Thanksgiving in Nashville does not mean the city rolls up the sidewalks and calls it a night. Some attractions adjust their holiday hours, restaurants put out special menus, and individual bars may make their own Thanksgiving plans. Downtown still has plenty of life.
That makes Nashville a fun place to spend the entire holiday weekend. Start with an easy Thanksgiving Day, then let Friday, Saturday, and Sunday open up into a full Nashville getaway. Here’s what to know before you arrive at Noelle.
Start Thanksgiving at Lona
If you are staying at Noelle, Thanksgiving dinner is already covered. Lona, the hotel’s modern Mexican restaurant from chefs Richard Sandoval and Pablo Salas, will be open on Thanksgiving Day from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The restaurant is also featuring Thanksgiving as part of its official Holiday Happenings.
That gives guests an easy way to build Thanksgiving around the hotel without sacrificing a proper holiday meal. Lona brings its contemporary Mexican approach to the table, along with its tequila and mezcal program, while keeping the experience conveniently downstairs from your room.
Holiday reservations are strongly recommended, so book a table at Lona ahead of your stay.
Thanksgiving Day in Nashville: Keep It Simple
Centennial Park is a great place to spend part of Thanksgiving Day. The park is home to Nashville’s full-scale Parthenon replica, so there is a landmark to see, plenty of space to walk, and room for everyone to get some fresh air before dinner.
Then there’s the main event: Thanksgiving dinner.
Reservations are strongly recommended, and several restaurants offer special holiday menus. A few spots close to Noelle include:
Church & Union: A three-course Thanksgiving prix fixe menu with adult and children’s pricing.
Puckett’s: A Thanksgiving Meats and Three with your choice of holiday meats, sides, a starter, and dessert.
Morton’s Nashville: A downtown steakhouse option for a more traditional sit down dinner.
Hard Rock Cafe Nashville: Thanksgiving buffet service on Broadway, plus a regular Thanksgiving menu.
1 Kitchen: A Thanksgiving buffet at 1 Hotel Nashville, about a 15 minute walk from Noelle.
Check each restaurant’s holiday information for the current menu, pricing, and reservation details.
Head to Broadway After Dinner
Dinner is over. The dishes are someone else’s problem. The family has spent enough time around the table. So what happens next?
In Nashville, you can head to Broadway.
The major honky tonks on Lower Broadway generally stay open on Thanksgiving, although smaller bars and individual kitchens may set different holiday hours. If you have a particular spot in mind, check its website or social media before heading out.
Once dinner is over, Broadway is still very much on the table. The lights are on, the music is going, and there is usually no shortage of places to grab a drink and hear some live music. You could call it a night after dinner, or you could head downtown for a little more Nashville before turning in. Either way, the city is still very active after dinner.
Friday, November 27th: The Weekend Gets Going
Friday brings a fuller calendar of events, attractions, and holiday activities.
Museums and Downtown Attractions
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Frist Art Museum are two possibilities, along with the Ryman Auditorium, Music City Walk of Fame, and the many restaurants, shops, and bars around downtown.
Holiday schedules can vary, so checking individual attraction hours before heading out is worthwhile.
Nashville Predators vs. Utah Mammoth
The Nashville Predators take on the Utah Mammoth at 12:00 PM on Friday, November 27th, at Bridgestone Arena.
Bridgestone Arena is close to Noelle in downtown Nashville, so the game fits easily into a day spent around the city. It also leaves plenty of room for other downtown plans before or after the puck drops.
Nashville’s Nutcracker
Nashville’s Nutcracker begins Friday, November 27th, with a 2:00 PM performance.
The holiday production gives visitors another afternoon experience and adds a seasonal stop to the weekend calendar. Performances continue throughout the holiday season, so Friday is just the beginning.
Saturday, November 28: College Football Takes Over
Saturday brings another major event to the Nashville calendar.
Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt
The Tennessee Volunteers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 28th, at FirstBank Stadium.
It’s a fun rivalry game for football fans spending Thanksgiving weekend in Nashville. If your group has divided loyalties, Saturday could get interesting.
FirstBank Stadium is outside the downtown area, so this is one of the weekend’s outings that calls for a rideshare or other transportation.
Back downtown, the rest of Saturday is wide open. Live music, Broadway, restaurants, bars, and Nashville holiday events all offer stops for the rest of the evening.
And if the idea of going back out into the night has lost its appeal, Noelle has a few options of its own. Lona serves modern Mexican food, Rare Bird is the rooftop stop for cocktails and downtown views, and Hidden Bar is downstairs beneath Printers Alley.
Sunday, November 29: One More Night in Music City
Sunday has another major Nashville event on the calendar before the Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close.
Opry Country Christmas
Opry Country Christmas takes the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House at 7:00 PM on Sunday, November 29th.
The lineup includes Brandon Heath, John Foster, Riders In The Sky, Mandy Barnett, Chris Scruggs and the Stone Fox Five with Ben Scruggs, Rhonda Vincent, and more to be announced.
The Grand Ole Opry House is outside downtown, so transportation will be part of the plan for this one.
Earlier Sunday, you'll have plenty of time for brunch, a final museum visit, another look around downtown, or a little downtime before the evening show.
Stay Downtown and Leave the Car Parked
Noelle’s location puts a lot of the Thanksgiving weekend action within walking distance. Broadway, Bridgestone Arena, the Ryman, and plenty of downtown restaurants and attractions are all nearby.
The hotel itself adds a few more to the mix. Lona, Rare Bird, and Hidden Bar cover dinner, rooftop drinks, and cocktails close to the room.
For the Thanksgiving weekend traveler, that makes the logistics pretty simple: downtown is right outside the door, and the farther out events, such as the Vanderbilt game and Opry Country Christmas, are the occasions to call a rideshare.
Make the most of your Thanksgiving weekend and book your stay at Noelle Nashville.