Lower Broadway, Nashville: A Bachelor Party Guide

What Lower Broadway Actually Is

Lower Broadway is a four-block wall of neon between the river and 5th Avenue, packed with honky-tonks blasting live music from 10am to 3am. You can walk the whole strip end to end in under 10 minutes.

Almost every ground-floor bar is free to enter and has a live band playing for tips. That is the magic of Broadway for a bachelor party. You do not need a plan, you need a bar tab and a meeting spot for when the group scatters.

The Honky-Tonks Worth Your Time

Robert's Western World

The most honest bar on the strip. No cover, real traditional country seven nights a week, and a fried bologna sandwich that has fed a thousand hangovers. Start here before it fills up.

Order this: The Recession Special, a fried bologna sandwich, chips, a Moon Pie, and a PBR for around $6.

Tootsie's Orchid Lounge

The purple landmark since 1960, three floors of live music and history. It is a tourist magnet, but you cannot do Broadway without a beer at Tootsie's.

Nudie's Honky Tonk

Home of the longest bar in Nashville and a wall of rhinestone suits. Big, loud, and built to swallow a bachelor party whole.

The Rooftops That Charge a Cover

Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row

Nashville's tallest rooftop bar and patio, with live country and an ice-themed bar up top. Worth the cover for the skyline view alone.

Jason Aldean's Kitchen and Rooftop Bar

One of the better rooftops on the strip and a solid spot to actually eat before the night runs long. The rooftop cover is typically $5 to $15.

Acme Feed and Seed

At the river end of Broadway with a rooftop that looks back over the strip and the Cumberland. A calmer place to regroup mid-night.

How to Run the Strip

• Ground floors are free. Upper floors and rooftops charge $5 to $15. Budget for two or three covers if you want the views.
• Tip the band. A folded bill in the bucket every couple of songs is the etiquette and it gets your requests played.
• Pick a fixed meeting bar before you start. Broadway swallows people and cell service dies when it is packed.
• Eat first. Robert's or Jason Aldean's will keep the group upright longer than a night of only beer.
• Weekends bring pedal taverns and matching shirts everywhere. Go Thursday if you want the same energy with more room.

Where to Go When Broadway Gets Old

Four blocks of the same cover songs wears thin around midnight. Walk 10 minutes to Printer's Alley for a darker, older vibe, or grab a rideshare to The Gulch or Midtown for bars that are not built for tourists.