Carolyn Always Earley

Exploring Nashville in 4 days – February 2026

I recently traveled to Nashville for work and it was my first time in the city. I flew in on Sunday to make it in time for Monday afternoon rehearsals and had a little bit of free time to check out the city.

Travel Day:

I flew into Nashville International Airport (BNA) on Sunday and took a taxi to my hotel. Since there are limited nonstop flights from PHX to BNA, I arrived around 3 p.m., relaxed for a little bit once I checked into the hotel, and decided to check out nearby Teddy’s Tavern for dinner. I tried their (not hot) fried chicken sandwich and it was delicious! (So delicious that I came back 4 days later for another one.) I also loved that they had blood orange Bravazzi hard Italian soda on tap.

Day 1:

For the conference I was attending, we stayed at Hilton Nashville Downtown. The location was ideal – we were right next to Bridgestone Arena, across from Country Music Hall of Fame, and half a block from Broadway (the main thoroughfare and tourist area). It was a short walk to anywhere you could want to go! I also loved the room because it was a suite (not an upgrade), so there was a living room with a desk and couch when you walked in, and then you could turn right to enter the bedroom or bathroom, which also connected. The room had a mini fridge, which is a must for me, and a great city view.

Following our rehearsals on day 1, a group of us went out to dinner at Blanco Cocina + Cantina. I didn’t know in advance that this was where we were dining but ironically, we also have one in Scottsdale so I was very familiar. We started with margaritas and queso (as one should), which were soooo good. The queso was actually the best I’ve ever had, with sour cream and guacamole on top. I mixed it together and it was amazing! I also got the chicken tinga chimichanga (enchilada style, my favorite) – it came with rice and beans and the rice was shockingly good.

Day 2:

We had an awards dinner planned for Tuesday evening, and it was located at Jelly Roll’s bar, Goodnight Nashville. The rooftop was my favorite part because it had this super cool, huge rotating skull (below) and also great city views all around. This place was huge, like many of the nearby honky tonks. The rooftop was on the 4th floor and the floors had enough separation that you could (and we did) have a live band on one floor and not even hear it over another live band on a separate floor.

Day 3:

This was our last full day in Nashville before departing on Thursday. Since we had a free night, a coworker and I decided to check out Printers Alley. I had learned from my seat mates on the flight there that Printers Alley is less of a tourist trap and more of a locals vibe for bars and restaurants. We went to Black Tap for dinner, known for its amazing burgers. The reviews did not lie – I tried the Texan Burger with sweet potato fries and everything tasted delicious!

It was a close walk then to Printers Alley (though it was pouring rain!), and we wandered a bit until we heard good music coming out of a bar called Bourbon Street Blues. Since we’d already eaten, we didn’t order any food but there were a lot of folks eating and the menu appeared to have some good options (primarily Cajun-themed). It was such a fun vibe and the band was very talented!

Day 4:

I brought a couple coworkers with me to Teddy’s Tavern since I had raved about how good the fried chicken sandwich was. I got it again and it was just as good (same for the blood orange hard Italian soda) as before! One coworker got the hot wings and the other tried the pretzel bites with beer cheese – I had one and it was delicious!