The Tennessee State Museum gets skipped by most Broadway visitors because it’s a 12-minute walk north of the bars and doesn’t advertise. That’s the win: no lines, no $25 ticket, no tourist scrum. The current building opened in 2018 and is one of the better-funded free museums in the South.
It traces Tennessee from 13,000 BC indigenous archaeology through Civil War, civil rights, music history, and modern industry. The Andrew Jackson and Hatch Show Print sections are the standouts. Allow 90 minutes. Bring water.
From the corner of Broadway and 5th Avenue, walk north on 5th, cross over to 6th Avenue North, and continue past Capitol Hill. 12 to 15 minutes. The walk goes past the Tennessee State Capitol building and Bicentennial Mall (also free, also worth the detour). At night the walk gets quieter and less foot-traffic-y — Uber is a $5–8 ride if you want it.
FREE admission, every day except major holidays. Open Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 1pm–5pm, closed Monday. Free parking in the underground garage for visitors. There’s a cafe on-site if you skipped breakfast.
Closest Broadway-adjacent bars are on the north end of the honky tonk cluster — Acme Feed & Seed at 101 Broadway is the closest walkable bar, about 10 minutes south. If you’re after a quieter scene, Printers Alley is 8 minutes south on 3rd Avenue and has Alley Taps, Bourbon Street, and Skull’s Rainbow Room.
Pair the Tennessee State Museum with the Pedestrian Bridge (north view of the skyline) and the State Capitol building itself — those three are all within a 15-minute walk of each other and free. Then head south to the honky tonks via the walking map.
Walking times based on actual block distance from the landmark entrance. Every bar listed is in our full venue directory with live lineups.
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