Secret Nashville Bachelorette Party Information: Places To Go, Bars To Visit And Parking
Thinking about having a Nashville bachelorette party? Well prepare to have a blast! There is a ton to do in downtown Nashville and it is all close together, perfect for a bachelorette party. Simply due to the layout, Nashville is probably one of the best places to have a bachelorette party in America. Once you are in town, the absolute farthest you will have to walk is about 5 blocks. And they are small, Nashville-sized blocks which equate to about three New York City blocks. So essentially you can walk everywhere, even in heals. Just about everything you will want to do at your bachelorette party is between 5th Ave and 2nd Ave on Broadway and between Broadway and Commerce St on 2nd Ave with the exception of Wild Beaver Saloon and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
My first word of advise is to get a room in town. On weekends that are sold out, things can get a bit out of hand price wise, but otherwise, it is worth the extra money to stay in town. One round trip cab ride from your hotel is going to easily make up the difference so get something in town so you never need a cab. There are plenty of hotels only a few blocks from the heart of the excitement.
If you are driving to Nashville for the bachelorette party, staying at a hotel outside of downtown is an okay idea if one of your girls is willing to be a designated driver. Plan to spend $8 – $25 to park for the night depending on what events are taking place in town. Most nights you can park in a lot for $15 or less. As of the time of this writing, meters are free to park after 6 PM and all day Sunday so if you can find one open, you are golden. There aren’t many available though so paying to park closer is usually worth it, especially if you are splitting the cost. There are a lot of metered spaces on Gay Street but it is a pretty good ways from Broadway so it wouldn’t be my first choice for a bachelorette party. Personally, if I could get a hotel in town that didn’t charge for parking, and was only $25 – $30 more per night, I would make that choice. That way no one has to drive, you don’t have to fight traffic, find and pay for parking, etc. Some hotels do charge for parking so be sure to ask.
Getting around Nashville is pretty easy. There are tons of cabs plus Uber and Lyft. Once you are in town, you can use the pedicabs if you only want to go a few blocks. They can only hold a few people but charge just a buck a block or whatever you want to tip. I actually use them quite a bit to get to and from gigs quicker. Really, everything you want to do downtown at night is only about 4 blocks by 3 blocks. So once you are downtown, you never need transportation again.
Where should you go? What should you do? Everywhere! Everything! There are a lot of bars and clubs in Nashville and most are free. It completely depends on what your group enjoys doing. I’ll rundown a few of the locations that are unique to Nashville. There is also a Margaritaville and a Hard Rock but you know what to expect there. Keep in mind that these are my own opinion. If I don’t list something, it is because it is new or there isn’t anything particularly unique about it. Keep in mind that unless I mention it, there isn’t a cover charge. Pretty much all the bars are free to enter. Even if there is a cover, they may let you in free if you tell them you are with a bachelorette party and are there to drink and party. If not, cover is usually $5 or less. Everywhere allows smoking, with the exception of Wildhorse Saloon. If you have any questions about these places or others, don’t hesitate to contact us. If provided links for each one. They are in no particular order…
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120 2nd Ave N – Wildhorse is the biggest club in Downtown Nashville and lots of bachelorette parties go there. It is one of the few places in Nashville with lots of seating so your group can sit, watch the band, eat, drink and dance without feeling like a sardine. It is a country-themed club that sports three stories, a big dance floor and free air hockey, foosball, shuffleboard and pool (with lots of tables). The bands are generally decent and play a mix of country and rock. It is famous for it’s line dancing (there used to be a weekly show filmed there) and the floor will be pretty busy most of the night, depending on the season. They generally teach a line dance lesson every hour which can be a fun experience for a bachelorette party. The dances are generally beginner dances so even those with two left feet can follow along. When there isn’t a lesson going on, one of the instructors usually stands at the front of the dance floor and starts a dance. (Skyla is a sweetheart and is the best instructor. Get behind or next to her and she will help you along. Tell her Jesse said, “Hi!”) Again, because most of the dances are beginner dances, those with a little patience can figure them out by the end of the song. Most of the people on the floor have never done the dances before and are having a good time trying to figure them out just like you, so you will blend in. This is the only non-smoking bar in Nashville. It is also one of the few places that charges a cover which I believe is $4. You may get them to waive the fee if you ask nice and tell them you are with a bachelorette party. The drinks are good and reasonably priced. Bernie is my favorite bartender and has a few fun things he does for your Nashville bachelorette party (ask about catching the whipped cream or get him to fold a napkin for you if he isn’t busy). They are always good for a few laughs. There are a few caveats to the Wildhorse Saloon. One is that it closes earlier than all the other bars and clubs in town so you will want to go earlier in the night if it is something on your ‘must do’ list. in addition, there is no set closing time. They close when the crowd gets thin. That could be 2:00 AM, or it could 11:00 PM. Typically on the weekends it is at least midnight but you never know. During the summer it will usually stay open close to 2:00 AM. The other major issue is that you MUST check the schedule on their website before heading there. They frequently rent out the place to private groups for concerts, corporate events, etc. As a result, it will be closed and you won’t know until you get there. So check their schedule before you go.
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422 Broadway – I’m not really sure why, but everyone is supposed to go to Tootsies. I guess it is because it is a landmark type of thing. Personally, I won’t go there unless someone forces me to because it is too crowded and there’s nothing special about it. There are three stages, one in the front and one in the back that some people don’t know about and a brand new third one upstairs that even fewer people know about. The front bar/stage area is super cramped. It’s possibly one of the smallest places in town. There is a little more room in the back bar/stage area. To get to it, you can fight through all the people in the front bar, or you can walk up the alley behind the bars and get in there. If there is a line out front, going around back is usually your best bet because there typically isn’t a line. The bands at Tootsie’s are about as good as the rest of the bars in town. Since this is a Nashville, pretty much all the bands are better than any local bands you will hear anywhere else in the country. Overall I don’t think Tootsie’s is any better or worse than anywhere else, it is just smaller and crowded which gives it some kind of magical boost because everyone is getting drunk together.
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428 Broadway – At the corner of 5th and Broadway, across from Bridgestone Arena, this place has a decent sized dance floor and the usual Nashville bands. It rarely gets crowded so there is plenty of room. There usually aren’t many people dancing, mostly just standing watching the bands.
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411 Broadway – Self explanatory. There may be a cover at times but I’m not 100% on that.
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412 Broadway – My favorite place to relax and listen to good bands. There are usually several bands/musicians each day – one at 2:00, one at 6:45 and then one at 10:45. I like this place because there is plenty of room to stand and get your groove on. You can get right up to the stage if that’s your thing, or you can hang out in the back and chill. The bands usually play a good mix of rock, alternative and country.
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416 Broadway – This is a quaint little place that only has bands that play old-time country. There is a little dance floor as well as a fair amount of seating. It’s about the same size as Tootsie’s but doesn’t get as crowded. ‘Jesse Lee & Brazilbilly’ are my favorite band. They are fun to listen to. Even if old-time country isn’t your thing, it may still be worth it to stop in for a bit to listen. There are all kinds of people there although the crowd is generally younger. It is a nice place to relax and actually talk because the music isn’t overly loud.
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305 Broadway – This is one of the few places in town that plays dance music. It is a two story club with plenty of room. The DJs are decent. There is a mechanical bull which is always good for some pics and a few laughs. Sometimes there is a cover but I’ve never been able to figure out the rhyme or reason to when they charge and when they don’t.
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305 Broadway – Next to Tequila Cowboy, WannaB’s is a karaoke bar. The queue can get pretty long on the weekends, sometimes over an hour, but it is a decent place to hang. Tipping the DJ and explaining that you are in a hurry may get you bumped up, but you never know who else has done the same thing. If you really want to sing multiple songs, there are other places to sing like Wild Beaver Saloon or Buck Wild Saloon where you will likely get to sing multiple songs.
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212 Commerce St – Wild Beaver is a decent little place off the main drag yet only a block away. Because it isn’t on the main corridor, it doesn’t get slammed like the other places. It’s essentially a karaoke bar that also plays dance music between singers. Good sound system and short queues compared to WannaB’s so it’s a good place to hit if you and your girlfriends want to belt out a few songs. There is also a mechanical bull, only one of two in Nashville as far as I know.
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131 2nd Ave N – This is across the street from Wildhorse Saloon. It’s a tiny karoake bar with a little stage (if you can call it that). It doesn’t get packed like WannaB’s so you can get more songs in. The sound system is so so. You really can’t hear yourself through the monitor so if that’s something you need, or are used to, this shouldn’t be your first choice.
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This is essentially a table on wheels that you pedal around Nashville while drinking. You provide the food and beverages. Lasts about 2.5 hours. $30 per person or you can reserve the whole “tavern”. The fun to be had depends on whomever else is on the pedal tavern. If you get stuck with a bunch of old farts, well, it isn’t going to be as much fun.
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This is two crazy and fun ladies driving around Nashville on a bus telling jokes and having a good time. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Two problems with it…1) It sells out way in advance which and 2) They don’t allow bachelorette parties on board essentially because they have had some unruly, drunk bachelorette parties who ruined it for the rest of the folks on the bus. So if you are a calm, cool and fun group that “isn’t a bachelorette party” 😉 this might be worth looking into.
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222 5th Ave South – This isn’t your usual Nashville bachelorette party type of thing, but if some of your girls are into country music and the history of it all, it might be worth it to them to visit.
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4104 Hillsboro Pike Nashville TN 37215 – This is definitely not a typical bachelorette party type of event, but if scheduling works out, some diehard country fans may want to come to town Friday night for a Saturday bachelorette party and hit the Bluebird. It is not in town and will require a cab or car. You will want to see if there is a show with professional songwriters who have written a couple songs you know. If so, make reservations early as most shows sell out way in advance, especially since the show Nashville aired. The Bluebird Cafe is a small, intimate place. If you are able to fit the show into your schedule, you will get to hear professional songwriters sing the songs that other artists made famous. They tell stories about how the songs came to be and crack plenty of jokes along the way. It is a very enjoyble time and is a place I recommend to every country music fan. You are not allowed to talk during the show because you are sitting only a few feet from the performers. Yes, it’s that small, which is what makes it so special. It is something you won’t forget. Shows are generally $12 – $15 with a mandatory $7 food/beverage minimum. Shows last 2 – 2.5 hours. The professional writers usually perform at 9:30 which means you won’t get out of there until after midnight which will essentially kill most of your night. That’s why it is probably best to find a Friday show. Of course, you will get back to town around 12:30 or so, which means you’ll still have a couple hours of partying available before many places shut down.