A beloved bluegrass destination since 1974, this humble single-story bar far predates the gleaming skyscrapers that have sprung up around it in the now-booming Gulch neighborhood. Tickets aren’t sold in advance, which means the line to get in often stretches down the block. The wait is worth it. The venue’s cafeteria-style seating makes for a thoroughly comfortable and intimate atmosphere, and world-class pickers and singers deliver two full sets a night.

This tiny, storied spot—housed, to the surprise of first-timers, in a garden-variety Green Hills strip mall—has been hosting the city’s best acoustic showcases since 1982. Known as Nashville’s premier listening room, it seats 90 guests and asks that everyone pay respectful attention lest you draw shushing from staffers. Expect three or four pros (often hit songwriters) to take turns singing stripped-down versions of songs and sharing stories of what inspired them. Reservations encouraged.

In the 1960s, this purple-hued honky-tonk was a place where young, hungry songsmiths like Willie Nelson, Tom T. Hall, Roger Miller, and Kris Kristofferson could hang out and pitch ideas to Opry stars who wandered in after shows at the Ryman across the street. (A 1995 documentary about the lounge is worth watching for the archival footage of Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton.) Today, tourists flock here to gawk at the memorabilia on the Wall of Fame. Go early for a spot on the coveted rooftop.

Musicians spend their whole lives dreaming of performing at this most venerated of Nashville venues, a pillar of the city’s music scene since 1892. Although it was once the home of the Grand Ole Opry, the building suffered years of neglect before finally being made a National Historic Landmark in 2001. Ever since, crowds have continued to fill the auditorium’s unforgiving wooden pews to see everything from A-list pop acts to string bands. Guided tours are a great way to take it all in.

This Music Valley honky-tonk, founded in 1977, is best-known as the spot where Warner Bros. executives discovered Randy Travis while he was working here as a dishwasher. (Of equal note is that it was made famous by Jerry Reed, who performed here dozens of times after his star turn in Smokey and the Bandit.) The venue struggled in the ’90s after the closure of the Opryland theme park, and now hosts country shows, line dance nights, and the Chippendales-inspired Ranch Hands Cowboylesque.

For decades, this downtown warehouse lodged a pedal steel guitar company and rhinestone-themed western clothing store before finding its calling as a live music venue in the ’90s. Over the past 30 years, Robert’s and its house band BR5-49 helped spark a revival of hopped-up, traditional country sounds and rejuvenated nightlife on Lower Broadway. Come to see longtime owner Jesse Lee Jones perform with his band Brazilbilly, as well as vintage-inspired musicians like Joshua Hedley.

These neighboring Midtown bars sit squarely in between downtown, Music Row, and two of the city’s largest universities. A prime location, sure, but programming is what keeps them on the map. For the past decade, Winners has hosted scores of aspiring country music stars who perform here in the hopes of generating some buzz (Ward Guenther’s weekly Whiskey Jam showcase is an industry favorite). Some, like Luke Combs, have succeeded and will occasionally pop in to test-drive new material.

This independent rock club was named after the SoHo intersection where it has proudly operated since 1991. The area’s rapid expansion and skyrocketing real estate prices have threatened the venue’s future, but for now, it’s still one of the best places to see fast-rising new bands and seasoned vets. Catch western swing group The Time Jumpers, which packs the ground floor and balcony every other Monday. Also: roots-rockers, blues musicians, jam bands, and classic rock tributes.

This stately, neoclassical concert hall opened to great fanfare in 2006 and occupies an entire city block. Known for its world-class acoustics and grand Viennese decor, it is the beloved home of the Nashville Symphony and a favorite pit stop for A-list musicians across gospel, jazz, country, and R&B (Gregory Porter, Gladys Knight, Bela Fleck, Ledisi, and Little River Band are a few). When the symphony is tapped to provide accompaniment for pop concerts, familiar hits become extraordinary.

This industrial space a short drive from downtown is renowned for its writers’ rounds, a Nashville tradition that showcases the stories behind the songs. Here, songwriters gather on the elevated stage, an ideal setup for storytelling because there isn’t a bad seat in the house. There are multiple shows a day, but do your best to catch Song Suffragettes, a popular weekly acoustic showcase with an all-female lineup that models solidarity in a famously male-dominated industry.

The Grand Ole Opry may not be the star-making machine it once was (the weekly concert and radio show was long the defining force in country music), but being invited to perform remains a huge honor. The long-running broadcast had five other homes before settling into this custom-built theater—its permanent home. When the production left the Ryman in 1974, a piece of the historic stage came with it. Today, that wooden circle, salvaged again after a 2010 flood, is hallowed ground.