Here's the hip Nashville spots as of Dec 2006 by UTVol88
Yeah you've heard the usual places to go, Tootsie's, 2nd Ave, etc. Tourists go to Tootsie's & the honky-tonks on Broadway (fun to take out-of-town friends there on their 1st trip just to say they've been). Go to the Boogie Bar in Printer's Alley (just off Church Street between 2nd & 3rd Ave in the heart of downtown Nashville) when the house band (Stacy Mitchhart & Blues You Can Use) is playing, you'll see leather-clad bikers partying alongside bankers in suits, & Gretchen Wilson served me drinks many times when she was a bartender there. Cool place. Historic 2nd Avenue is all tourists & now seems to draw crowds of drunk punk kids. Hip locals don't hang on 2nd Ave or Broadway. The new hip areas of Nashville are: The Gulch (11th Ave S along the railroad tracks behind Union Station, just park & head for the party), 12South (12th Ave S, south of Wedgewood, has some cool shopping & eclectic boutiques), Hillsboro Village (very cool bars & restaurants on 21st Ave S, just down from Vanderbilt Univ), Elliston Place aka "The Rock Block" (cool bars & live music on Church Street between 21st Ave & Centennial Park), West End (several unique restaurants & bars, plus a couple of cool spots hidden a block or two off the main road). East Nashville @ Woodland Street is in a renaissance, with several hip watering holes known only to the locals. However, after dark, try to park in well-lit parking areas, lock your car, & pay attention to your surroundings if you're out late.
As for music, pick up a copy of the Nashville Scene & check out the music section; you'll find any type of live music imaginable. And if you get the opportunity to see a concert at the Ryman, DO IT. The old church (just off Broadway on 5th Ave N) & former home of the Opry is beautifully restored, acoustically perfect, serves liquor, only seats @ 3500 people & artists like Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders, Willie Nelson, & Etta James have graced the stage.
Welcome to Nashville, y'all ;)Apply common sense. Going to a nice restaurant? Look nice. Going to look at the beautiful people? Dress hip. Going to the honky-tonks? Jeans & boots are fine. DON'T WEAR A COWBOY HAT ANYWHERE!!! Nothing says "I'm a tourist" in Nashville more than a cowboy hat!! But, sometimes a hot girl in tight jeans & a black lace teddy top can pull off the beat-up straw cowboy hat look....dudes, don't even bother.
