The best 3 day Girls weekend in Nashville
- Shoshana Weed
- Sep 21
- 12 min read
Hi friends, I recently got back from a 3-day girls' trip to Nashville. We all had the best time. I can attest that Nashville makes for a really great girls' trip destination. If you're a country girl at heart like I am, you will for sure love Nashville, and even if you're not, I would say there's something for everyone here, so you will definitely still have a really good time!
In this three-day guide, I'm going to let you in on the best neighborhoods, the best places to eat, the best areas for shopping, and the best things to do and see in Nashville. Let's dig into the ultimate 3-day Nashville girls' weekend guide!
Nashville is known for Broadway, where live music fills the street. There are tons of bars that line the strip, and they all play live music. This was my favorite part about Nashville. It was so fun to just pop in somewhere and see live performers and people having a really good time no matter what time of day it was. I will say that my favorite vibe on Broadway was in the afternoon and particularly at the very famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge. We all had the best time here, and the vibes were just SO GOOD!
While Nashville is known for Broadway, it's so much more than that! There are lots of things to do and see in Nashville. First of all, there's no end to really good shopping here. The food scene is stellar, and I can't think of one place I didn't like that we went to. There's also the Parthenon, which we all really enjoyed and was a highlight of our trip!
Let's dig into the best areas to stay in Nashville
Some of the different areas to stay in Nashville include Downtown, The Gulch, East Nashville, and Midtown.
We ended up staying in East Nashville because we were looking for an Airbnb so we could have more room to spread out. There seemed to be more budget-friendly options in East Nashville and just more Airbnb options in general. East Nashville requires driving across the Cumberland River. It only took us about 10 minutes to get from our Airbnb to downtown.
Downtown will be the most convenient place to stay with lots of hotel options and a quick walk to the iconic honky-tonk highway, museums, restaurants, and shopping. If you don't want to rent a car and want to be right in the middle of all the action, then you will want to stay here.
The Gulch is a trendy neighborhood known for it's upscale boutiques, high end shopping and trend setting restauratns. It's about a 5 minute drive from downtown so you could easily uber from here.
East Nashville ended up being my favorite area in Nashville, but that could also just be because I spent the most time here. There are lots of really good food options and neighborhood restaurants, which are personally my favorite. East Nashville has an artsy hipster vibe, and I felt that the minute we got there. It also had a more local feel to it than the other areas I went to.
Midtown is another option southwest of downtown. Midtown has a much more local feel to it compared to downtown and also has bustling bars and nightlife. Midtown has a college vibe thanks to Vanderbilt University and this is also where Centennial Park and the Parthenon are. You will be further away from downtown here so keep that in mind if you want to stay here.
Okay, now that we've covered some neighborhoods in Nashville, let's dive into the ultimate 3-day girls' weekend in Nashville!
You're going to want to start each day with breakfast/brunch, and I've got some really great stops for you!
Best brunch spots in Nashville
Hearts Cafe in East Nashville for a really cute intimate vibe with delicious breakfast options. Note that this place is pretty small, so it might be hard to snag a spot, but they do have outdoor seating too.
Frothy Monkey Loved the vibes here, and there are many Frothy Monkeys in Nashville, so no matter where you are, you can check this place out. Their coffee is absolutely delicious, which is a must for me.
Biscuit Love Gulch for the flakiest, best biscuits you'll ever eat in your life.
No girls' trip would be complete without a little shopping, and Nashville does not disappoint when it comes to shopping. There are many, and I do mean many, options for great shopping here. If you're staying downtown, then there's 5th and Broadway, which has restaurants, luxury shopping, and live music. You can't go wrong here. We went and checked out a few shops, including Ariat. If you're shopping for a while, you're most likely going to be hungry, so make sure you stop at the Assembly Food Hall for lunch, which has a lot of really great food options to choose from, and everyone can get something they want. I ate at Radish and loved their healthy bowl options.
Boutique shopping is my favorite way to shop, and there's no shortage of that in Nashville. Make your way to The Gulch or 12 South and do a little shopping, popping in and out of super cute boutiques.
For some reason, when I was researching the best shopping area in Nashville when I was planning this trip, The Gulch came up more frequently, but I found that 12 South had a much more fun vibe and had shops on both sides of the street. It was much more "popping" than The Gulch. It's a 1/2 mile strip south of downtown lined with trendy boutiques and coffee shops. I loved the vibe here and would love to come back and spend the afternoon here. We ended up here after shopping at The Gulch, so we didn't spend a ton of time here.
The Gulch, on the other hand, has some good shops too, but not as many or as happening as 12 South; however, my favorite store that we went into was Kittenish in The Gulch. The Gulch also has cute trendy murals, specifically the What Lifts You Wings. So make sure you don't miss The Gulch and the chance to get a picture with the wings.
The best 3 day Nashville girls weekend Itinerary
Day 1 - Today is all about checking out Broadway so depending on where you're staying I recommend breakfast at Frothy Monkey. They have lots of locations around Nashville so you're bound to find one nearby no matter where you end up staying. I flew in on Thursday morning and we went straight to Frothy Monkey in East Nashville and we all really loved it. The coffee was especially good! I haven't been to the other Frothy Monkeys but I'm sure they're just as special!
After breakfast, we went back to the Airbnb so I could shower and change from the flight. If you're like me, you need to wash the "plane" off you. Next, we drove the 10 minutes to Broadway and started our day at the Johnny Cash Museum. I highly recommend the Johnny Cash museum if you're a fan like me. I loved every second of it, and it all felt very nostalgic to me.
After the museum, take a short walk to the Walk of Fame Park. This is a small park, but it is beautiful and has some nice shady areas to hang out. As the huge country fan that I am, I felt something in my soul here. If you're feeling up to it, you can also check out the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; it's right across from the park. You can tour the museum for a fee.
Continue walking, past Legends Corner and on to 5th and Broadway which is a mall with lots of shopping opportunities here including Free people, Ariat and Nike as well as some other boutiques. By this time you'll be ready for lunch like we were so stop at the Assembly Food Hall for something to eat. The Assembly Food hall is right above the shopping mall and I loved it because there are lots of different food options here so you're bound to find something for everyone. We ended up eating at Radish Kitchen which is a great "fast food" healthy option with grain bowls, salads and wraps. It was nice to having something fresh and healthy for lunch.
If you're here in the heat of summer like we were then by this time it's time for a cold beer and some live music. Take a short walk back to Broadway AKA "Honky Tonk Highway" and stop in to the very famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge. I'm still dreaming about coming back here someday. This iconic bar has three stories and that means three stories of live music and good vibes. They also have a rooftop bar so you can grab a cold one and peoople watch. We ended up on the 3rd floor and the band was really vibing and if we didn't have dinner plans I probably could've stayed all afternoon and night here. But there's a lot more to see and do so we spent the afternoon here and then headed back to East Nashville to shower and get ready for dinner.
Dinner was at "The Hampton Social" on Broadway and I'll be honest the decor was super cute but the food, drinks and service were lacking. I'm guessing that they get really busy here being right on Broadway which is probably why we didn't have the greatest experience. Another place I would recommend if you're in east Nashville is The Red Headed Stranger for really good tacos! While I personally didn't go here (I left earlier than the rest of my party) I heard that the tacos were absolutely delicious! Particularly the brisket taco. I'm sad I missed out! From The red Headed taco it's a quick 10 minute ride to Broadway.
I will say the nighttime vibe on Broadway is a little different from the daytime vibe, but I still had fun, particularly at Jason Aldean's bar. I recommend walking up and down Honky Tonk Avenue, popping into different bars until you find your vibe! The great thing about this little strip on Broadway is that every place is playing live music, so you're bound to find something you like! Nashville is a super popular spot for bachelorette and bachelor parties, so you will likely see a lot of them while you're here!
Day 2- After a fun day of sightseeing and a fun night out, it's time for brunch and shopping! Start in The Gulch with breakfast at Biscuit Love and from there walk the strip, stopping at trendy boutiques. My favorites were Kittenish, Rustler Hat Co & Blush Boutique. And don't forget to stop for a photo at The What Lifts You Wings mural, which is right next to Kittenish.
Once you've had your fill of shopping at The Gulch, head over to 12 South and by this time, if you're anything like me, you'll be ready for an afternoon coffee. Stop at the ever so trendy La La Land coffee shop for a pick-me-up. And from there start popping into some boutiques. As I mentioned before, I preferred 12 South to the Gulch for the vibes but they're both worth visiting in my opinion.
After a fully day of shopping it's time to head back to refresh for dinner. I recommend dinner at Butcher and Bee. It's a farm to table restaurant meant for sharing. I loved the experience here and the food was top notch!
After dinner, if you were lucky enough to score tickets to the iconic Bluebird cafe then that's where you'll head to next. If you didn't get tickets like we did then you can hit up Honky Tonk highway again tonight or if you're feeling more low key vibes I recommend posting up at a rooftop bar. We ended the night at the rooftop bar at The Waymore hotel in East Nashville and it was the perfect end to a perfect day.
Day 3 - Today, sadly is the final day in Nashville but don't get too sad we have a fun day ahead of us! Today we are starting with breakfast at Hearts in East Nashville and wow oh wow I think this was my favorite breakfast spot that we went too. It's super small but I loved that about it. It had a very local feel to it and the breakfast and mimosas were spot on!
Next, make the car trip to The Parthenon in Centennial Park Nashville. The Parthenon is the World's only exact sice replica of the original Parthenon in Nashville and it was a sight to see! This was a really cool experience and I highly recommend visiting. It get's very busy so come early if you can. It's also a very popular spot for wedding pictures. We saw about five different wedding parties getting photos here.
If you're not here in the heat of summer like we were, I recommend packing a picnic and enjoying it at Centennial Park after perusing the museum. If; however you are here in the heat of summer, I recommend going back to Broadway and popping into a few bars in particular "Miranda Lambert's" and "Lainey Wilsons Bell Bottoms up". We stopped in to Miranda Lambert's and had the best time. Once again, the vibes in here were top notch! But it really is hard to go wrong on Broadway when there's so much live music pumping into the streets. We had dinner and late night plans so we sadly couldn't stay here long. When the music is good and the vibes are vibing it really is hard to be pulled away. We also stopped in to Roberts Western World for a song which I do recommend just popping in to check out the old timey feel in here.
Okay, now it's time for dinner and The Grand Ole Opry! No matter where you stay in Nashville, unless you're staying at the Opryland Resort, you'll have to drive a bit to get to the Opry, but it's definitely worth it in my opinion! This was one of the highlights of the trip for sure! We had dinner at Lockeland Table in East Nashville, and I cannot recommend this charming neighborhood restaurant enough. This place really makes you feel at home. It has a charming, cozy vibe, and the food and drinks were exceptional! Pro-tip: come for happy hour for decently priced cocktails and apps.
After dinner, we made the 20-minute drive to The Grand Ole Opry, and this show was incredible! I loved every second of it. If you're not in town for a concert, I highly recommend going to the Grand Ole Opry for a show. We had gotten tickets for the show about a month in advance, and they hadn't announced who all was coming yet. I was so surprised and excited to find out that Jordan Davis and Kylie Morgan would be performing. It definitely made my night! The Grand Ole Opry was the perfect way to end the best 3-day girls' weekend!
Best things to see and do in Nashville
Shop till you drop in 12 South and The Gulch
Ooh and Awe at The Johnny Cash Museum
Admire your favorite country stars at the Walk of Fame Park
Dance your heart away on Broadway, particularly Tootsies Orchid Lounge, Bell Bottoms up & Miranda Lambert's.
Eat your way through East Nashville
Visit the only replica of The Parthenon in Nashville
Enjoy a picnic at Centennial or Bicentennial Park
Walk the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge at sunset
Go to a concert
Enjoy a show at The Grand Ole Oprey
Score tickets to the iconic Bluebird cafe
Listen to live music at The Listening Room
Tour the Ryman Auditorium or see a concert there
Grab your friends and make a candle together at The Paddywax Candle Bar
Restaurant recommendations
Breakfast
Hearts Cafe in East Nashville (this place had my heart)
Frothy Monkey (multiple locations in Nashville)
Biscuit love for the flakiest biscuits (two locations in Nasvhille)
The Buttermilk Ranch at 12 south
Milk and Honey in the Gulch
La La Land for coffee at 12 south
Lunch/Dinner
Lockeland Table for neighborhood restaurant vibes in East Nashville
Butcher and Bee for good vibes and sharing.
The Red Headed strange for low key vibes and delicious tacos
Radish kitchen for grain bowls and salads
Assembly Food Kitchen on Broadway where everyone can pick what they want
A few tips-
If you want to see a show at the Bluebrid Cafe tickets go on sale one week in advance and are very hard to score! You will want to be online at the exact time they go on sale to try to snag tickets. The Bluebrid Cafe is a small venue and only seats 90 so tickets go fast! It might be easier to get tickets during the week versus a weekend.
If you can, I recommend coming to Nashville for a concert! While we didn't end up seeing a concert I think it would have been really fun. But even if you don't come for a concet you'll still have the best time! And make sure to see a show at the Grand Ole Opry!
The best time to visit Nashville is in the Spring (March through May) or in the fall (September through November). Nashville get's very hot and humid in the summer so if you're wanting moderate temperatures for exploring Spring or Fall is going to be your best bet.
There you have it! A list of some of the best things to do and see in Nashville. You can't go wrong with a girls' trip to Nashville. There's so much to see and do! You will all have the best time. Let me know if you have any questions in the comment.
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