Downtown & Broadway

Downtown and Broadway are the center of Nashville's music scene and the most visited part of the city. It is easy to get around during the day and early evening, but late-night weekend crowds bring drink spiking and petty theft, so go early and leave by rideshare.

Downtown is where the music scene is concentrated: Lower Broadway's honky-tonks, the Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the riverfront and Printers Alley are all within a few blocks. During the day it is busy with families, tour groups and plenty of solo visitors, and the crowds and police presence make it easy to get around. After dark, especially on weekends, large and heavily drinking crowds fill Broadway and the sidewalks get loud and packed. The main risks for a woman alone are drink tampering, pickpocketing in crowded bars and unwanted attention from intoxicated groups. Go early in the evening, keep control of your drink, and take a rideshare home instead of walking to a distant area. Streets a few blocks off Broadway can be empty and poorly watched late at night.