Thursday · Oct 1
Arrival + East NashvilleArrival in Nashville; pick up bags and head to the house.
Our Wedgewood-Houston home base. Drop bags, settle in, and use the house as the reset point before the evening in East Nashville.
Relaxed local brewery with beer made on site, a real food menu, TVs, and frequent live music. An easy first Nashville stop after travel.
Back home for downtime, showers, and a change before the first proper night out. This keeps arrival day deliberately unhurried.
Intimate East Nashville cocktail bar with imaginative seasonal drinks and polished shareable plates. Cozy, grown-up, and a priority stop.
Stylish neighborhood restaurant from the Rolf and Daughters team, centered on sourdough pizza, seasonal plates, natural wine, and cocktails.
Start on Lower Broadway for honky-tonks, live bands, drinks, and the full neon Nashville experience, then work your way into Printers Alley. Good specific stops: Robert’s Western World for classic honky-tonk, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge for the iconic Broadway scene, and Layla’s if the band sounds good. In Printers Alley, look at Skull’s Rainbow Room for old-Nashville atmosphere and cocktails, Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar for live blues, or Alley Taps for a more casual live-music stop. No need to hit them all—wander, listen from outside, and follow the best room.
Friday · Oct 2
Music history + whiskey + steakChef Deb Paquette’s polished downtown restaurant, known for globally influenced flavors and inventive but approachable à la carte cooking.
Historic Tennessee whiskey brand revived by descendants of founder Charles Nelson. Adds the distillery story, production context, and tasting.
A men’s grooming stop designed as a pre-night-out upgrade: haircut or cleanup, beard work if wanted, and an upscale social feel with bourbon.
Return home to change and regroup, separating the daytime tasting and grooming sequence from the nicest dinner of the trip.
Michael Mina’s 34th-floor modern American steakhouse with prime beef, seafood, deep whiskey and wine lists, and skyline views.
A flexible last stop depending on mood and energy.
Saturday · Oct 3
Hot chicken + golf + rooftop + Italian + BroadwayThe dedicated Nashville hot-chicken meal: casual, focused, multiple heat levels, and a strong local following. A protected food priority.
Keep this one tight so you can make the 2:00 golf booking: see the full-scale 1897 Centennial replica, Athena, and a little of Centennial Park, then head to Midtown.
90-minute indoor-golf session in Midtown. Topgolf’s Nashville location has TrackMan simulators, so this becomes the fixed Saturday-afternoon anchor.
Thompson Nashville’s rooftop bar with broad skyline views, cocktails, beer, and snacks. Stylish and energetic without making the night clubby.
Refined Italian restaurant inside The Joseph, centered on house-made pasta, seasonal Italian cooking, a strong wine program, and full à la carte ordering.
Finish with a roaming Nashville music stop: sample Lower Broadway, then continue into Printers Alley when the group wants a change of pace.
Sunday · Oct 4
Brunch + NFL + reset + burger + songwritersWeekend brunch in 12South with a broad menu, coffee, cocktails, and plenty beyond seafood. Reservation booked for 10:00 AM.
Reserved Front Room table for the 12 PM NFL window. Big-screen, multi-game setup; this is the fixed football anchor for Sunday.
Head home after the early games for an intentional reset: sit down, hydrate, change if wanted, and start the evening fresh.
Whiskey-forward Wedgewood-Houston cocktail bar close to the house. Walk-in target, not a reservation; Sunday doors open at 4:30 PM.
East Nashville neighborhood bar for one excellent, straightforward cheeseburger, fries, and a beer. Casual and walk-in; keep this stop efficient before the show.
Songwriter-focused show where Nashville writers perform original songs and tell their stories. Aim to arrive around 8:00 for the 8:30 PM round.
Optional Places by Neighborhood
Good pivots if timing, weather, or group mood changesWedgewood-Houston / Near House
Creative cocktails and Japanese-influenced small plates in a stylish neighborhood setting.
Casual neighborhood tavern for pizza, beer, and an easygoing hang.
Big, lively French brasserie—useful for a polished but social alternate meal.
Local brewery option close to home base.
Gulch / Music Row / Midtown
Large local taproom with lots of beer styles and a casual sports-friendly atmosphere.
Long-running Nashville cocktail institution with a refined speakeasy feel.
Strong indoor cultural option in a restored Art Deco post office.
Optional barbecue stop if the group decides it wants one.
Jack White’s record label, shop, and music destination.
21st-floor rooftop at The Joseph for cocktails and skyline views.
Germantown / Downtown / SoBro
Excellent, approachable Southern-Italian cooking and a strong Sunday-dinner candidate.
Food-first neighborhood restaurant known especially for pasta and seasonal cooking.
Ingredient-driven modern Southern cooking in a historic 1880s house.
Convenient optional barbecue choice downtown.
Free museum covering Tennessee history from pre-statehood through the modern era.
Optional museum stop if the group decides it wants country-music history after all.
East Nashville / Other
Highly regarded cocktail bar with no conventional menu; drinks are built around preferences.
Creative local brewery with a broad range of beer styles.
Two strong East Nashville food-and-drink alternatives with very different personalities.
Walkable neighborhood for shops, restaurants, and an easy daytime detour.