Nashville Best Of 2026 · Best Neighborhood
East Nashville
Victorian homes and Craftsman bungalows, colorful murals, local music, and some of the city’s best food and drink, all just across the river from downtown. Creative, independent, and endlessly resilient, East Nashville is our pick for the best neighborhood in Nashville.
The Verdict
Why East Nashville Earns the Title
Every Nashville neighborhood has its charms, but none captures the city’s creative, independent spirit quite like East Nashville. Just across the Cumberland River from downtown, its tree-lined streets are filled with Victorian homes, Craftsman bungalows, colorful murals, and locally owned shops, bars, and restaurants. It’s where many of Nashville’s musicians, artists, and chefs live, work, and hang out.
It’s also home to a remarkable number of Nashville Best Of winners. Within a few miles you’ll find Noko, our pick for best Asian restaurant; Dino’s, our late-night champion; the rock club The Basement East; the robot-fueled tiki bar Chopper; and the wild riverfront trails of Shelby Bottoms. Spend a day here and you’ll see why so many Nashvillians wouldn’t live anywhere else.
Minutes
Across the River from Downtown
5+
Nashville Best Of Winners Nearby
1800s
Roots as Historic Edgefield
August
The Annual Tomato Art Fest
Things to Do
A Perfect Day on the East Side
Eat, drink, stroll, and listen your way through Nashville’s most creative neighborhood.
Explore Five Points
The neighborhood’s walkable hub, where Woodland and 11th Streets meet. Grab a slice from Five Points Pizza’s walk-up window, catch a local act at The 5 Spot, or see a show at The Basement East.
Historic Homes & Green Space
Stroll past the Victorian and Craftsman homes of Historic Edgefield and Lockeland Springs, then head to Shelby Park and Shelby Bottoms for river views and miles of trails.
The Story
The Comeback Neighborhood
East Nashville began as Edgefield, a leafy village across the river that became one of Nashville’s most exclusive suburbs in the 1800s, its streets lined with grand Italianate and Queen Anne homes. It joined the city in the 1880s, but the Great Fire of 1916 and a tornado in 1933 destroyed many of its landmarks, and the area struggled for decades.
Beginning in the 1970s and ’80s, urban pioneers moved in to restore the old homes. When a tornado tore through Five Points in 1998, the community rebuilt stronger, sparking the creative boom that made East Nashville famous. After another tornado struck in March 2020, neighbors rallied once again, and today that resilience is as much a part of the neighborhood’s identity as its music.
“East Nashville has been knocked down more than once. Every time, it has come back even more itself.”
Nashville Best Of Editors
Plan Your Visit
Exploring East Nashville
East Nashville sits just across the Cumberland River from downtown. Start in Five Points, then explore outward on foot, by bike, or by car.
Getting There
Cross the river from downtown by car or rideshare, or walk the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge to the East Bank for a scenic start to your day.
Where to Start
Five Points, where Woodland and 11th Streets meet, is the center of it all. Street parking is available but fills up fast on weekend nights, so rideshare is often easier.
Don’t Miss
Every August, Five Points hosts the Tomato Art Fest, a gloriously quirky celebration of the humble tomato with art, live music, vendors, and a costume parade. It’s East Nashville at its most East Nashville.
Cross the River
Spend a day in East Nashville, and you’ll see Music City from a whole new side.