Music City Center: The Convention Hub Two Blocks from Broadway

Music City Center is the 2.1 million square foot convention complex that sits directly south of Lower Broadway between 5th and 8th Avenues. If you’re here for a conference, this is your home base. If you’re here for a bachelorette weekend, you’ll walk past it constantly without realizing what it is.

The roof is designed to look like a guitar from above (Google Earth view checks out). It hosts CMA Fest fan stages, the NFL Draft 2019 footprint, and roughly 100 conventions a year — meaning the bars north of it on Broadway swing wildly between dead and packed depending on which week you’re in town.

What you’ll find inside

• The Karl Dean Grand Ballroom — 57,000 sq ft, hosts the big plenaries and country music industry events.
• The exhibit halls — 350,000 sq ft of contiguous space, configurable to almost anything.
• Davidson Ballroom — the smaller of the two ballrooms, used for awards dinners.
• 4,500 underground parking spaces — easily the most practical garage on the south end of downtown.
• Public art collection — the lobby alone has $1.5M+ in commissioned regional artwork.
• Solar power — 845 rooftop panels and a rainwater collection system that handles non-potable use.

Walking distance from the Broadway honky tonks

From the main entrance at 5th & Broadway, you’re a 3-minute walk to Rippy’s and the entire 400-block honky tonk cluster. 4 minutes to Acme Feed & Seed. 5 minutes to Honky Tonk Central. The walk is well-lit and pedestrian-friendly any hour.

Tickets, hours & how to visit

No tickets needed for the building itself — it’s a public venue. For events inside, check the official Music City Center calendar; major conventions sell badges directly through their respective organizations. Underground parking runs $25–35 depending on event status. If you’re attending CMA Fest week, the fan stages here are free with a Fan Club badge.

Where to grab a drink before or after

The closest bar with a stage is Rippy’s at 429 Broadway — 3 minutes north. For the early-bird convention crowd that wants something quieter than a honky tonk, Acme Feed & Seed has a rooftop and a quieter ground-floor restaurant. Barstool Nashville on 2nd Ave S is the closest “regular” bar — walkable in 4 minutes.

Pair this with the rest of your Nashville day

If you’re here for a convention with a free afternoon, walk 5 minutes to Country Music Hall of Fame or 7 minutes to NMAAM. Both are right between you and the honky tonks. End the night on Broadway using the walking map.