It’s no coincidence Nashville is named Music City. Think of the town, and it immediately conjures visions of the Grand Ole Opry, the Bluebird Cafe, the honky tonk bars on Broadway, and more recently, the wave of new venues opened by country stars scattered across town. Nashville is also currently enjoying a growth spurt thanks to the ever-expanding popularity of country music, with 180 music venues of all kinds (and counting) and a record $10.6 billion of visitor spending in 2023, the same year Condé Nast Traveler voted it among the top 10 big cities to visit in the US. It’s become the number one destination to live out your Cowboy Carter-themed bachelorette party dreams.
But there’s another side to this city: precious cultural gems steeped in history and blooming within a growing art, culinary, and design scene. This is the Nashville that I wanted to see on a recent weekend trip to the city, where my plan was to visit the current Alexander McQueen exhibition and experience the finest food, art, and design that I could possibly absorb in 48 hours—all while attempting to avoid the crowds.
Back in the late 19th century, the Arts District in downtown Nashville was known as the Gentlemen’s Quarter: a hotbed of lurid activity with saloons, gambling, and prostitution. Today, however, it is home to boutique hotels, fine dining, and private clubs. In the heart of this area, around the corner from Printer’s Alley, the center of the town’s printing industry around 1915, is the Bobby Hotel on 4th Avenue.
Photo: Emily Dorio