Nashville visit
 

Hi there,
We will be in Nashville this weekend. We are staying at the Opryland Resort because there is a conference there next week that I am attending for work. They have a shuttle that will take us to the Wild Horse Saloon downtown, drop us off and pick us up later. I have two questions:
1.) Are there any good (local, not chain) barbeque places within easy walking distance of the Wild Horse Saloon and

2.) Is this area safe for tourists to walk around in at night. I was watching a "cops" type show on TV the other night and the Broadway area of Nashville looked pretty sketchy (drug dealing on the street, etc.), but they may have been exaggerating for effect or maybe there is a section of Broadway that is safe and other sections we would want to avoid. Please help a country bumpkin from Idaho who wants to enjoy all that Nashville has to offer without getting mugged! ha ha Thanks!

1. Jack's Barbecue is on Lower Broadway, very easy to find (next to Tootsie's if memory serves correctly, but definitely nearby). Probably a five-minute walk from the Wildhorse. Not the best barbecue in town in my opinion, but fine and the only one downtown right now. (I've heard Martin's Barbecue is planning to open a location in SoBro, which will be fantastic, but it's not there yet.)

2. Oh goodness, yes, unless bachelorette parties pose a threat to you or you get run over by a pedal tavern. :) How old was the cop show? About 25 years ago downtown Nashville was a little sketchy, apparently (I didn't live here then), but the area is tourist central now and perfectly safe, especially Lower Broad and 2nd Avenue where you're likely to be. Full of people. Probably rowdy, but not dangerous.

Agree with everything jent103 said above. We also like Jack's but found the Wildhorse had a killer burger when we were there last time.

While you might see a couple of homeless hanging around, as well as a drunk or two, we never have felt unsafe walking around that area at night. There are so many people everywhere, you shouldn't have a problem.

I am very tardy in responding, but thank you both for your comments. You were right on the money and Nashville was very nice and we enjoyed Jack's BBQ and explored Broadway with no safety concerns at all. Your comment about the bachelorette parties was hilarious and right on point. We saw so many drunk girls celebrating their bachelorette parties. We had a really good time in Nashville! Great music and nice people.

So glad you had a good time, Athelia! And yep, I'm grateful for the boost to our economy, but I'll be glad when the bachelors/bachelorettes have moved on to the next hot destination. ;)

And for anyone who finds this thread with similar questions - the new Martin's barbecue has finally opened in SoBro. I haven't been yet, but it sounds like a pretty awesome setup (and the barbecue is sure to be great).

http://www.martinsbbqjoint.com/downtown-nashville/

Glad you enjoyed Nashville, Alethia. It's one of my favorite vacation destinations. In fact, I'm ready to go back soon.