Honky Tonk Crawl or Go on Your Own? Nashville 2026

Booking choice: The VIP bar crawl, from $59 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

Broadway has no velvet rope at most doors, so a crawl is not about getting in. It is about what happens between the doors: where to go, who plays there, why the street matters and how not to spend an hour in a line.

Costs below use the prices on each listing and the bar-side figures from local guides. Drinks and tips sit on top almost everywhere.

The quick answer

On your own you pay for drinks and tips only. The walking crawl at $31, the guided pub crawl at $29 and the VIP crawl at $59 add a guide and a route. Only the VIP crawl includes the cover and skips the line.

A busy Nashville street at night with crowds of people on the pavement and bright shop signs — The crowd on the strip on a busy night.

Is a honky tonk crawl worth it?

Worth it for a first visit, a solo trip or a Saturday night. Not worth it if you already know the street and enjoy choosing your own bars.

The pitch is simple: a guide leads you into four or five places in about three hours, with the history in between. The walking crawl adds a comedian as the guide and has guests reporting about half an hour in each bar. You still pay for your own drinks.

A view from above of a crowded bar floor with a stage, screens and guests holding up phones — A busy bar floor seen from the upper level.

How much does it cost compared with going alone?

Going alone costs whatever you order. A crawl adds a fixed fee of $29 to $59, and only the VIP version covers the cover.

Bars are usually $5 to $10 a drink, with tips on top. The table sets the options against each other.

Option	Fixed price	Cover	What you get	Drinks
Your own night	None	Usually none	Your own route	$5 to $10 each
The guided pub crawl	$29	Not stated	5 stops, games, drink specials, 2.5 hours	Extra
The walking crawl	$31	Not stated	4 or 5 bars, comedian guide, 3 hours	Extra
The VIP bar crawl	$59	Included	4 stops, line skipped, 3 hours	Several shots included, rest extra

The one crawl that pays the cover and skips the line, for the nights when queues form.

Check dates for the VIP bar crawl

Do you wait in line on a Saturday night?

At the big bars, often. On a headliner night the door line can be the longest part of your evening.

The nashvegas.com guide says headliner nights and rooftop or VIP sections are where covers appear, and those are the doors with queues. The VIP bar crawl lists skip-the-line entry at each of its four stops with the cover charges included in the price.

A group of people posing for a photo together in a narrow alley strung with warm lights — A group photo in a string-lit alley.

What does a guide add that a map does not?

The order of the stops, the stories and the spots a first-timer would walk past.

The listing for the walking crawl says some stops are quieter than Broadway, which is the point of a route chosen by someone local. Music history comes between the bars, so you learn why the strip looks the way it does while you walk it.

Is a crawl better if you are travelling alone?

Often, yes. A group of strangers with a host takes the awkwardness out of walking into a bar by yourself.

Honky tonks are friendly to solo guests, since the stage is the focus. A crawl adds people to talk to and a plan for the evening. Safety in numbers is a bonus when you are in an unfamiliar city after dark.

A crowded bar under purple and red lights with a lit sign above the bar and guests on stools — A packed bar under coloured lights.

Which crawl matches which kind of night?

Pick on price and pace: the pub crawl for games, the walking crawl for comedy and history, the VIP crawl for a busy weekend.

The walking crawl for the comedian and the story of the strip.
The guided pub crawl for five stops, drink specials and a team game over 2.5 hours.
The VIP bar crawl for cover, queue and shots handled.

Five stops, drink specials and a team game, at the lowest price on the list.

★ 4.7 734 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $29

Explore the guided pub crawl

When should you skip a tour?

When the bars are quiet, when you want one bar all night or when your plan is the Ryman and a daytime wander.

A weekday afternoon needs no guide and no queue. If you are coming for one famous bar, go there. The best time guide covers when the street is easiest to do alone.

An acoustic guitar and a pair of cowboy boots leaning against a brick wall on a wet pavement at night — A guitar and boots against a brick wall.

What can go wrong with a crawl?

A fixed pace, a fixed group and drinks that still cost extra.

Half an hour a bar can feel quick if a band grabs you. Not every listing includes a drink, and none of them include tips. Read the inclusions line before you pay and keep some cash for the band.