Howdy Nash
Howdy Nash
The local's guide to East Nashville, the creative side of the river. What to do, where to eat and drink, and where to stay.
East Nashville sits just across the Cumberland River from downtown, and it is the city's creative corner. It runs on independent restaurants, dive bars, cocktail spots, live music, and vintage shopping, with a looser, more local feel than the tourist core.
This guide covers what to do in East Nashville, where to eat and drink, and where to stay. It is more spread out than the Gulch or 12 South, so it works best with a plan.
East Nashville is the indie, creative side of the city. Bungalows and porches, murals, makers, and a deep bench of chef-owned restaurants and neighborhood bars. It is where a lot of Nashville's musicians and creatives actually live, and it feels lived-in rather than staged. If Broadway is the show, East Nashville is the city off-duty.
Five Points is the heart of East Nashville, a compact intersection where restaurants, bars, and shops cluster within an easy walk. It is the best single spot to park and explore on foot, and the natural starting point for a first visit.
Shelby Park and the adjoining Shelby Bottoms Nature Area give East Nashville a large green space along the Cumberland River, with a paved greenway, woods, and a nature center. It is the neighborhood's outdoor backyard. See the parks guide.
East Nashville is the city's best area for vintage clothing, records, and independent shops. Hunters Station, a food hall in a converted auto shop, gathers several local concepts under one roof. See the shopping guide and the food halls guide.
East Nashville is independent-restaurant country, with chef-owned kitchens spanning casual to ambitious, including some of the city's best vegan and vegetarian spots. It is the neighborhood for a meal that is local rather than touristy. See the vegan and vegetarian guide.
This is the home of Nashville's best dive bars and a strong set of small music venues and cocktail bars. The Basement East on Woodland Street is a well-known room, and the neighborhood bars run the spectrum from no-frills to craft cocktail. See the dive bars guide, the music venues guide, or check live music in Nashville tonight for tonight's shows.
East Nashville leans toward boutique stays and short-term rentals rather than big hotels. It is a good base if you want a local, residential feel and do not mind a short drive to downtown. For a first trip focused on Broadway, downtown or the Gulch is more central. See the where to stay guide.
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East Nashville is known as the city's creative side: independent chef-owned restaurants, dive bars, cocktail spots, live music, and vintage shopping. It has a looser, more local feel than the downtown tourist core.
In pockets. Five Points is walkable, and so are a few other clusters, but East Nashville is spread out, so you will drive or rideshare between areas more than in the Gulch or 12 South.
It is a short drive across the Cumberland River, just over the bridge from downtown. A rideshare takes only a few minutes.
It is good if you want a local, residential base and do not mind a short drive downtown. It leans toward boutique stays and rentals. For a first trip centered on Broadway, downtown or the Gulch is more central.
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Neighborhoods Guide · Dive Bars · Music Venues · Food Halls · Things to Do in Nashville · Germantown