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Nashville & Memphis

Tennessee, USA · North America · northern hemisphere

City & CultureFestivals & Events

Nashville & Memphis is at its best for city & culture in April to May and September to October. Good but not prime in March, June and November.

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City & Culture
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42
74
93
91
59
13
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Festivals & Events
7
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92
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39
88
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17

No reliable monthly crowd data for this destination — the proxy used elsewhere did not pass its checks here, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.

Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.

primegoodpossibleoff-seasoncrowds, on this place’s own scale

The short version

Three hours apart on the same interstate and completely different cities — Nashville is the industry and the bachelorette parties, Memphis is Beale Street, Sun Studio and Stax, and is much cheaper

When not to come

Downtown Nashville on a Saturday night unless that is specifically the plan. And July and August, which are hot, humid and thunderstorm-prone.

Busiest

CMA Fest in June, and Nashville weekends through the summer

With children

Graceland, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Stax Museum all work well with children. Lower Broadway in Nashville after dark does not.

Where to stay

Nashville’s downtown is priced for the party. East Nashville and Germantown are better and cheaper. In Memphis, the Edge District and Cooper-Young beat the tourist end of Beale by a distance.

Dates that matter

  • CMA Fest, Nashville (Jun) — the city fills entirely
  • Memphis in May — a month of festivals including the barbecue championship
  • Elvis Week, Memphis (mid-Aug) — the anniversary of his death
See everything else at its best in Oct