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Accolades & Honors
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Nashville's culturally diverse and friendly environment makes it a favorite place for conventioneers and tourists alike and a great place to work, live, and raise a family. The following honors and rankings are just a few of Music City's shining accolades.
Nashville's Recent Rankings & Recognition
- Travel + Leisure (July 2026):
Nashville ranked #12 among the Best Cities in the U.S. in the 2026 World’s Best Awards - AFAR (July 2026):
Nashville landed #9 among the Best Road Trips in the U.S. to Take Right Now - U.S. News & World Report (June 2026):
Included Nashville among the 17 Best Places to Go for the Fourth of July - Sports Business Journal (May 2026):
Nashville ranked #15 among the 50 Best Sports Business Cities for 2026 - AFAR (March 2026):
Featured Nashville as one of the 10 Best Places You Should Visit This June - AFAR (March 2026):
Nashville ranked #3 on the list of 15 Places to See Cherry Blossoms Across the United States - Southern Living (March 2026):
Nashville ranked #4 on the list of The South's Best Cities 2026 - Travel and Tour World (February 2026):
Named Nashville as one of the Top 50 Nightlife Destinations in the World 2026 - TripAdvisor (January 2026):
Listed in the top 10 list of the Best Food Destinations in the U.S. - Condé Nast (January 2026):
Featured Nashville as one of the 21 Best Places to Visit in June - TripAdvisor (January 2026):
Ranked #4 among the Best of the Best Destinations in the U.S. - Daily Mail (January 2026):
Listed as one of the 20 Bucket List Holiday Destinations for 2026 - loveExploring (December 2025):
Nashville made it on the Ultimate USA Bucket List - Wanderlust (December 2025):
Featured Nashville on the USA Good to Go 2026 list - Travel & Tour World (December 2025):
Nashville's New Year's Eve 2025 is named the Ultimate Party Destination for Music Lovers and Foodies - Go Banking Rates (December 2025):
Nashville ranked #8 out of 20 Budget-Friendly Places to Spend Your Holiday Vacation - U.S. News & World Report (December 2025):
Ranked in the top 10 out of 20 Best U.S. Cities to Visit in 2026 - AFAR (November 2025):
Featured Nashville as one of the 8 Cities with the Best Holiday Celebrations in the U.S. - Condé Nast Traveler (November 2025):
Ranked #4 among the 25 Best Cities to Spend Christmas in the U.S. - Lonely Planet (November 2025):
Named Nashville as one of the Best Places in the US to Celebrate New Year's Eve - Travel + Leisure (September 2025):
Nashville tied for the #1 spot as one of the Best Places to Live in the U.S. - J.D. Power (September 2025):
BNA ranked #3 on the list of the Best Large Airports for Customer Satisfaction in North America - YouGov (July 2025):
Nashville topped the list as Americans' Favorite City - Travel + Leisure (July 2025):
Ranked Nashville #13 among the 15 Best Cities in the U.S. - National Geographic (July 2025)
Featured in Here's why you should visit Nashville in 2025 - British Airways High Life Magazine (July 2025):
Featured Nashville in The star-spangled planner: 50 awesome reasons to visit the USA in 2026 - The Telegraph (UK) (July 2025):
Highlighted Nashville in Forget Route 66 and Highway, this is the greatest road trip in America - Holafly (July 2025):
Nashville ranked in three categories in The US Culture Index: America's Most Cultured Cities- #3 Most Cultured Cities
- #2 Best Cities for Museums
- #3 Best Cities for Music Venues
- Go Banking Rates (July 2025):
Featured Nashville in Happy 4th! Here are the Most Affordable Cities That Celebrate America's Independence Best - AFAR (July 2025):
Named as one of 52 Places to Travel in the U.S. This Year
Nashville Music Recent Rankings & Recognition
- Pollstar (April 2026):
The Pinnacle in Nashville received the Concert Venue of the Year award
Nashville Attraction Recent Rankings & Recognition
- Condé Nast Traveler (April 2026):
Featured Parnassus Books among the Best Independent Bookstores in America - USA Today (April 2026):
Named Centennial Park as a 10Best City Park 2026 - USA Today (March 2026):
The list of the 10Best Botanical Gardens 2026 featured Cheekwood Estate & Gardens - Travel + Leisure (March 2026):
Lane Motor Museum ranked #3 out of the 8 Best Car Museums in the U.S. with Vintage Vehicles and Fascinating Exhibits - New York Times (September 2025):
Featured Centennial Park among the 6 Best Autumn Strolls in 6 Vibrant Cities
Nashville Hotels Recent Rankings & Recognition
- USA Today 10Best (April 2026):
SoundWaves at Gaylord Opryland Resort ranked #9 among the 10 Best Wave Pools at Water Parks Across the U.S. - Southern Living (March 2026):
- The Gilmore, an AvantStay Hotel, ranked #3 on The South's Best New Hotels 2026
- Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center claimed the #4 spot on The South's Best Resorts 2026
- Featured The Hermitage Hotel as one of The South's Best Classic Hotels 2026
- Forbes Travel Guide (February 2026):
Listed Nashville hotels on the Forbes Travel Guide's 2026 Star Award Winners- Recommended: 1 Hotel Nashville, Conrad Nashville, JW Marriott, The Hermitage Hotel, Southall Farm & Inn
- 4-Star: Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, The Joseph, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville
- The Independent (UK) (January 2026):
Named The Russell as one of America's most unusual hotels - Matador Network (January 2026):
Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel is featured as one of the 50 Most Exciting New Hotels of 2026 - Sunday Times (January 2026):
Featured Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel on the list of 25 Exciting Holidays in the U.S. in 2026 - Garden & Gun (December 2025):
Named as one of the Hot Southern Hotel Openings to Watch for in 2026 is Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel - The Sunday Times (December 2025):
Featured The Dive Motel in Nashville as an Upgraded Motel in America to Book - JustLuxe (October 2025):
Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel made the list of the 26 Most Anticipated Hotel Openings for 2026 in North America - Meetings TODAY (October 2025):
The Meetings TODAY Awards for the South's Best Hotels included:- JW Marriott Nashville
- Omni Nashville Hotel
- Michelin Guide (October 2025):
The MICHELIN Guide featured four Nashville hotels in the full list of the 2025 Key Hotels in the United States- 2 Keys: Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, The Hermitage Hotel
- 1 Key: 1 Hotel Nashville, Soho House Nashville
- Conde Nast Traveler (October 2025):
Four Nashville hotels are listed on The Best Hotels in the World: 2025 Readers' Choice Awards- Thompson Nashville
- Bobby Hotel - Nashville
- The Westin Nashville
- The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville
- Conde Nast Traveler (July 2025):
Featured in The Best Hotels in Nashville - Travel + Leisure (July 2025):
Readers named their 5 Favorite Hotels in Nashville of 2025:- #1 - The Joseph
- #2 - Thompson Nashville
- #3 - Grand Hyatt Nashville
- #4 -1 Hotel Nashville
- #5 - Omni Nashville Hotel
Nashville Restaurant & Bar's Recent Rankings & Recognition
- USA TODAY (July 2026):
The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club was selected among USA TODAY’s 38 Bars of the Year - Robb Report (June 2026):
Junior was selected as one of the 10 Best New Restaurants in America - Food & Wine (June 2026):
Cone-cept was selected as one of The 6 Coolest New Ice Cream Shops in America - Food Network (June 2026):
Edley’s Bar-B-Que ranked #6 among the Top 10 BBQ dishes in America - Tasting Table (May 2026):
D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe was included in The Absolute Best Bakery in Every State - TripAdvisor (May 2026):
The Nashville Food Tour ranked #1 among the Best of the Best Food & Drink Experiences in the U.S. - Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (April 2026):
Named White Limozeen on the list of the Best U.S. Hotel Bar - U.S. East - Southern Living (March 2026):
Two Nashville restaurants made the list of The South’s Most Legendary Restaurants 2026- The Bluebird Cafe
- The Loveless Cafe
- Southern Living (March 2026):
Featured Peg Leg Porker on The South's Best Barbecue Joint in Every Southern State 2026 - USA TODAY (February 2026):
Two Nashville restaurants were featured among USA Today's 2026 Restaurants of the Year.- Junior
- Maiz de la Vida
- Fodor's Travel (February 2026):
The Patterson House made the list of The 10 Best Burgers in the United States 2026 - Yelp (January 2026):
Four Nashville restaurants are named in the Top 100 Restaurants in America for 2026- Noko
- Degthai
- Monell's
- The Butter Milk Ranch
- TripAdvisor (January 2026):
Featured Nashville on the Traveller's Choice Awards' Best of the Best Food Destinations list - Infatuation (November 2025):
Named Sho Pizza Bar as one of the top places for Best New Pizza in America - Robb Report (November 2025):
Two local restaurants made the list of 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century- The Catbird Seat
- Locust
- OpenTable (November 2025):
Three Nashville restaurants are named in the Top 100 Restaurants in America for 2025- Noko
- Locust
- Kase x Noko
- USA Today 10 Best (October 2025):
Titans Press Box landed the #1 spot on the 10Best Airport Bars in the U.S. list - Food Network (October 2025):
Named Five Points Pizza as Tennessee's Best Pizza Slices by State - Yelp (October 2025):
Fonda on 12South made the list of Yelp’s Best New Restaurants of 2025 - USA Today (October 2025):
Named L.A. Jackson on the 10Best Readers' Choice Awards Best Hotel Bars in the US - USA Today (October 2025):
Nelson's Green Brier Distillery ranked #3 in the Top 10 Craft Distillery Tours in the U.S. - 50 Best (September 2025):
Locust is included on North America's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 - Wine Spectator (September 2025):
Named Bad Idea as one of the 11 Favorite Wine Bars in the Southern and Central U.S. - Southern Living (September 2025):
Peg Leg Porker made the list of the Top 50 BBQ Joints in the South Now - The Resy 100 (September 2025):
Two Nashville restaurants featured on The Resy 100: Restaurants Around the Country That Define Dining Today:- Fancypants
- Margot Cafe & Bar
- Food & Wine (September 2025):
Named Bill's Sandwich Palace on their list of 13 Must-Visit Sandwich Shops in the U.S. - TimeOut (September 2025):
Local bakery, D'Andrews Bakery, made the #7 spot on TimeOut's list of the 15 Best Bakeries in America. - Tripadvisor (September 2025):
Two Nashville restaurants ranked in five categories on TripAdvisor's list for Best of the Best Restaurants 2025- #1 - 1 Kitchen | Best of the Best Hidden Gem Restaurants in the US
- #2 - 1 Kitchen | Best of the Best Vegan Vegetarian restaurants in the US
- #4 - Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina Nashville | Best of the Best Fine Dining Restaurants in the US
- #5 - 1 Kitchen | Best of the Best Casual Dining in the US
- #8 - 1 Kitchen | Best of the Best Hidden Gem Restaurants in the World
- Food & Wine (September 2025):
Executive Chef Colby Rasavong, from Bad Idea, was honored as one of the 2025 Best New Chefs - Forbes (August 2025):
Uncle Nearest is named as the World's Best Tennessee Whiskey, according to the Beverage Testing Institute - Food & Wine (August 2025):
Included Bar Audrey as #2 on their list of Top Burger Spots in the US - Time Out (United States) (August 2025):
Named two Nashville Restaurants in the 10 Best Sushi Restaurants in America- #9 Kase x Noko
- #10 Sushi Bar
- OpenTable (August 2025):
Yolan is listed in The 2025 Top Hotel Restaurants Guide - Garden & Gun (August 2025):
Kisser included in G&G's Hot List: 30 New Restaurants to Try Now - The Times (Ireland) (July 2025):
Featured in 72 Hours in Nashville: The best bars and bites in Music City - USA Today (July 2025):
Robert's Western World was recognized as one of the Best 29 Bars in America in 2025 - Yelp (July 2025):
Named Monell's in the Top 50 Fried Chicken Spots - Chowhound (July 2025):
Included Barlines in The Most Famous Hotel Restaurant in Every State
Nashville Meetings Recent Rankings & Recognition
- Cvent (May 2026):
Ranked #3 on the list of Top 50 Meeting Destinations in North America - GoGather (January 2026):
Nashville landed the #6 spot on the list of Best Cities for Conferences in the U.S. - Meetings TODAY (October 2025):
Best of Meetings TODAY Awards listed the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp as one of the South's Best CVBs/DMOs
Developments & Renovations
Stay informed with the latest updates on hotel, attraction, venue, and facility renovations and developments throughout Nashville.
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Research & Hospitality Stats
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Nashville Statistics & Facts
Discover a comprehensive collection of statistics, facts, figures, and valuable insights about the city of Nashville. Our resource offers detailed data on Nashville's economy, tourism, demographics, growth trends, and more, helping you gain a deeper understanding of what makes Music City unique. Whether you’re a journalist, researcher, or simply curious about the city's development, this is your go-to hub for all things Nashville.
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