Middle Tennessee
VisitMusicCity.com; @VisitMusicCity
Nashville truly lives up to its name as “Music City,” says Adrienne Siemers, chief sales officer for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “With more than 250 live-music venues featuring all genres, more music museums than anywhere else in the world, world-class attractions, a celebrated culinary scene, and vibrant nightlife, there’s something for every visitor to enjoy.”
Nashville Yards, downtown’s newest mixed-use development, continues to debut new spaces. “The project combines retail, entertainment, hotel, and residential offerings, anchored by The Pinnacle, a state-of-the-art music venue with a 4,500-person capacity,” Siemers says. “Also, the iconic glass-roofed Nashville Arcade, a downtown destination from 1902 and spanning two city blocks, is being revamped to now feature a vibrant mix of restaurants, bars, and retail shops.”
Also, Nashville International Airport (BNA) is making multibillion-dollar terminal enhancements and expansions, set for completion by 2029; a new Nissan Stadium is set to open on Nashville’s East Bank in 2027 as a state-of-the-art domed venue for NFL games and citywide events; and Bridgestone Arena will begin a $1 billion renovation in 2026.
According to Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, the newest hotels include Caption by Hyatt Nashville – The Gulch, Homewood Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown The Gulch, Canopy by Hilton Nashville Downtown The Gulch, Residence Inn Nashville MetroCenter, Hilton Garden Inn Nashville Opryland, and The Gilmore Hotel by AvantStay.
Major convention hotels in downtown include the 800-room Omni Nashville Hotel, which offers 80,000 square feet of event space and is adjacent to Music City Center; 591-room Grand Hyatt Nashville, with 84,000 square feet of event space to seat 2,200 theater style; 697-room Renaissance Nashville Hotel, which connects to Fifth + Broad entertainment and dining destination and features 112,498 square feet of event space; 533-room JW Marriott Nashville, with 79,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space; 494-room Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown, with 28,755 square feet of event space; and 506-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville Downtown, with 35,417 total square feet of function space. The 330-room Hilton Nashville Downtown, next to Bridgestone Arena, has 26,969 square feet of meeting and event space; the 456-room Westin Nashville has 12 event rooms in 28,241 square feet of space; and 346-room W Nashville has 29,758 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. Additional downtown hotels include The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville; a tri-branded Springhill Suites, Residence Inn, and AC Hotels by Marriott Nashville Downtown/Convention Center, with 470 total guest rooms; the 287-room Holiday Inn Express Nashville Downtown – Broadway; and 255-room Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown.
Nashville is home to two major convention centers. Downtown’s 2.1-million-square-foot Music City Center has a 353,143-square-foot exhibit hall, a 57,500-square-foot grand ballroom, 90,000 square feet of meeting space, and a variety of pre-function and reception areas. Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, located near Nashville International Airport and adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry House, has 2,800 guest rooms and more than 750,000 square feet of convention space, with more than 100 conference and breakout rooms. The resort features more than 20 restaurants, nine acres of indoor gardens, and other attractions.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum can accommodate 3,000 guests and features a 10,000-square-foot event hall, two theaters, a rooftop terrace, a rotunda, and additional event spaces. The Grand Ole Opry House can seat 4,000 guests, and downtown’s historic Ryman Auditorium seats 2,362. The National Museum of African American Music has a variety of meeting and event spaces, including a 190-seat theater, with a reception capacity of 2,500 guests and a seated dinner capacity of 400. Located in the up-and-coming Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, GEODIS Park is home to Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC team; the facility seats 30,000 and has four indoor, upscale event venues to host up to 1,000 guests, plus additional outdoor spaces.
