Nashville's 5 Best Shopping Neighborhoods, According To Reviews

Nashville is a bucket list destination for music lovers, but it's also becoming famous for another aspect of tourism: shopping. While the city doesn't have designated shopping areas, some neighborhoods are known for their pleasant shopping experiences.

The area features an eclectic mix of independent, niche stores, large malls with luxury brands, and locally beloved classics. Some stores specialize in gifts and memorabilia, others are considered staples in the home and decor department, and many offer unique styles and fabrics for the fashion-conscious tourist. While Nashville may not have a reputation as a shopping destination like Paris or Tokyo, the city's reality differs from its image. There are stores and neighborhoods to suit all tastes and price points, from luxury shopping at Green Hills to more laid-back browsing at 12 South. It's also a great place to find some hidden gems, with many themed stores specializing in custom work or vintage items.

While Nashville has shopping districts sprinkled across the city, we've prioritized the ones that are highly rated on social media and forums, walkable, accessible by public transportation, and centrally located. If you're interested in sampling some Nashville souvenirs, use this list to guide your shopping expedition. We've got everything in here — luxury brands, local businesses, and some of Nashville's most iconic shopping neighborhoods.

12 South is one of Nashville's top shopping districts, located just 3 miles south of downtown. While it isn't the largest shopping area in the city, its small size only adds to its charm. It sits right next to Belmont University and is "more authentic to what and who Nashville really is," according to a review on TripAdvisor. It's best known for its cute shops and for providing a relaxed, laid-back shopping experience.

White's Mercantile is one of the most well-known shops in the district. It's basically a general store that offers a bit of everything, from clothes and decor to household items and toys. But 12 South's real specialty is fashion and jewelry. The neighborhood has classic Southern styles available — like Draper James (Reese Witherspoon's brand) — and high-end stores like Imogene + Willie,  a boutique that creates all items domestically and offers high-quality, unique denim pieces. For women's fashion, check out Grace Loves Lace, a bridal store specializing in sustainably created gowns, or Alice and Olivia, a New York-based brand helmed by designer Stacey Bendet. Another favorite is LoveShackFancy, a store specializing in ultra-girly pieces, ideal for those who love pink, lace, and frills. Complete your wardrobe with jewelry from Judith Bright, a store that collaborates with its customers to create custom artisanal pieces.

After enjoying a leisurely walk filled with browsing, you can relax at Sevier Park on the southern end of the neighborhood or enjoy a cup of coffee at the 12 South location of Frothy Monkey, one of Nashville's local favorite all-day cafe chains. The cafe features a range of specialty coffees and an all-day breakfast menu, and has been voted Nashville's best coffee shop on multiple occasions.

Downtown Nashville is home to a variety of stores catering to different interests. It's also one of the stops on this top-rated, artsy "Instagram Tour" of Tennessee. While there are too many stores in Downtown Nashville to mention here, we'll focus on two small neighborhoods in the area — The Gulch and SoBro (South of Broadway).

SoBro is famously one of the most modern neighborhoods in Nashville, featuring several live music venues, restaurants, and stores. Music lovers can find records and merchandise at the gift shops of the famous Johnny Cash Museum or the Country Music Hall of Fame. If you want to take home a souvenir of your trip, the perfect place to get one is the Hatch Show Print, a Nashville classic established in 1879 that sells letterpress posters and offers a tour that everyone must see, according to reviewers on Yelp. 

Right next to SoBro lies The Gulch, an old industrial area that has since been revived as a shopping district. The Gulch has many well-known brands like Lululemon and Urban Outfitters, but its charm is in the smaller, local stores. One must-see in The Gulch for music lovers is Carter Vintage Guitar Shop, which carries — you guessed it — vintage guitars and other classic instruments. The store is a destination for music lovers, both amateur and professional, and has had a number of celebrity customers, including Hozier and Keith Urban.

Finish the day in the area with artisanal coffee at Crema Coffee Roasters in downtown Nashville, known for its sleek Scandinavian interior and high-quality coffee. Or, enjoy a meal at Cafe Intermezzo, a serene European-style coffeehouse with exceptional reviews from customers.

Hillsboro Village is a walkable college neighborhood located between Vanderbilt University and Belmont University that generally caters to a younger crowd. Like 12 South, Hillsboro Village is known for providing a more relaxed shopping experience, with many people getting in a leisurely walk while they browse through its many stores.

One of the most renowned shops in the area is Posh Boutique, a high-end store for men and women that carries sleek, modern, and stylish clothes. While most items in their catalogue are quite expensive, the store also has discounted items at a much more reasonable price. As one reviewer on TripAdvisor said, "A lot of the items were waaaaay above any budget that we 'should' have...but the Sale prices were great!" For those who love designer items but don't quite love the designer prices, check out United Apparel Liquidators (UAL), which sells select items at a 70% to 90% discount. You can also grab some gifts and decor items from Hester and Cook, a store supplying everything from home furnishings to stationery and office supplies.

As a college neighborhood, Hillsboro Village has its fair share of restaurants and cafes. One place you have to see while you're in the area is Pancake Pantry, a bakery and cafe in Hillsboro Village. It's known for its mouth-watering pancakes and celebrity clientele, with stars like Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds, and Nicole Kidman popping in for breakfast. Or, you can head over to nearby Midtown for an elegant meal at Dolly Parton's bar, the White Limozeen. You can also take a tour of the historic Belmont Mansion, a 20,000-square-foot home that gives you a peek into the lives of the rich in the Antebellum South.

While areas like downtown Nashville and 12 South have long been some of the backbones of Nashville shopping, there are some new areas entering the game. One of these newer shopping districts is Fatherland in East Nashville, particularly the mini-boutique mall known as the Shoppes on Fatherland. This shopping mall has several independently owned local businesses laid out on one walkable street, making it easy to spin through quickly.

On a Reddit post asking for shopping recommendations in Nashville, The Shoppes on Fatherland was the most upvoted comment, as the neighborhood has gained a reputation for its cute and unique local shops. Its specialty is gifts and memorabilia. Several stores along the street specialize in niche gift items or antique collectibles. According to Nashville Grapevine, the best store in the area is Rusty Rats Antique & Vintage. This store doesn't just sell antiques, but also uses them to create custom, modern items, like flowers made out of old vinyl records or cup sleeves made from old firehose material. As they claim on their Facebook page, they "AREN'T your normal kind of antique store." You can also check out Artifct, a store specializing in old cameras and film equipment, or head over to West Eastland to browse through the collection at the Bookshop, one of Nashville's most famous local bookstores.

East Nashville is also famous for its restaurants, bakeries, and cafes. If you're in the mood for some interesting flavors, check out Donut Distillery. As the name suggests, this donut shop has a range of alcohol-flavored donuts and cocktail pairings, along with the regular selection of treats, too. For a heavy, satisfying meal, try out some delicious Peruvian food at the Limo Peruvian Eatery, rated 4.8 on Yelp and known for its flavorful food and generous portions.

While Nashville has plenty of small, indie stores, it's also a hub for luxury shopping. One of the most affluent suburban neighborhoods in Nashville is Green Hills. Catering to its rich clientele, Green Hills has made a name for itself as a must-see destination for high-end shopping.

One of the most notable stops in the area is The Mall at Green Hills, which carries well-known brands like Apple, Nordstrom, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and more. It's a convenient place to shop for designer items, with more than 125 stores under one roof and over 55 of those exclusive to Nashville. If you're looking for several high-end stores in one place, The Mall at Green Hills is the perfect shopping spot. According to one reviewer on TripAdvisor, this was "simply the best" mall they've ever visited. If you're looking for a more boutique experience, Hill Center nearby has more local brands like Posh and H. Audrey, both of which specialize in high-end women's clothing.

If you're spent from your shopping spree at Green Hills, you won't have to go far to grab a bite to eat, as The Mall at Green Hills also has several eateries. Grab a quick bite at the Cheesecake Factory or celebrate in style with a glass of wine at RH Courtyard Restaurant, helmed by celebrated restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff.

To curate this list, we combed through online reviews of each district. We looked through review websites like Yelp and TripAdvisor, local blogs, magazine reviews, and discussions on social media and online forums. After that, we put together a list of the most commonly mentioned neighborhoods and prioritized the ones that were walkable, accessible through public transport, and centrally located. We also factored in neighborhoods that had a more all-inclusive experience, with restaurants, cafes, and other attractions.

Customer satisfaction was the main criterion when creating this list. Neighborhoods that had a lot of positive traction online and in local groups placed higher on the list, while those that were more niche or catered only to a limited clientele were placed lower. Because this list is meant to highlight Nashville shopping districts, we also prioritized neighborhoods with more local brands and indie stores, popular among people living in Nashville.