Photo: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Vincent Needham / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)The Nations
Nashville's fastest-growing neighborhood, anchored by 51st Avenue's nine-block strip of breweries, restaurants, and boutiques. A former working-class industrial pocket of west Nashville, it's still one of the more affordable close-in neighborhoods — and one of the easiest to spend an afternoon brewery-hopping on foot.
The Nations was a quiet, working-class industrial pocket of west Nashville for most of its history, and the transformation of the last decade has been fast even by Nashville standards. The commercial engine is 51st Avenue North, a nine-block stretch between Charlotte Avenue and Centennial Boulevard that's gone from auto shops and warehouses to one of the most walkable little restaurant-and-retail strips in the city, lined with locally owned boutiques rather than chains.
Breweries are what actually define a visit here. Fat Bottom Brewing runs a full taproom, restaurant, and beer garden with cornhole for locals and out-of-towners alike; Bearded Iris has a second, more intimate taproom tucked into the Sylvan Supply development pouring small-batch and experimental beers alongside their Germantown flagship favorites; and Southern Grist operates a Nations taproom as a counterpart to its East Nashville original. On the food side, Bare Bones Butcher does locally sourced meat sandwiches worth planning lunch around (though it closes at 6pm), and 51st Deli covers breakfast burritos, bagel sandwiches, and street tacos for a longtime neighborhood crowd.
What makes The Nations worth a special trip, rather than just a neighborhood to drive through, is that it's still genuinely affordable to eat and drink in relative to the trendier close-in neighborhoods — it's what Germantown or 12 South looked like a decade or two back, still figuring out what it's going to become, but with enough breweries already open that an afternoon here doesn't feel like getting there too early.
Highlights
- —51st Avenue North is a nine-block walkable strip of breweries, restaurants, and boutiques
- —Fat Bottom Brewing has a full taproom, restaurant, and beer garden with cornhole
- —Bearded Iris's second taproom sits inside the Sylvan Supply development
- —Bare Bones Butcher is a neighborhood favorite for locally sourced sandwiches — closes at 6pm
- —Formerly an industrial, working-class pocket of west Nashville, still relatively affordable
Insider tip
Fat Bottom's beer garden fills up fast on weekend afternoons — go early or plan to brewery-hop down 51st Avenue instead of waiting for a table.
Address
The Nations, Nashville, TN