Nashville, Nashville, Nashville. Where do I start? As the Land of Hot Chicken and the trendy town where Southern sounds take the airwaves, it seems like lately everyone was making their way to Music City. And why wouldn’t they? There is so much to do! There are literally bloggers dedicated to covering the city and all its happenings, like my friend Matt at ExperienceNash. But recently, it seems like the (Country) music capital is making a colorful name for itself with its public art. Tim and I spent some time exploring the best murals in Nashville earlier this year when we were in town for brunch with some awesome Nash-based bloggers.
NASHVILLE MURALS: THE BEST OF MUSIC CITY’S STREET ART
With a limited amount of time we could spend exploring, I made a list of all the murals I wanted to see and photograph. Lucky of us on our way to some of them we discovered new ones! I’ve made a list of some of the best murals in Nashville so you can save some time on the planning end. They are divided by neighborhood, too, for easy finding!
12 South
12South is highly walk-able, filled with murals tucked behind buildings and on pretty much every corner. You can park the car and start exploring this cute neighborhood. When it comes to the best murals in Nashville, 12South is home to a lot of my favorites!
Nashville at Heart rainbow mural (artists: Eastside Murals); 2705 12th Ave. S
Draper James wall (artist: unknown); 2608 12th Ave. S
assorted flowers mural (artist: unknown); 2900 12th Ave. S (Green Pea Salon)
Make Music Not War mural (artist: Relax Max); 2902 12th Ave. S (the side of Epice, across from Green Pea Salon)
I Heart Donuts; Five Daughters Bakery 12South
Charlotte + Sylvan Park
To get to many of the murals along Charlotte Avenue, it is best to park near AVO and cross the street. If you have someone taking photos (#IGHusbands, FTW) have them on the other side of the road.
AVO mural (artist: unknown); 3 City Ave.
Take Flight mural (artist: Kevin Bongang/OFF the Wall Nashville); Charlotte Avenue at 28th Avenue North
Fly Higher mural (artist: Joseph “Sentrock” Perez/OFF the Wall Nashville);Charlotte Avenue at 28th Avenue North
Import Flowers Nashville mural (artist: Mark Palen); 3636 Murphy Rd.
East Nashville
East Nashville is a mural chasers dream come true! It is brimming with street art everywhere you look, you’ll see pops of color ready to be discovered.
Color Block Nashville mural (artist: Adrien Saporiti/DCXV Industries); Center 615 at 625 Main St.
POP Nashville mural (artist: Troy Duff); 604 Gallatin Ave
German Town
German Town is a part of Nashville that we found surprising walk-able. We park the car near Steadfast Coffee (per the suggestion of my friend Kristin Luna of Camels and Chocolate) and hit up these beauties by foot, camera in hand.
Floral swoons~ This is one of my favorite murals in Nashville! You’ll find it on the side of the Juice Bar Germantown.
“Kindness Is” by by Rebekah Rinehart and Sarah Gail Nelson; 1120 4th Avenue North #101
Whale Waves mural (private commission by Eastside Murals); 5th Avenue North and Monroe Street
Germantown (artist: unknown) 708 Monroe St Nashville TN, United States
Rolf & Daughters wall (artist: Shantell Martin); 700 Taylor St. at 7th Avenue North
The Gulch
The Gulch gives you wings! You know what I am talking about, don’t lie. You’ve seen the black and white wings all over your social news feed. We all have. But there a number of other bright walls worth looking for not too far from Kelsey’s famous wings.
Nashville What Lifts You mural (artist: Kelsey Montague); 11th Avenue South (near Biscuit Love/behind Taziki’s)
The Nashville Walls Project (artists: Ian Ross, Jason Woodside); 11th Avenue South and Laurel Street
12th and Porter mural (artist: Kim Kennedy); 114 12th Ave. N
Welcome to Nashville (artist: Dean Tomasek, Anthony Billups); 1504 Demonbreun St
Rainbow Geometric; 610 Magazine St
Grey Goddess; 610 Magazine St
https://circawanderlust.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/204D4017-7F63-4CE6-B1D4-5FB083B03207.mov
Acoustic Skyline; 1004 Division St, Nashville, TN 37203
Hillsboro Village
Hillsboro Village is another one of those easily walked neighborhoods. Parking can be a challenge, as we learned first hand, due to its proximity to Vanderbilt’s campus.
Hillsboro Village dragon mural (artists: David Glick, Adam Randolph); 2102 Belcourt Ave., across from the Belcourt Theatre and Pangaea
Jefferson Street Corridor
Near the Tennessee State University campus, beneath the I-40 underpass there are a number of Civil Rights themed walls for those (like me) who have a penchant for history.
Green Fleet Bicycle Shop mural (artist: Dough Joe/Yusef Hubb); 934 Jefferson St.
Marathon Village
Marathon Village is of the places where you will find the iconic “I Believe in Nashville” mural. While you can also find the mural in Riverside Village and 12South, this location is usually less crowded and close to Nelson’s Green Brier and Corsair distilleries.
I Believe in Nashville murals (artist: Adrien Saporiti/DCXV Industries); Clinton Street, 625 Main St. and 2702 12th Ave. S
Music Row + Midtown
When we visited Nashville, we stayed in Music Row. This area isn’t filled with murals but it has a handful. And what it doesn’t have in murals it makes up for in studios and local history.
dueling guitars (artist: Mike Shine); 24 Music Square West, across the street from Historic RCA Studio B
The Nations
The Nations is one of Nashville’s up and coming neighborhood and is also home to the 160-foot mural that made headlines. There are a number of trendy shops and places to explore so even if you run out of murals, you won’t run out of things to explore.
Lee Estes (artist: Guido van Helten); 1407 51st Ave. N
Village Postcards (artist:Eastside Murals); 4717 Centennial Blvd, Suite B
These are just a fraction of Mussic City’s murals! And yes, I am already working on the next Music City Murals post, so stay tuned! In the mean time? Here is a sneak peak of some other murals in town.
