The Most Romantic Things to Do for Couples in Nashville

Nashville has a lot more to offer visitors than just honky-tonks, neon lights, and pedal taverns. While those can be a lot of fun on a Saturday night, sometimes you’re looking for a little more adult experience, especially for a date night. Don’t worry, because Nashville has you covered there, too. From refined dining spots to cultural activities to a little casual competition, Music City offers entertainment options that run the gamut all year round. Clear your calendar for a night out and make plans to try out some of these attractions.

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Nashville is blessed with more than two dozen excellent breweries, but they’re not all in the easiest locations to visit or travel between. Even setting up your own taproom tour via rideshare can be complicated and expensive, so that’s where Music City Brew Hop comes to the rescue. Trolleys travel along two routes making hour-long loops between seven breweries where you can hop on and off whenever the mood strikes you. Try an IPA at one spot and then enjoy a short tour of Nashville’s neighborhoods on the way to a pint of lager.

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It’s difficult to keep up with the rapid growth of the Nashville restaurant scene (even with our help,) and many of the best old reliable restaurants find themselves overlooked in favor of the shiniest new options. Walk, Eat Nashville offers walking tours of both classic and new restaurants in several neighborhoods of town, including downtown, SoBro, East Nashville, Music Row, and 12 South. The knowledgeable guides share area history along the way as guests enjoy a multi-course “moveable feast” coursed out by the participating restaurants like a full meal including drinks at some stops. You won’t go home hungry, but at least you’ll walk off some of the calories along the way.

Wedgewood-Houston
While the hot rice wine you probably first tried with your meal at a Japanese restaurant isn’t the best representation of the art of sake brewing, the spirit as a category is hot right now. At Present Tense, the knowledgeable sake sommelier stays ahead of that curve, even importing their own proprietary premium spirit from Japan. For a true luxury experience, grab a couple of seats at the compact chef’s bar for the full omakase service offered on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights or a limited version of the experience served to your table every night they’re open. While a master chef and his sous create and present dish after dish of beautiful and inventive minimalist Japanese cuisine, the helpful sake expert will always be at hand to suggest the perfect pairing for each of the more than a dozen courses. It’s a truly decadent experience.

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In some towns, karaoke is a way to cast off your inhibitions. In Nashville, though, there are some serious singers at most local bars. Fortunately, there are also plenty of spots where the mood is loose and the lights are dim enough to prevent your performance from being immortalized on the internet. Lonnie’s Western Room usually features some fantastic country singers, but amateurs are always welcome. The Lipstick Lounge, a convivial gay bar in East Nashville, welcomes all kinds for karaoke, as long as you’re kind. Santa’s Pub is a favorite cash-only, canned beer-only, Christmas decorations-only dive bar near the Fairgrounds that is a favorite among locals looking to cut loose. Cross-eyed Critters Watering Hole, a wonderfully bizarre karaoke bar where a band of animatronic animals serves as the back-up band for singers, feels like being at a Chuck E. Cheese on peyote.

Gulch
Operated by national jazz/funk legends The Wooten Brothers, this subterranean jazz cave showcases the best in local musicians along with bigger touring acts. The speakeasy vibe makes for the perfect atmosphere to chill over classic cocktails and New Orleans-inspired cuisine while remembering that Music City offers a lot more than just country music.

Downtown and South Nashville
After a quick and fun lesson from the dance instructors of Stompin’ Grounds, you’ll be kicking up your heels and two-stepping your way around the room doing the Sweetheart Schottische while the bands at Bootleggers Inn and Whiskey Bent Saloon provide the accompaniment. Ole Red also offers line dance lessons for $20 on Fridays and Saturdays. For a retro jump dance experience, visit the studio at Swing Dance Nashville for lessons on how to do the Charleston or the Lindy Hop. Beginners are welcome as long as you leave your inhibitions at the door and give in to a good time.

The Nations, Bellevue, and Antioch
Even though we’re between Winter Olympics when people become temporarily obsessed with the obscure sport of curling (which is sort of like shuffleboard on ice), the sport is still worth checking out. Ignore your pickleball-obsessed friends (who are often worse than CrossFit and keto fans) because Nashville has its first official curling center, Tee Line in West Nashville. If you’re looking for a more traditional date night on ice, both of the Ford Ice Centers in Bellevue and Antioch offer public skating sessions, but you’ll need to register in advance.

East Nashville and North Gulch
Since TopGolf opened up across the river from downtown, golfers of all abilities have packed it and taken aim at the large illuminated targets spread out over a huge field. Whether you’re successful at that or not, you can always enjoy the energy of the crowd, some surprisingly good food and drink, and any playful teasing that comes with it. Plus, TopGolf has an Angry Birds-inspired game if you’d rather fight pigs than chase birdies. Puttshack brings mini golf into the 21st century with arcade game-inspired nine-hole courses designed to level the playing field for players of different experience levels. Plus, you can carry your cocktail from the bar to the course or enjoy a shot between shots.

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With three Nashville locations, you’re never too far away from one of Climb Nashville’s rock-climbing gyms. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert climber, you’ll find all sorts of fun challenges as you scale the multiple routes up walls studded with grips and footholds. Safety is job one, so staff will be happy to help instruct you on how to safely belay your date in case of a slip-up. The Crag caters to all skill levels of climbers from beginners to experienced rock stars. With thousands of feet of vertical paths available, including bouldering runs and the intense Moon Board set-up, every visit can be a new adventure.

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Plan your visit or your date night around the first Saturday of the month for gallery crawls around downtown or Wedgewood-Houston. Artists open up their working studios to visitors, and galleries feature exhibit openings with food and drink to draw in potential buyers. Most of the venues are easy to walk between, so you’ll get a romantic stroll as a bonus. If you miss the first Saturday, 100 Taylor Art Market showcases the work of more than 60 artists every third Saturday of the month, along with live music, drinks, and food trucks.

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Unleash your creative side with drawing, painting, and mixed-media art classes courtesy of Art & Soul in Berry Hill. Their roster of instructors are serious artists, but they encourage fun expressions of creativity during their classes. If you’re in need to get some emotions out of your system, consider TheraPaint Studio where they will cover you up in a full set of coveralls and encourage you to fling paint at a compostable canvas in a cathartic release of emotions that ends up as a piece of art that speaks to the ephemeral nature of creation. After your session, the staff will compost your canvas and use it to grow flowers in their meditation garden. Who says it’s always bad to bury your feelings? For a less serious art class, head to the Factory at Franklin for a paint-your-own-pottery session at Third Coast Clay. Pick a plate, bowl, mug, or other piece of pre-made pottery and decorate it with whatever you can imagine. The staff will glaze it and fire it for you for pick-up or shipping a week later.

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We’re big fans of Nashville’s most well-known museums, like the Country Music Hall of Fame, the new National Museum of African American Music, and the Frist Art Museum; but don’t miss out on some of Nashville’s more obscure collections. Make a day of visiting the huge collection of exotic vehicles at the Lane Motor Museum, discover the sidemen who made the legendary music at the Musicians Hall of Fame, and find out more than you ever wanted to know about The Dukes of Hazzard at Cooter’s Place.

East Nashville
Inspired by the Finnish tradition of the benefits of a good hot soak, this East Nashville bath house includes a sauna, steam room, large hot soaking pool, plus private locker rooms so that you can decide whether to embrace “swimsuit optional” or not. Couples or small groups can rent out the entire space by the hour, and the spa provides Turkish towel wraps, bath towels, and basic cleansing products, so all you have to bring is yourselves.

Belle Meade
The staff and Bucca are experts in Chinese acupressure, so all you have to do is lie back for a personalized session with comfy pillows, cozy blankets throws, and soothing eye masks as they release pressure and detoxify your ailments with delightful foot and hand massages. Add on a facial and head massage, and they might have to wake you up when it’s time to head home.

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