The best way to get all your Nashville sightseeing done in one day is on the Old Town Trolley, which travels on a continuous 12-mile loop and stops at all of the town’s most popular attractions. Hop on and off whenever you want while the conductor (who is also a local historian) fills you in about historically important sights such as the Johnny Cash Museum, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Lower Broadway, and the Ryman Auditorium.

While a night out in Nashville is most closely associated with rowdy Lower Broadway, escape the hordes of bachelorette parties downtown and venture out just a mile or two away to discover a range of unique bars, restaurants, and speakeasies in surrounding neighborhoods like The Nations, Germantown, and Five Points. Plus, drinks are significantly cheaper outside of Lower Broadway! One of the best parts of Southern hospitality is cocktail culture—and it’s alive and thriving in Nashville, so don’t be scared to hit other neighborhoods and enjoy the same quality bespoke cocktail as you would get in Manhattan for half the price of a drink on Broadway.

Nashville hot chicken is an iconic dish to check off your list, but there’s so much more to the city’s booming culinary scene than just Hattie B’s. Although the city’s not officially listed in the Michelin guide, there are a number of contenders serving everything from upscale continental cuisine to award-winning pizza. Nashville is also home to large, diverse international communities serving up some stellar Kurdish, Laos, Mexican, and Egyptian fare.

A more accurate name for the “country music capital of the world” (though that’s also an accurate moniker) is probably “the live musician capital of the world,” because the best recording musicians, songwriters, and bands in the world—of all genres—congregate in Nashville to record, collaborate, and test new music before going on tour. This is where the largest artist development companies and recording studios congregate, drawing everybody from Ed Sheeran to The Black Keys, Paramore, and Kings of Leon to work and live in the city. Check out a revolving spread of music showcases to have the privilege of hearing top-tier rock, country, pop, and soul musicians and songwriters play any night of the week.

You can do some serious antique shopping in Nashville. Treasure hunt to your heart’s content through the city’s trove of well-known antique and secondhand stores like Music City Thrift, Preservation Station, and Antique Archaeology (as featured on American Pickers!). If you have the time, it’s only a half hour’s drive out to Franklin, Tenn., where you can find even more antique and thrifting options—often at a lower price.