Springwater Supper Club on 27th Avenue by Centennial Park in Nashville is Tennessee's oldest bar, on this site since 1896, with cheap beer, free live music and pool.
Tip: Cash only, beer only, 21+. Open Wed to Sun from noon; live music starts most nights at 21:00 with no cover.
Address: 115 27th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37203
Mickey's Tavern on Gallatin Pike in East Nashville is the non-smoking dive with pool, darts, foosball, a strong jukebox and a back deck open until 03:00.
Tip: Mon-Fri 14:00 to 03:00, Sat-Sun noon. Cash and card; the back patio is the secret seat on summer weekends.
Brown's Diner on Blair Boulevard in Nashville is the trolley car pouring cheap beer with cheeseburgers since 1927, the city's oldest diner and dive in one room.
Tip: Cash and card both work. Cheeseburger and a tall PBR runs under $15; jukebox is the soundtrack, no cover any night.
Pearl Diver on Gallatin Avenue in East Nashville is the tiki bar with sea-foam booths, palm wallpaper and a cabana patio, tropical drinks until 02:00 weekends.
Tip: Walk-in only, no reservations. Fri-Sat open until 02:00; the patio cabana booths are the first to fill on summer weekends.
Honky Tonk Central at 4th and Broadway in Nashville is the three-floor honky-tonk that holds 840 dancing bodies under live country bands every night.
Tip: Open 11:00 to 03:00 daily, 10:00 open on Friday and Saturday. No cover, kitchen runs until 22:00.
AJ's Good Time Bar on Lower Broadway in Nashville is Alan Jackson's three-floor honky-tonk, with country bands on each level and a rooftop overlooking the strip.
Tip: Live music starts at 10:00 daily and runs until last call at 03:00. The rooftop opens later and is the easier dance floor on Saturdays.
Whiskey Bent Saloon on Lower Broadway in Nashville pairs country dance bands with a deep bourbon list, two stages running back-to-back acts all night.
Tip: No cover and free entry until close. Bourbon flights are the move; cash and card both work at the saloon-style front bar.