We will be staying at the Opryland Hotel for 3 nights in August. We are flying in 1 day early, so we can see some other sights and experience Nashville restaurants and nightlife. Would it be better to stay in downtown Nashville or the Vanderbilt area, before we move to Opryland? Which area has better nightlife? Thanks for your help! Laurie

Laurie:
A little more info would be helpful. Do your interests involve nature, music, museums, etc.? Depending on your age and interests, nightlife is varied. Downtown has a lot of country music and jazz venues; the college area has a lot to offer. Let us know and we will try to help with your plans!

If you'tre wanting restaurants and nightlife, it would be better to saty downtown.....However, I think Vandy is a better place to SLEEP. A 2-minute cab ride gets to from one to the other.

Since you will be staying at Opryland for several days and will therefore have a chance to see that area thoroughly, staying downtown the first night might not be a bad idea. That way you can see that part of town, too.

There are several hotels downtown that are within easy walking distance of the attractions, but frequently they are very expensive. As some others have noted, you might want to consider the Vandy area to see if the hotels there are significantly cheaper. If there's a big price difference, you could still stay at one of the hotels on West End (such as the Hampton Inn or Courtyard by Marriott) and have plenty of money left to cover cab fares the couple of miles downtown. You would also be fairly close (a long hike or, prob. better, a short cab ride) to the Hillsboro Village area, where many of Nashville's best and/or most popular restaurants, bars, etc. are located.

Thank you for your replies. I am planning to use priceline to get a hotel and I can pick an area such as Vanderbilt or Downtown. We are only going to ge able to stay here one evening and one morning, so I just wanted to be near moderately priced restaurants and fun nightclubs. We are in our mid 40's, so we don't want anything too wild! I may bid for a 4* in both the Vanderbilt and the downtown area and see what priceline comes up with. Thanks for your help! If you have any suggestions for moderately priced restaurants and nightclubs, I would love to hear them. Laurie

Demos' on the corner of thrid and commerce downtown is great and very reasonable.

Big River Brewing Co is also a favorite.

you can also head the other way in the Vandy area...lots of great places. One of my favorites in the smoke shack and the san antonio taco company (SATCO). If you don't like Chinese, and want some (that's wierd, I know)...try P.F. Changs on West End in front of Centennial Park.

Laurie:
My son was at Union Station Hotel (very near downtown and very beautiful) and said it was noisy due to proms, etc. It may be more quiet in August. Downtown can be very noisy for sleeping; but fun to walk around at night. Printers Alley is a famous strip of nightclubs downtown (I haven't been in many years, so I can't give a description). I am not a country music fan; but last weekend listened to jazz sax player Kirk Whallum (sp?) at Loew's piano bar and Michael Mcdonald (Doobie Bros.) in a high school gym. Check out citysearch.com before coming. The days are very hot and humid in Aug.!

Laurie, one of the best restaurants in Nashville (many think it is THE best) is Sunset Grill in Hillsboro Village (near Vanderbilt). Terrific food, great service, wonderful wine list, and desserts to die for. Casually elegant, I'd say, and not really any more expensive than any other decent sit-down restaurant. Most entrees are in the $10-20 range. Check out www.sunsetgrill.com for more info.

Another favorite for locals, again in Hillsboro Village (pretty much across the street from Sunset Grill) is Bosco's, a brew pub with great beer and some of the best (California style) pizza I've ever had. Try www.boscosbeer.com for info.

If it's a nice evening, you can sit out on the patio at Jackson's in Hillsboro Village. Pretty good food, out-of-this-world drinks, and a good place to sit and watch the world go by.

Many of the nightclubs are located downtown along Broadway and 2nd Avenue. This is stuff like the Wildhorse Saloon. Mulligan's is a decent Irish pub. You can walk up and down the streets and just stop in anyplace that looks interesting. Since it's Nashville, there's always live music coming out of all the clubs and you can stop in anyplace that looks good.

One of the favorite places for locals to go is the Bluebird Cafe, an amazing place to see singer-songwriters. A lot of people who write songs for the top country stars play there on their songwriters' nights. It's an intimate little place and you'll never be disappointed because there's always somebody really outstanding. Go to www.bluebirdcafe.com for more. You never know when somebody famous might drop in to play or just to catch the show. (Last time I was there, one of the Everley Brothers was at the table next to me).

The restaurants at the Opryland Hotel have a good reputation, but other than that there aren't too many interesting restaurants in that area. You may find you want to take a cab/shuttle downtown or to Hillsboro Village for dinner even while you're staying at Opryland.

Downtown has more tourist-oriented restaurants (like Hard Rock Cafe). The Hillsboro Village/Vandy area is where the locals go. Go to whichever sounds more like your style, or try both!

Have a great trip.

Thank you Rich, Big Red and xxx for your many suggestions!I wish we had more time in Nashville so we could try many of these places. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to come back sometime. Thanks again! Laurie

Laurie -- I gotta' concur with Rich. While there are many restaurants/bars downtown, they are more "touristy." I think if you want a casual, "locals" kind of evening, stay in the Vandy area and hit some of the restaurants near there. Definitely check out the Bluebird cafe -- not long on ambiance, but great music.

Laurie, I meant to say that the local free weekly paper, the Nashville Scene, just published their annual readers' poll "Best of Nashville" in last week's issue. Check out their website at www.nashvillescene.com and peruse the categories there to get ideas of where the locals like to go as far as restaurants, clubs, shops, etc.

Wow! You guys have been great! I really appreciate all the information. Thanks! Laurie

Laurie: if you end up staying in the Vandy area and like Thai food, there's a great little place on West End Ave (near the intersection with 21st) called Salathai. They have terrific lunch specials during the week. They have a cafeteria section and a sit-down section -- the sit-down part is MUCH better. They have the best penang chicken I've ever had, and their coconut soup is unbelievable.

Any other Nashvillians here who haven't tried their weekday "lunch set" ought to give it a try.

Just went to Nashville for the first time last weekend and would also suggest staying downtown. We stayed at the Renaisance and was able to walk everywhere.

Thanks for the suggestions Grant and dcp. Laurie

Hi Laurie,
I vote for: Vandy area, Courtyard West End, Sunset Grill; the great French bakery nearby (is it Provence??) and a trip to the Frist Art Center if you have time. And though it's attractive, I'd vote no on Union Station Hotel...super noisy, indeed!

Well, as it turns out, we will be staying at the Union Station. I kept trying for 4* hotels in the downtown or Vanderbilt area with priceline, but I wasn't successful until I dropped down to a 3*. I was able to get this hotel for 1 night for $45 so I am still pretty happy. I will definately be prepared for a little noise! It looks like an interesting place. Has anyone stayed here that can tell me about the rooms and the location. Is it in walking distance to some of the restaurants and nightclubs mentioned on this thread. Thanks again for your help everyone! Laurie

IMHO Union Station is the most beautiful hotel in Nashville.....unfortunately it will be a hike to downtown and I wouldn't even try walking to the Vandy area...(at least the restaurant area...the Frist Art Center is just up the hill.

Historic structures aren't placed for convenience!!!

A hike? Union Station is basically at 12th Ave, so it's 10 blocks to 2nd Ave. And it's a downhill walk all the way from 8th to 2nd. So I'd walk in, maybe cab back.

Try not to stay on the west side of the hotel near the tracks. The trains still run through there, so you want to be on the other side. Grab a beer at the eclectic Flying Saucer adjacent to the hotel. Frist Visual Arts is right next door.

Downtown is indeed touristy. Hillsboro Village, near Vandy, is better. Or head west on Broadway across the interstate on to West End for dinner. Amerigo is my fave, and Blackstone has the best brew pub porter I've ever had.

Have a good trip.

A hike? Union Station is basically at 12th Ave, so it's 10 blocks to 2nd Ave. And it's a downhill walk all the way from 8th to 2nd. So I'd walk in, maybe cab back.

Try not to stay on the west side of the hotel near the tracks. The trains still run through there, so you want to be on the other side. Grab a beer at the eclectic Flying Saucer adjacent to the hotel. Frist Visual Arts is right next door.

Downtown is indeed touristy. Hillsboro Village, near Vandy, is better. Or head west on Broadway across the interstate on to West End for dinner. Amerigo is my fave, and Blackstone has the best brew pub porter I've ever had.

Have a good trip.