Hidden Nashville: How to Visit Like a Local

Location: 1200 Clinton Street

Nashville has its share of local latte joints, but for high-octane fuel with a down-to-earth vibe, Garage Coffee fits the bill. Located appropriately enough in historic Marathon Village, where Marathon automobiles rolled off the line during the early 1910s, Garage Coffee is the perfect jumping-off point to one of Nashville’s most creative communities of makers, artists, distillers, musicians, and more. Opt for the “Road Rage” blend, take it down a notch with a decaf “Anger Management,” or get a little decadent with the Slingshot (espresso topped with foam, caramel, and smoked bourbon salts).

Location: 1308 Adams Street

If you’re looking for luxury handmade Italian leather boots, bags, and accessories, you’re going to have to really look because Peter Nappi isn’t easy to find. Located in a former industrial boiler room just down the street from the Nashville Jazz Workshop, this showroom and studio in the Germantown area is like a speakeasy for shoppers. Behind that non-descript warehouse door, you’ll discover an expansive loft-like space filled with premium leather goods and a carefully curated selection of vintage European furniture. Find that one-of-a-kind leather jacket you’ve been searching for and toast your good taste with a glass of wine or an espresso from the bar.

Nashville has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations of any American city, and nowhere is that more evident than on Nolensville Pike. Sometimes described as Nashville’s international corridor, this street south of downtown is home to a wide mix of retailers, restaurants, and bakeries reflecting the city’s diversity and entrepreneurial spirit. For Mexican food, locals flock to La Hacienda, where President Obama stopped on his last trip to town, or one of the many taco trucks that dot the corridor. Try Turkish at Ephesus Bakery & Café or Cuban at Guantanamera Restaurant. At InterAsian Market & Deli, browse the selection of products from Thailand, Korea, China, Laos, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and, Vietnam, and pick up a Bánh mì sandwich to go.

Location: Highway 100

For a great workout in a breathtaking setting, it’s hard to beat the 3,000 acres of forest and field that comprise Edwin and Percy Warner Parks. Just nine miles from downtown, you’ll find well-maintained trails for hiking, jogging, horseback riding, and cycling in the midst of temperate forests, hidden springs, and wandering creeks. Plot your course with a stop at the Nature Center, where you can learn about the many species of wildlife you’re likely to see as you roam the woods and roadways. After working up a sweat, take in the views at a scenic overlook and relax with a picnic. You’ll be refreshed and ready for your next urban adventure.

Location: 516 Hagan Street

Feeling virtuous after a hike in Percy Warner Park? Then now’s a good time to stop by Dozen Bakery, located in the up-and-coming Wedgewood Houston arts district. What began as a holiday cookie pop-up venture quickly became a full-fledged business thanks to strong word-of-mouth and an appetite for tasty, local, organic baked goods. You can find Dozen’s pastries, cookies, scones, breads, and other treats in many local restaurants, farmers’ markets, and coffee shops, but it’s worth a visit to their storefront to get the tartine sandwich with mushroom confit, house-made ricotta, and kale. And you might as well take home a pecan square and a slice of lemon lavender pie while you're at it.

Location: 1604 8th Ave S.

Whether you’re looking for rare classics or new releases, Grimey’s is a playhouse for sonic searchers of every musical taste and genre. The friendly, knowledgeable staff is there to help—or to leave you alone so you can get lost in the bins—and the in-store performances by local and national acts consistently blow the roof off. After you’ve loaded up on the huge selection of CDs and vinyl, head downstairs to The Basement—the cozy live venue beneath the store—and catch an up-and-coming band or a surprise performance by a national act that happens to be passing through town.

Location: 1017 Woodland St.

Nashville has been a magnet for foodies over the past few years—and for good reason. Hometown and celebrity chefs alike have been opening restaurants touting farm-to-table and reinvented Southern cuisine faster than you can say “reclaimed barn wood.” But one of the true pioneers of the Nashville restaurant scene is Margot McCormack. Before East Nashville was on every hot list, McCormack was dishing up creative, seasonal, and award-winning European food from her bistro in a converted East End service station. For many locals, Margot Café, along with Marche Artisan Foods (her casual cafe and market across the street), remains the gold standard.

Location: 2907 Gallatin Pike

Nashvillians love a good dive bar, almost as much as they love complaining about the fact that too many people have discovered—and, as a result, have ruined—their favorite dive bar. Mickey’s in East Nashville isn’t the diviest of bars. The fact that it promotes itself as a dive bar is probably your first clue. But it looks appropriately dumpy from the outside, and proudly offers no bands, no karaoke, and no trivia nights. Even better, their wide selection of liquors and beers are well priced and served up with zero pretention.

Location: 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14

Yes, the Bluebird Café really is in a strip center near the mall, and it’s not unheard of for a famous songwriter to pop in announced. But for many Nashvillians, the Green Hills area’s favorite strip mall is the labor of love for a different celebrity writer, Nashville’s own Ann Patchett. Parnassus Books, “the independent bookstore for independent people,” has only been around since late 2011, but it already feels like a local institution, and proof that, as Patchett says, “people still want books.” Stop in to attend a reading, browse the selection of local and national titles, or just catch up with what the shop dogs are doing.

Location: 416 Broadway

Eventually, even Nashvillians end up on lower Broadway—usually because we’ve been dragged there by an out-of-town guest—and when we do, we head to Robert’s. It’s not just the cheap beer, the fried bologna sandwiches, the rows of boots along the wall, or the stellar music from house band Brazilbilly and long-time regulars The Don Kelley Band. It’s all of these things and more that make Robert’s the locals’ honky-tonk of choice. You won’t hear sanitized pop country here. It’s traditional, it’s old school, and it’s performed by some of the best talent around. Bring your tip money and dancing shoes.