What food is Nashville famous for?

Nashville is best known for hot chicken — fried chicken slathered in a cayenne-and-lard paste — alongside barbecue, biscuits, meat-and-three plates and Goo Goo Clusters. Guided food tours let you sample several of these signature dishes in one walk, usually enough to replace a full meal.

What is a honky-tonk in Nashville?

Honky-tonks are the bars along Lower Broadway that play free live country music all day and night, often across several floors. Entry is typically free, so a guided pub crawl is a fun way to hit the best ones with VIP access and drink specials rather than picking blind.

What is a Nashville party tractor or pedal tavern?

They are open-air party vehicles — a pedal-powered tavern or a converted tractor and party bus — that cruise the entertainment district while a group drinks and takes in Broadway. Most are 21-plus, last one to two hours, and start around $35 to $50 per person.

Home/Destinations/Nashville/Nashville food & honky-tonk night

Evening · Nashville itinerary

Nashville Food & Honky-Tonk Night: Broadway After Dark

Nashville eats before it dances. Start with fiery hot chicken and Southern staples on a guided food tour, then spill onto Lower Broadway for the honky-tonks, party tractors and bar crawls that make Music City's nights legendary. Here is how to plan the perfect food-and-nightlife evening — with the top-rated tours to book.

At a glance

1Hot chicken & local-eats food tour
2Honky-tonk pub crawl on Broadway
3Party tractor or pedal tavern ride
4Late-night bar crawl with shots

Eat first: hot chicken and Southern staples

Line your stomach on a walking food tour through downtown or the 12South district, sampling five to seven local dishes with a guide who knows the stories behind them. Expect Nashville hot chicken, barbecue, biscuits and a sweet finish, usually enough to add up to a full meal. Afternoon tours run about three hours from around $75, and small groups book out on weekends, so reserve ahead.

Broadway's honky-tonks and pub crawls

Lower Broadway is a neon canyon of honky-tonks where free live music plays from noon to last call across two or three floors. A guided honky-tonk pub crawl gets you inside the best bars without the guesswork, often with VIP entry, drink specials and a bit of history between stops. This is about the bars and the buzz, not ticketed concerts — come for the atmosphere and the two-steppers.

Roll into the night: tractors and party rides

Only in Nashville do you drink your way down Broadway aboard a pedal tavern, a party tractor or a wildest-honky-tonk party bus, all 21-plus and BYOB or bartender-served. They loop the entertainment district with a DJ or live host while you take in the chaos. Cap the night with a late bar crawl that bundles shots and skip-the-line entry, from about $30 a person.