How to do a girls trip in Nashville the right way

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Miranda Lambert’s Tex-Mex cantina is as close to Barbie’s Dreamhouse as you’re going to get without getting Ryan Gosling on middle name terms with some duct tape. Set over three floors, topped with a rooftop bar, the IRL pink palace serves up tacos, tequila and live music seven days a week. The three-time Grammy winner has decorated the space with neon signs, pink tufted booths, career memorabilia, an Elvis mural and a rhinestone saddle. But don’t let the twee color palette fool you. The 17,400-square-foot venue is the first and only bar on Broadway owned by a female artist. It even cozies up to her ex-husband’s honky tonk, Ole Red. Iconic.

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Voted the best karaoke bar in town by the Nashville Scene, Lonnie’s is Music City’s worst-kept secret. It’s been serving up frozen margs and pizza by the slice since 1989, and is the sort of place where tone-deaf dads and future-CMA winners get the same touchdown reaction from the crowd. Located just off Honky Tonk Highway, it’s one of the few city-center venues that welcome under-21s to its stage and even has a celebrity fanbase, including Jimmy Fallon. Unconfirmed reports point to a country-rock rendition of Robbie Williams’ Angels, executed in a leopard print one-piece.

The oldest surviving recording studio in Nashville, Studio B is Music City’s equivalent of the barn where Jesus was born. Built in 1957, the modestly-sized studio has welcomed the likes of Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers and Willie Nelson, with Dolly Parton recording hits such as Coat of Many Colors and I Will Always Love You inside. Despite crashing her car into the building on her first day of recording—your tour guide will call it her first hit on Music Row—she isn’t the first artist who pops to mind when you mention the studio. Over his career, Elvis Presley recorded more than 240 songs inside. Today, you can still see the x on the floor where he stood to sing Are You Lonesome Tonight?, the cabinet door he once showed who's boss and the Steinway piano he’d tinkle once he’d calmed down.

Whether you’re a season ticket holder or all of your knowledge comes from coming-of-age rom-coms and OJ Simpson documentaries, watching a Titans game on home turf is a must if you’re in town. The fans are the sporting equivalent of brunch girlies at The Eras Tour so it’s easy to get swept up in the atmosphere—even if you do keep calling a ‘first down’ an ‘oil down.’ Get into the spirit by swiggin’ on Bud Light and bad-mouthing the Houston Texans. They’re the Kanye to the Titans’ Taylor.

If you ever watched the Hannah Montana movie as a teen and dreamed of experiencing authentic Americana, this is it. Yes, it resembles the back end of a bail bonds office, and the decor looks like a school canteen got in a fistfight with a hurricane, but this is where the paired-back magic happens. The music listening room in The Gulch region of Nashville is a country pop and rhinestone-free zone. Bluegrass, fast pickin’ and fiddles bigger than your small-town dreams are the real stars here. Every week local musicians come together to freestyle jam. Just make sure to get there early to bag a good seat as it’s a first-come-first plonked-on-a-picnic table sort of situation.

Set in the heart of midtown, The Graduate Nashville is essentially a shrine to living legend Dolly Parton. It pays homage to all things kitsch and country and is pinker than any medium-rare cut Gordon Ramsey could shake a steak knife at. Guests can play on a Dolly-themed pinball machine in the karaoke bar, book into the specially curated 9-5 suite and spot Dolly zingers—including "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap" and "The higher, the hair the closer to God"—scattered around the premises. The real centerpiece though is the huge chicken-wire bust of the queen of the country found on the 12th-floor rooftop bar. White Limozeen is open to the public and draws in the crowds with its floral day beds and pool. It is a state crime to leave without performing Sharpay’s Fabulous routine.

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Staying at W makes you feel like the main character. It might be the arty creative types tapping on Macs in the lobby, the rooftop pool area that has its own yoga lawn, or the knowledge that you’re within sweating distance of a Peloton, but something special happens when you step inside. Found in The Gulch region of town, it’s in the heart of the arts and music scene, with Nashville’s famous angel wings mural and The Station Inn both a stone’s throw away. The general vibe is industrial and homey, with metal art and wooden speakers decorating the walls. Some rooms even offer a choose-your-own-adventure experience as sliding doors can be used to break up the room or offer an open-plan space. During your stay make sure to check out the on-site Italian chophouse restaurant, Care Mare, for the best rosemary potato experience of your life.

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Located in the downtown business and arts district, the Fairlane is a former bank-turned-boutique hotel. Mid-century decor, including brass details and terrazzo flooring in the lobby, nod to the '70s, with bedrooms decorated in the style of your still-using-my-Nokia-have-you-heard-of-natural-deodorant friend. All rooms come with fluffy euro-top queen beds with velvet headboards and are coffee and ice-bucket-free. Here, your morning Flat Whites are delivered straight to you, Don Draper style, at the push of a button. The pièce de résistance though is the pop-up rooftop bar which changes theme seasonally. Last year the hotel won the Tripadvisor 2022 Best of the Best award, making it one of the top 25 hotels in the U.S. Now that’s character development if ever we saw it.

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Bobby is a little bit like stepping into the TV show Nashville. Think red plaid carpets, oversized headboards and metallic light fixtures—a place that could just as easily double as Sherlock Holmes’ office, a hunting lodge or Luke Wheeler’s recording studio. Sat on Printer's Alley, the hotel has 144 guest rooms which all offer bespoke souvenirs from the fictional Bobby’s travels. They also come with wooden wardrobes decorated with fun artwork of diamond rings, TV antennas and jackets, telling you where to find things. There are also three bars on-site, including a rooftop lounge next to the pool. Bag a seat in the converted 1956 Scenicruiser bus for a taste of the tour life, without the travel sickness.