Nashville lives on live music, but we don’t expect grown-ups to spend an entire vacation around guitars. After dark, Music City hands adults a plate full of options: dueling pianos, rooftop cocktails, whiskey straight from the still, a hidden speakeasy, duckpin lanes, and a party barge on the river. These ten things to do in Nashville for adults cover the music, the drinks, and the nightlife worth building a weekend around.
Start at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar at 152 2nd Ave N, where two pianists play whatever the crowd requests, the whole room ending up singing along. Reserve a table before the weekend fills, then let the rest of the night build out from there.
1. Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar
Two pianists take song requests from the crowd all night at 152 2nd Ave N, playing whatever the crowd wants, whenever it wants it. Nobody just stands and watches from the back here. Your table will join in among the requests, and when the pianists get to it, you’ll end up with 400 strangers finishing the song along with you. It is the rare Nashville night out where the crowd and the music are one.
The venue covers more than 10,000 square feet with a capacity of 485 and three full-service bars, a 50-foot LED screen towering behind the pianos. Doors open Wednesday through Sunday at 6:30 PM, the show starts at 7:30 PM, and the room is 21 and up with credit card only for admission. Weekend tables go fast, so you best reserve one before the walk-in line stacks up.
2. Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry has run the world’s longest-running live radio show since 1925, staging a rotating cast of country legends, rising stars, and surprise guests across a single two-hour night at the 4,400-seat Opry House on Opryland Drive. The format packs 6-7 acts into one bill rather than a single headliner. It sits about fifteen minutes east of downtown next to Opry Mills, an easy evening out for anyone who wants to cross Nashville live music off their bucket list.
3. Lower Broadway Honky-Tonks
No adult trip to Nashville is complete if it skips Lower Broadway, where live bands play free in every honky-tonk from late morning until close. Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge at 422 Broadway runs three floors of music with no cover, the multi-story bars around it stacking a different band on every level. The strip gets loud and crowded on weekend nights, but that hectic energy is exactly what makes a Broadway bar crawl.
4. The Station Inn
The Station Inn has hosted the world’s best bluegrass from a squat stone building at 402 12th Avenue South since 1974, now ringed by the Gulch’s glass high-rises. Inside, 175 seats sit right by the stage, the bar keeps the tap running, and pickers of the caliber of Vince Gill and Alison Krauss grace your ears. Sunday’s free Bluegrass Jam sets a circle of musicians on the floor for an open pick, no cover charge, the most traditional music night in the city for the price of a beer.
5. L.A. Jackson
L.A. Jackson sits on the roof of the Thompson Nashville in the Gulch, an indoor-outdoor bar with panoramic skyline views and a craft-cocktail list that shines on golden hour. Shareable large-format punches, Southern beers, and small plates will keep you busy as DJs turn the terrace into a party on weekend nights. It’s a 21 and up venue and mostly walk-in, so head up early to claim a table before the sunset crowd arrives.
6. Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Marathon Village at 1414 Clinton St pours a pre-Prohibition whiskey family recipe inherited by two brothers. A guided walking tour ends in a tasting of Tennessee whiskey, two bourbons, and a coffee-caramel liqueur, with a full bar and restaurant keeping the cocktails coming afterward. The distillery sits on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail and is adequately 21 and up, an easy afternoon detour a few minutes from downtown.
7. The Patterson House
The Patterson House lead Nashville’s craft-cocktail era in 2009 and still sets the standard, now perched on the fifth floor of the Bill Voorhees Building at 700 8th Ave S. Bartenders work a pre-Prohibition menu of more than a thousand drinks, using house-made syrups, fresh juice, and ice cut for each glass. A set of house rules keeps the room quiet and mature, so this is the stop for a slower, grown-up drink rather than a rowdy one.
8. Tennessee Brew Works
Tennessee Brew Works is the city’s original craft brewery and biggest taproom, at 809 Ewing Avenue in SoBro, a short walk from Lower Broadway. You drink in full view of the tanks, eat from a food menu built around the beer, from a Nashville hot chicken sandwich to a five-beer burger. Live music plays downstairs most nights, a dog-friendly patio and daily happy hours making it the easygoing pit stop between the bolder picks on this list.
9. Pins Mechanical Co.
Pins Mechanical Co. fills a 30,000-square-foot space in the Gulch with 16 lanes of duckpin bowling, 20 pinball machines, a wall of retro arcade cabinets, bocce, and a big patio, all served by three full bars. Duckpin needs no rented shoes and no skill, so a group can grab a lane and a cocktail and start rolling within a minute of walking in. Families share the room until 9 PM, after which it turns 21 and up, an easygoing games-and-drinks night a short walk off Broadway.
10. Pontoon Saloon
The Pontoon Saloon is Nashville’s only booze cruise, a 50-foot party barge that launches from the downtown riverfront for two hours on the Cumberland River. A licensed captain handles the driving while a DJ and party host run the music and games, an on-board bar pouring drinks as the skyline slides by. Public cruises mix your group with others, private charters take up to 130; the rare Broadway night that actually leaves Broadway.
Build Your Night Out
The best of these things to do in Nashville for adults stack into one trip. Fill your days with a Nelson’s tasting, an afternoon Pontoon Saloon cruise, or duckpin at Pins Mechanical, then give the nights to Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar, the honky-tonks, and a late set at the Station Inn. Open an evening with rooftop cocktails at L.A. Jackson or a quiet round at the Patterson House, then save one night for the Grand Ole Opry.
A little planning keeps it smooth. Most of these rooms are strictly adult only, so carry an ID with you, with Pete’s taking credit card only for admission. Buy Grand Ole Opry tickets and book the Pontoon Saloon ahead when a date is set, then reserve a table at Pete’s before the weekend crowd takes everything.
Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar at 152 2nd Ave N runs Wednesday through Sunday with the show starting at 7:30 PM. Reserve your table online and give the night the one room where the crowd runs the show.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do in Nashville for adults?
Music, drinks, and nightlife, all in a few blocks. Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar at 152 2nd Ave N leads the music with an all-request dueling piano show, followed by the Grand Ole Opry and the Broadway honky-tonks. For drinks, hit L.A. Jackson’s rooftop, a whiskey tasting at Nelson’s Green Brier, or cocktails at The Patterson House. Pins Mechanical and the Pontoon Saloon cover the nightlife.
What is Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar?
Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar is a high-energy venue at 152 2nd Ave N where two pianists take song requests from the crowd all night, so the setlist changes every evening. It covers more than 10,000 square feet with a capacity of 485, three full-service bars, and a 50-foot LED screen behind the stage. Doors open Wednesday through Sunday at 6:30 PM, the show starts at 7:30 PM, and the venue is 21 and up with credit card only for admission.
What is there to do in Nashville at night for adults besides Broadway?
Plenty. Off the Broadway strip, adults can sip craft cocktails at The Patterson House speakeasy or on the L.A. Jackson rooftop, hear world-class bluegrass at the Station Inn, or bowl duckpin lanes at Pins Mechanical Co. Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar puts the crowd in charge of the music a block off Broadway, and the Pontoon Saloon takes the party onto the Cumberland River entirely.
Are these things to do in Nashville 21 and up?
Many of them are. Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, L.A. Jackson, The Patterson House, and the Pontoon Saloon all run 21 and up, with Pins Mechanical Co. turning 21 and up after 9 PM. The Grand Ole Opry, the Lower Broadway honky-tonks, and the Station Inn admit most ages for shows, though the honky-tonks skew adult after dark and the Station Inn keeps a bar-room feel all night.
How many days do you need to do these things in Nashville?
A long weekend covers the list comfortably. Spread the daytime options like the Nelson’s tour, an afternoon Pontoon Saloon cruise, or a round of duckpin at Pins Mechanical across two or three afternoons, then save the nights for Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar, the honky-tonks, a rooftop, and a late set at the Station Inn. Two full nights out and a couple of afternoons is enough to hit most of these things to do in Nashville for adults without rushing.