Places Where You're Most Likely Able To Spot Celebrities In Nashville

As the epicenter of the country music industry and a popular filming location for movies and TV shows, Nashville is one of the best places in the U.S. to spot celebrities. Famous folks are regularly spotted in public in Tennessee's capital city, even if it's not New York City or Los Angeles in terms of star power. With historic venues like the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville is a music lover's paradise. 

Most country stars live in Nashville, and a surprising number of rock and pop singers also own homes here, including Sheryl Crow, Jack White, Justin Timberlake, and Miley Cyrus. Ed Sheeran and Kelly Clarkson also lived in Nashville for a while. Actress Reese Witherspoon has a mansion in Nashville, and so does Oscar winner Nicole Kidman, wife of country star Keith Urban. 

Because Nashville is smaller than NYC and LA, stars here seem more likely to go out in public, which makes spotting them a bit easier. The city's walkable neighborhoods are great for people-watching in Nashville, and you can often see famous people in mundane places like grocery stores, gas stations, and movie theaters, so keep your eyes open. From the upscale Palm restaurant to the honky-tonk bars on Broadway, here are some of the places in Nashville where you have the best chance of seeing a celebrity.

The Palm is a high-end steakhouse and seafood restaurant chain with more than a dozen locations around the country, many of which are popular with celebrities. Visiting stars who want a lavish dinner often stop into the Nashville location in the middle of downtown. Located just around the corner from Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, and the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Palm is an obvious spot for celebs attending shows at those venues to stop in for a pre-concert meal.

The Palm has a celebrity history, as actors like Robert Redford and James Gandolfini used to dine here. Power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill still come by these days, and football great Peyton Manning dines here as well.

The Palm enjoys its reputation as a celeb hotspot. Several of the stars who've visited the Nashville restaurant are featured on a caricature mural inside the restaurant, including the rockers of KISS, country star Miranda Lambert, and the legendary Tennessee icon, Dolly Parton. If you've got the cash, make a reservation and maybe you'll dine next to someone famous.

Walk down 16th and 17th Avenue South to explore the Music Row neighborhood, which serves as the center of the country music business. Famous singers come to Music Row often to visit their record labels, publishing companies, and recording studios. Name a popular artist from the past 60 years in any genre, and chances are they've recorded at least a song or two at one of the studios on Music Row. Bob Dylan, Beyonce, Lionel Richie, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Buffett, Shania Twain, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, and the Foo Fighters are among the hundreds of superstars who have created music inside the walls of these historic studios.

Nashville residents pride themselves on not being overly intrusive when they see famous musicians in public, so spending all day on the sidewalks of Music Row hoping for a chance celebrity encounter probably wouldn't be cool. But you can certainly take a casual stroll around the neighborhood to see the famous studios. So many A-listers visit Music Row on a regular basis that you may very well catch a glimpse of one on the way to a recording session. While visiting Music Row, consider taking a guided tour of historic RCA Studio B, where Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton recorded some of their biggest hits.

Taylor Swift is among the celebs who have spent quality time in Centennial Park, a 132-acre public green space just west of Downtown Nashville. She mentioned the park twice in her 2020 song "Invisible String," singing, "Green was the color of the grass where I used to read at Centennial Park," and "Gold was the color of the leaves when I showed you around Centennial Park."

Be sure to stop by the "Taylor Swift Bench," a small park bench dedicated to Taylor by the city of Nashville in 2023, with the inscription, "For Taylor Swift. A bench for you to read on at Centennial Park. Welcome home, Nashville." There's no evidence that Swift ever sat on this specific bench, but as her lyrics indicate, she visited the park when she lived full-time in Nashville.

Another popular Centennial Park attraction is the Parthenon, a full-size replica of the famous Greek temple that stands prominently in the center of the park. Visiting celebrities sometimes come to see Nashville's Parthenon up close. The late comedian Robin Williams and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger both stopped by the Parthenon when they were in town. Jagger, in fact, shared photos of his 2015 visit on social media and was said to have been blown away by the structure and its replica statue of the goddess Athena.

What's not to love about a karaoke dive bar with a year-round Christmas theme, run by a no-nonsense owner with a long, white Santa beard? Santa's Pub is a spot that famous people visit when they want to enjoy a party atmosphere while staying under the radar. Take note: The bar is cash only, serves only beer (no liquor or wine), and doesn't tolerate swearing.

Numerous celebs, from actress Hayden Panettiere to singers Ed Sheeran and Kacey Musgraves, have called Santa's one of their favorite spots in Nashville. Sheeran came to Santa's after his summer 2023 concert in Nashville and led the bar crowd in a karaoke sing-along of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want it That Way" and Sheeran's own "Thinking Out Loud." He posted the video on Instagram, with the caption, "When I lived here, this was the spot and it still is."

Musgraves told Us Magazine of Santa's, "It's my bar in Nashville." And Panettiere said to Stylist magazine (via Contactmusic.com), "It's so much fun and no one bothers you or gives you a hard time. It almost feels like you're in someone's living room." She added that she sometimes takes a turn at Santa's karaoke cuts loose on "Don't Stop Believin.'" Word has gotten out that Santa's Pub is the place to be, because megastars Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny even visited the bar recently, according to an Instagram post.

Located one block from the state capitol building, the Hermitage Hotel would be worth a visit even if it had no celebrity connection. Opened in 1910, the hotel was recently designated a National Historic Landmark. Its Beaux-Arts architectural style reveals eye-catching elements, like a painted glass ceiling in the lobby, a Renaissance-style outdoor corridor, and an Art Deco-style men's room from the 1930s that has been named "America's Best Bathroom."

The hotel played a prominent role in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920. As the National Park Service notes, Tennessee was the final state that needed to approve the amendment for it to become law. Activists and lobbyists from both sides stayed at the Hermitage Hotel and attempted to woo lawmakers, leading to days of spirited debate and even fighting inside the hotel, before the Tennessee House narrowly voted in favor of the amendment.

For decades, this was the place where wealthy and famous Nashville visitors rested their heads. According to its website, the Hermitage Hotel has hosted no fewer than eight American presidents, ranging from Taft and Wilson to Clinton and Bush (#43). Other legendary guests through the years included Babe Ruth, Charlie Chaplin, and Elvis Presley. Despite that history, the hotel closed in 1977, before changing ownership and re-opening a few years later. More recent visitors include Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, and comedian Aziz Ansari, who shot scenes for the show "Master of None" at the hotel.

In a city with so many recognizable residents, the airport is an obvious place to run into someone famous. On your way into or out of town, keep your eyes open at Nashville International Airport, in case any of the city's celebrities happen to be traveling at the same time.

The Nashville airport now serves more than 20 million passengers annually. Passenger traffic here has doubled in the past 10 years, which might make it harder to pick out celebs among the crowd, but airport visitors still frequently see famous people. Fans have reported on social media seeing Justin Bieber, Ashley Judd, Dan & Shay, and Toby Keith walking through the airport.

If you've got time, head to Concourse C to check out Ole Red, a bar and restaurant owned by country superstar Blake Shelton. You never know when the owner might stop in. In fact, he recently took the stage for an unannounced performance in his airport bar. Shelton sang "Ol' Red," the track that provided the inspiration for the name of his business, giving travelers an unexpected thrill.