Carina Dahlmann on the pedestrian bridge with the Nashville skyline in the background

A PERSONAL CITY JOURNAL

Nashville Stories

The music, meals and rooms that made me fall in love with this city—through my own photographs and memories.

Why Nashville

I fell in love with Nashville the first time I landed here.

I first arrived in Nashville in November 2025 and found unforgettable music, people and places that quickly became part of my own story. Since then, I’ve returned again and again, spent time living life in the city, writing and making music, and found places I still love and keep coming back to.

I’ve spent many years traveling the world through my work, including organizing and hosting food and wine trips through my own company.

01 · East Nashville

East Nashville

East Nashville is more than one of my favorite neighborhoods — it’s where my Nashville journey really began. I lived in Historic Edgefield for a while, right in the heart of East Nashville, and it became one of the first parts of the city I got to know from the inside. Creative, constantly changing, and full of local character, it’s still a part of Nashville I feel deeply connected to.

The Turnip Truck

A local market I love and an easy everyday stop while you are exploring East Nashville.

Dino's

An East Nashville institution and the neighborhood’s oldest dive bar. It’s gritty, casual, open late and famous for its burgers — exactly the kind of place that feels completely unpolished and completely Nashville.

02 · Food & Drinks

Monell's

Classic Southern cooking served family-style at a shared table.
Go for the fried chicken, biscuits, gravy, green beans, mac and cheese—and all the Southern sides.
You pay one good-value price, eat as much as you want and may meet some genuinely lovely people around the table.

Fifth + Taylor

Choose this for finer dining in Germantown.
Order the hamachi ceviche—the plate shown in my photograph is one I still think about.
The drinks, atmosphere and local wine choices make it a beautiful evening spot.

Sixty Vines

The photograph above is from my actual Broadway Rewind — a night back on Broadway with some amazing girlfriends, reclaiming a place filled with memories and making new ones of our own.
A lively, polished place for wine, Mediterranean-inspired food and an easy dinner with friends.

03 · Broadway & Robert's Western World

Whatever some locals may say, Broadway is part of the Nashville experience. Go once, take it in—and know where to stop.

Robert's Western World

One of my absolute favorite places and one of the few original honky-tonks left on Lower Broadway.
Listen to real honky-tonk and look at the boots lining the walls. Robert's originally sold Western clothing and boots, and that history still lives inside.
Order the Recession Special: a fried bologna sandwich, chips, a MoonPie and an ice-cold Busch Light for about six dollars.
Go for the music, the history and the atmosphere. You simply have to do it.

The Recession Special: fried bologna sandwich, chips and an ice-cold Busch Light

04 · Local Hangouts & Late Nights

The Local

One of my favorite places for live music, with shows every day.
The chicken tenders are some of the best—come hungry.

Odie's + Red Door

Both are worth adding to a Midtown night.
Relaxed local stops before or after a show at The Local.

Whiskey Jam

Go on Monday or Thursday night at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row.
It is free, full of live music and absolutely worth adding to your Nashville plans.

05 · Songwriter City

Bluebird Cafe

It is famous for a reason, but tickets are difficult to get—monitor the ticket releases carefully.
My practical tip is the Monday open-mic night: arrive early, queue and try for a first-come, first-served place. It is free.

The Listening Room

My favorite easier alternative when the Bluebird is full.
Buy tickets online; the larger room gives you a better chance of seeing a show, with food, drinks and performances almost every day.
Go on Monday for the all-women Suffragette Night and support women in the music business.

Station Inn

A must for extraordinary bluegrass in a genuinely cool room.
Bring cash for the door; cards are accepted at the bar.
There is no wine, so choose beer, a White Claw or another bar option.

Third & Lindsley

A really strong live-music room and another excellent place to hear Nashville talent.
Check the current calendar and build your evening around the music, not only the famous names.
The Bluebird Cafe also hosts daytime shows at Third & Lindsley, so if you can’t get tickets to a show at the actual Bluebird, this is a great alternative.

06 · Printer's Alley

The neon-lit entrance to Printer's Alley at night

Skull's Rainbow Room

Printer's Alley is only about a ten-minute walk from Broadway.
Go to Skull's for cool jazz, strong drinks and a more intimate downtown atmosphere.

Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar

Go for outstanding musicianship and a night shaped by blues, soul, funk and R&B.
It gives you a completely different musical energy from the Broadway honky-tonks.

Carina and a friend at Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar in Printer’s Alley

Carina on stage at the Pitch Meeting at Analog, backed by the house band

Pitch Meeting · 11 November 2025

My Tuesday-night tip

The Pitch Meeting is a free Tuesday open mic with an extraordinary house band.
Sign up if you want to perform—or simply go to listen and experience the songwriter community.
On November 11, 2025, I had not even signed up. I was unexpectedly pulled onto the stage, and that moment changed the direction of my life.