Nashville is one of the most Instagrammable cities in America with an endless amount of photo spots. The city is known for its plethora of wall murals, neon signs, and country music memorabilia that provide the perfect photo backdrop. In this post, I’m going to show you some of the best Instagram photo spots in Nashville so you can capture your denim-and-rhinestones moments all over Music City.
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How I Planned This Nashville Photo Shoot
Nashville is a city I have frequented multiple times over the years, so I came to know the area and must-see places pretty well. When my photographer, Kelsey, and I decided we wanted to do this shoot, I knew that I wanted to capture every angle of Nashville’s aesthetic. In other words, I wanted it to be a little edgy, a little girly, and a LOT of sparkle. And that’s exactly what we did!
If you’ve read through this blog before, you know that I love dualities. In other words, you can expect to see edgier outfits for some of Nashville’s dive bars and late-night hangs, along with softer, more feminine looks for the city’s charming spots that scream “this one’s for the girls!” And of course, glitter will be incorporated into each look, whether it’s a pop of sparkle or a full-fledged look with red and silver rhinestones (keep scrolling!)
In other words, it’s Carrie Underwood’s Drinking Alone meets Miranda Lambert’s Gunpowder & Lead meets The Chicks’ Cowboy Take Me Away meets Shania Twain’s Man! I Feel Like a Woman. Are you ready? I thought so….let’s go girls! 😉
Want More Travel Photography?
I’ve been lucky to collaborate with my talented photographer friend, Kelsey (@oakhavenphotobykd), on shoots in both Nashville and New York City. Be sure to check out our other photo guides for more aesthetic travel inspiration!
1. The Graduate Hotel Nashville
The Graduate is my favorite hotel to stay at in Nashville, and the place I recommend to all my readers. If you want to know why, check out my Graduate Hotel review post here. But wait…you didn’t come for that…you came for the photo rec’s, which happen to be evvverywhere when you walk in.
By the Vintage Sign Near the Hotel Entrance
It’s the lighting for me. You’ll see multiple examples of good neon-light shots throughout this post, which are a must-do when you go to Nashville. These ones are some of my favorite because of the moody vibes.
The Hotel Lobby
The lobby at The Graduate is ultra-feminine, with pink and floral accents. Needless to say, I was living my best life with the amount of femininity I was able to incorporate into these shots.
Clearly, it’s giving plan-your-bachelorette-party-here-immediately vibes…and if you need help, check out The Best Girl’s Weekend in Nashville.
Cross-Eyed Critters
Cross-Eyed Critters is quite the contrast to the country-glam theme that encompasses the rest of The Graduate. In other words, it’s more dive bar, less Dolly Parton (and don’t worry, we’ll get to Dolly next). But – you guessed it – the lighting makes for some great shots.
White Limozeen
We did dive bar…now, we’re doing ultra-glam bar!
White Limozeen is Dolly Parton’s Nashville bar on the rooftop of The Graduate. It’s got all the southern charm you would expect from Dolly, not to mention, it’s beautiful. Like, really beautiful. And there are SO many good photo spots!
To see a full recap of my White Limozeen photos, check out Dolly Parton’s Photo-Worthy Bar in Nashville
- Pro Tip: Go here in the daytime for the best lighting. The first time I went here was past dark, and my photos didn’t turn out good, even inside.
2. Broadway Street
Ahh, Broadway…Nashville’s iconic street with bars, cowboy boots, neon lights, and endless live music. You’re practically in your own Morgan Wallen video.
You have endless photo options here. You can grab shots walking (or dancing!) down the street…in front of the bars…singing along to the live bands, etc. Keep in mind, Broadway Street is crowded…and that’s putting it mildly. Take extra care if you’re bringing a professional camera along.
My favorite shots from Broadway are the ones where I was standing outside amongst the neon lights of the bars, and the ones inside Casa Rosa, my favorite bar.
In Front of the Bars on Broadway
Broadway Nashville
Remember the bright neon lights I mentioned earlier? They all make for epic photo ops. The photo above was taken in front of Eric Church’s bar, appropriately named Chief’s after his hit song.
- Photography Pro Tip – Wear a dress or skirt with fringe and get your friend to snap photos as you’re moving and dancing
Casa Rosa on Broadway
Casa Rosa is Miranda Lambert’s bar, which also happens to be my favorite bar on Broadway St. It’s an aesthetic mix of Tex-Mex, roses, and wild wild west. Neon pink meets gunpowder & lead. In other words, it’s so Miranda….and, so Gina on a Plane.
3. By The String Lights in Printer’s Alley
Printer’s Alley is another area with bars located just off of Broadway street. Think of it as Broadway’s pretty-yet-slightly-grungy cousin with more of a dive bar vibe. If Broadway is Jessica Simpson, then Printer’s Alley is Ashlee Simpson. If you’re a millennial, you understand me. For my Gen-Z readers, Google “Ashlee and Jessica Simpson 2000s” and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
ANYWAY – Printer’s Alley is where you can get cool, artsy shots like the one below with string lights, graffiti, and faded brick walls. You can do a more “casual” look here, or you can wear a sparkly shirt that pairs well with the string lights like I did.
4. Get A Few “Dive Bar” Action Shots
Midtown Nashville
We’re taking the grunge one step further…because grunge is actually gorgeous if you do it right!
You know what they say: “you can take the girl out of the country, but…” In other words, the West Virginian in me loves a good dive bar. Of course, there are levels to dive bars, and I will only dive so deep…but the good ones are a real good time.
The photos in this section were taken at Loser’s bar in Midtown, one of my favorite Nashville bars (and apparently, everyone else’s favorite too, judging by the crowd in the photos).
Midtown Nashville
Kelsey and I also managed to luck out, because the back room in Loser’s bar was empty the night we showed up…so we decided to take advantage of all the empty space and get some “girl alone in a bar” shots.
5. The Gibson Garage
Can you even have a Music City photoshoot without music? The Gibson Garage is every guitar player’s dream. You can go in and play around with any of the guitars…and, clearly, take all the photo ops you want!
I had so much fun in here that I created another blog post – The Ultimate Photoshoot at Nashville’s Gibson Garage – to show you all the different types of photos you can get.
6. Kittenish
Kittenish is Jesse James Decker’s adorable country boutique. I got the cutest black fringe jacket from here, along with some very creative photos. My favorite ones were in front of the giant FROST YOURSELF sign. Again, millennials will get the reference. For my Gen-Z readers, this quote is from How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days and refers to adding diamond accessories to your look. If it was up to me, it would still be a common slang term.
7. The Country Music Hall of Fame
If you really want to say “I visited Music City!” – buy tickets to the Country Music Hall of Fame and get your photo surrounded by the records on the staircase. IMO, this area with all the records by the staircase had the best lighting in the museum.
8. The Staircase at The Bobby Hotel
The Bobby Hotel is a 4 star hotel located in downtown Nashville. The lobby has a rustic-glam feel, complete with a curved staircase that is perfect for photo ops. IMO, one of the best angles is looking down and getting this jaw-dropping chandelier in your shot.
Another idea is to capture the wall art in the background. I didn’t do this on purpose, but somehow the red in the carpet, the wood, and the art all managed to coordinate with my red top. Sometimes we just get lucky.
9. Visit Your Favorite Rooftop Bar
If you know me, you know I love a good rooftop…and Nashville has so many to choose from. These photos were taken on the rooftop of the Bobby Hotel right after we got the shots on the stairs…but literally any downtown rooftop will make for a good photo op. Bonus points if you can get Nashville’s iconic Batman Building (the AT&T tower) in the shot!
10. Get Creative With the Neon Lights
Wait, we’re back to the neon? YES….because it’s just too good. I had to give you some more neon inspo, because you can find neon lights all over Nashville. I’m a big believer in “when the opportunity arises, take it” – so I hope to inspire you to get creative with what you see!
The photos below are some of my favorite shots of our trip. These were taken near the Velvet Taco restaurant in Midtown and allowed me to live out my “pink guitar” dreams.
But wait…we’re not done yet. Kelsey got these awesome shots below by moving her camera in a circular motion while snapping. These were taken in Loser’s, the dive bar that I mentioned earlier.
Nashville, Tennessee Hotel Recommendation
The Graduate Hotel
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