You don’t have to be a veteran to join in on the fun. It became famous for hosting Honky Tonk Tuesday which has now scooted a few miles away to Eastside Bow–but never fear. They now offer live music and dancing under a new name–Eighty Two’s Day from 8pm-midnight. Bonus: bluegrass starts at 7pm every Wednesday.

Fran’s Eastside

2504 Dickerson Pike, East Nashville. Most tourists won’t wander in here but they should if they want the feel of an old-school beer joint. The sign out front even reads “Fran’s Dive Bar.” The line-up rambles among karaoke, open mic, band performances, and spoken word. Cheap beer and the chance to meet its 81-year-old namesake.

Betty’s Grill

407 49th Avenue, N., Sylvan Park. Locals fill up the place so keep a low profile if you want to fit in. The music is a different adventure every night mixing rock, country, blues, and whoever else has put a band together. Get a burger for under $10, add fries for $2 more. Sit back and enjoy the ride.