Broadway is loud, neon-lit, and completely unapologetic about what it is. Printers Alley is darker, narrower, and carries 150 years of Nashville history in its walls. Together they're the beating heart of downtown Nashville nightlife — and if you're doing it right, you start at neither.
You start at Nashville Barrel Company on Church Street. Get your palate dialed in with something worth drinking before you step onto the strip. Then you'll appreciate every pour that follows. Here's the full crawl.
Stop 1 — Start Here: Nashville Barrel Company
Before you step foot on Broadway, spend 30–45 minutes at NBC's downtown tasting room. Award-winning single barrel bourbon and rye poured straight from the cask. No reservation needed for the Whiskey Flight ($35). The Chocolate Pairing ($40) is excellent for date nights. Premium Tasting ($50) if you want real depth before the crawl.
This isn't a bar — it's a proper tasting room run by the same people behind Nashville's most award-winning craft spirits. You'll be calibrated for everything that follows, and you'll have already had the best pour of the night. NBC was named Tennessee Blender of the Year and won Best in Class at the world's largest spirits competition.
The Broadway Stops
From NBC, head south on 5th Avenue and you hit Broadway in about 3 minutes. Lower Broad runs east-west — the action is concentrated between 1st and 5th Avenues. Every bar has live music. Most have multiple floors. Here's how to work through them.
The most famous honky-tonk in Nashville. Founded in 1960, Tootsie's backed up against the Ryman — musicians would slip out the Ryman stage door and straight into the back of Tootsie's between sets. Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Waylon Jennings all played here when they were nobody. The walls are covered in signed photos and the music never stops.
Three floors, three stages, live music all day. Get a beer downstairs at the original bar for the full experience. Upstairs gets rowdier. The rooftop has views of Broadway and is worth the climb on a clear night.
If Tootsie's is the most famous, Roberts is the most real. It started as a boot store — you can still buy boots there — and became one of Nashville's most beloved honky-tonks by accident. The house band, the Brazilbilly, plays traditional country without setlists or breaks. No pop covers. No electronic DJ sets. Just a house band that can play anything and a crowd that came to hear it.
Roberts is smaller, less crowded than Tootsie's, and the drinks are cheaper. Order the Recession Special — a PBR tall boy, a shot of Jack, and a bologna sandwich. It's a real thing and it's beloved for a reason. This is where the locals go when they want Broadway without the tourist circus.
Multi-story venue with rooftop bars, solid food, and a curated American whiskey list that you'll actually want to explore after the tasting at NBC. The menu is better than most Broadway spots — Nashville hot chicken sliders, brisket, loaded fries — real food that holds up after a few stops on the crawl. The upper floors give you elevated views down Broadway that are worth the climb.
The whiskey menu is extensive by Broadway standards. If you want to compare what you tasted at NBC with nationally distributed bottles, this is the place to do it.
Dierks Bentley's multi-story flagship is one of the anchors of modern Lower Broadway. The concept is built around Arizona whiskey culture meeting Nashville honky-tonk energy. Multiple bars across multiple floors, a rooftop with panoramic views, and a crowd that skews slightly younger and more cosmopolitan than the classic honky-tonks next door. Great for groups — big enough to handle 20+ people without feeling impossible.
Broadway is the show. Printers Alley is the history. NBC is where the night actually starts.
Cross Into Printers Alley
From Broadway, walk north on 4th or 3rd Avenue and turn right onto Printers Alley — the narrow cobblestoned block between 3rd and 4th Avenues, running between Commerce and Union Streets. It's a 5-minute walk from Lower Broad and a completely different energy. Where Broadway is broad, loud, and neon-lit, Printers Alley is narrow, intimate, and carries a century of Nashville nightlife history in its walls.
The alley got its name from the printing and publishing businesses that lined it in the early 1900s. By Prohibition it was Nashville's premier speakeasy district. By the 1940s and 50s it was the jazz and supper club district where Chet Atkins and Boots Randolph played. It never fully gentrified and that's exactly why it's still worth visiting.
The best bar in Printers Alley and one of the most underrated live music venues in Nashville. Where Broadway gives you country nonstop, Bourbon Street Blues gives you real blues, soul, and R&B — a different kind of Nashville that most tourists never find. The vibe is darker, the crowd is older and more local, and the music is genuinely good.
The name is a nod to New Orleans — appropriately, because the bar shares Printers Alley's old-world, unhurried energy with Bourbon Street's anything-goes spirit. Grab a bourbon neat (you'll have context from NBC), settle into a seat near the stage, and let the night wind down properly.
Printers Alley has a handful of other bars and clubs worth checking depending on what's happening the night you're there. Skull's Rainbow Room is the most storied — a supper club that dates to the 1940s with velvet booths, burlesque shows on weekends, and the kind of retro atmosphere you can't manufacture. The Swingin' Door Exchange is a good late-night country bar that draws a mix of tourists and locals. Walk the whole alley — it's one block — and duck into whatever's pulling you.
Practical Crawl Tips
- Start early, finish late. NBC Downtown is open until 7–8pm depending on the night. Hit the tasting room first, then hit Broadway as it's warming up around 6–7pm. Printers Alley really gets going after 9.
- Cover charges vary. Many Broadway bars have cover charges that vary by floor and time of night — typically $5–10. Roberts Western World is often free or very low cover. Printers Alley spots are generally free.
- Drink pace. This crawl has 7 stops. If you're drinking at each one, that's a long night. Nurse drinks, split them with your group, or order waters between stops. The crawl is better if you make it to Printers Alley.
- Parking. Don't drive this crawl. Park once near NBC on Church Street and walk everything — Broadway and Printers Alley are both walkable. Rideshare home.
- Best nights. Thursday through Saturday are the busiest. If you want a calmer Broadway experience with the same music, try a Tuesday or Wednesday — the bands still play, the bars are less packed.
- What to order at NBC to set up the crawl. The Whiskey Flight from the Barrel gives you 4 drams across different flavor profiles. After that, you'll know whether you're ordering bourbon or rye for the rest of the night — and why.
Start the Crawl at NBC Church Street
425 Church Street · Walk-in whiskey flights from $35 · 3 minutes from Broadway · No reservation needed
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