Bars in Printers Alley: The Complete Nashville Guide
- Chase Gillmore
- May 31
- 12 min read
Printers Alley is a historic Nashville nightlife district dating to the 1940s, just 5 to 8 minutes on foot from Lower Broadway.
Current bars include Skull's Rainbow Room, Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar, Alley Taps, Lonnie's Western Room, Fleet Street Pub, and Ms. Kelli's Karaoke Bar.
Live music starts as early as 6:00 PM nightly at Alley Taps, making the alley a solid early-evening stop before Broadway crowds peak.
The alley's atmosphere is distinctly more intimate and historically layered than Lower Broadway's large-scale tourist venues.
Nashville welcomed 17 million visitors in 2026 according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp, and Printers Alley remains one of the city's most distinctive nightlife corridors.
Most Nashville itineraries skip Printers Alley entirely, defaulting to Broadway's neon strip. That is a mistake. The alley predates Broadway's current honky-tonk era by decades, and in 2026 it still delivers the kind of intimate, slightly gritty Nashville nightlife experience that the bigger venues have traded away for square footage and bottle service. This guide covers every bar currently operating in the alley, what each one is actually like, and how to work Printers Alley into a Nashville night out without the crowds of Lower Broadway.
What bars are in Printers Alley in Nashville?
Printers Alley in Nashville is home to roughly six to seven active bars and entertainment venues as of 2026, concentrated into a single city block between 3rd and 4th Avenue North. The current lineup covers live blues, emerging country, jazz and fine dining, karaoke, British pub-style drinking, and one Las Vegas-style nightclub that operates on select nights. Here is what each venue actually offers.
What is Skull's Rainbow Room and why does everyone talk about it?
Skull's Rainbow Room is the anchor venue of Printers Alley and the one Nashville visitors mention most often when describing the alley's character. It operates as a fine dining restaurant and jazz club combined, with craft cocktails, live jazz performances, and a burlesque-influenced show format that sets it apart from every other venue in the corridor.
The room carries a deliberately theatrical quality. Low lighting, vintage decor, and table service make it feel closer to a New Orleans supper club than a Nashville bar. If you want to sit down, eat well, and watch a proper jazz performance without shouting over a house DJ, Skull's Rainbow Room is the correct call. But go in knowing this is a reservation-driven experience, not a drop-in bar. Walk-ins on a weekend night are unlikely to get a good table.
The cocktail menu leans toward classics done carefully. The space is small enough that every seat has a reasonable sightline to the stage. It is the kind of place Nashville regulars bring out-of-town guests who have already done Broadway and want something that feels genuinely different.
What should you know about Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar?
Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar is a live music club in Printers Alley modeled on the Mardi Gras energy of New Orleans' French Quarter. The venue runs live blues seven nights a week, which is a real commitment in a city where most venues go DJ-only after a certain hour. The setting leans into the Cajun and Creole theme with appropriately loud decor and a bar menu that includes Louisiana-style food alongside the standard Nashville offerings.
The crowd here runs slightly older than the Broadway strip and more blues-literate. If you walk in expecting country music, you will be surprised. The acts range from capable regional blues bands to the occasional nationally recognized touring act passing through Nashville. It is worth checking the schedule before you go, because the talent level varies significantly night to night.
One practical note: the venue gets louder as the night progresses and the dance floor fills. If you want to actually hear the band and have a conversation between songs, arrive early and claim a spot toward the back bar rather than pressing toward the stage.
What makes Alley Taps worth your time?
Alley Taps is the best option in Printers Alley for discovering country music at an early stage. The venue specifically positions itself around emerging country artists, with live music starting at 6:00 PM every night of the week. That early start time is genuinely useful: you can catch a full set before the rest of the alley gets busy and before Broadway hits peak chaos.
The food menu covers traditional bar fare, and the draft beer and wine selection is straightforward. This is not a cocktail-forward bar, so adjust expectations accordingly. What Alley Taps does well is volume of live music: if you visit on a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in a single trip, you will likely hear three different acts at three very different career stages. Some of them will be forgettable. Occasionally one will be exceptional.
For bachelorette groups coming through Nashville, Alley Taps works well as a 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM stop before moving deeper into the night. The earlier hour means shorter lines, easier seating, and lower drink prices than the weekend-night peak. Check our guide to Nashville live music venues beyond Broadway for a broader look at where the city's best emerging artists actually play.
What is Lonnie's Western Room?
Lonnie's Western Room is the oldest bar in Printers Alley with a documented operating history. Open on Church Street adjacent to the alley since 1989, Lonnie's operates as a dive bar with karaoke as its main draw. The vibe is unpretentious, the drinks are inexpensive by Nashville standards, and the karaoke crowd ranges from nervous first-timers to regulars who clearly treat this as a weekly ritual.
If your group includes people who are not particularly interested in live music but love karaoke, Lonnie's is the correct stop. Skip it if you want a polished cocktail experience. But for a late-night dive bar with genuine Nashville character and zero pretension, Lonnie's has outlasted dozens of trendier venues around it for a reason.
What other venues fill out the alley?
Fleet Street Pub operates as a British-style bar in the alley, with a different crowd than the country and blues venues surrounding it. Think soccer on the screens and a more pub-crawl-friendly atmosphere. Ms. Kelli's Karaoke Bar offers a second karaoke option with a slightly different format than Lonnie's, generally drawing a younger crowd. Dirty Little Secret, described as a Las Vegas-style nightclub, runs on Friday and Saturday nights and focuses on DJ performances and dancing rather than live music. It is the highest-energy option in the alley and the most different from the historic character Printers Alley is known for.
What is the famous row of bars in Nashville?
Lower Broadway is the most famous bar row in Nashville, stretching along Broadway between 1st and 5th Avenue with multi-floor honky-tonks, live country music on every level, and a pedestrian-friendly layout that makes it easy to move between venues. But Printers Alley is Nashville's original nightlife district and predates Broadway's current entertainment corridor by decades.
The two areas serve fundamentally different purposes. Broadway is Nashville's front porch: loud, visible, built for first-time visitors and tourists who want to experience country music in a high-energy setting. Think venues like Honky Tonk Central and the surrounding strip, where four floors of live bands operate simultaneously. Printers Alley is the back room: historical, compact, and better suited to people who want a bar experience that does not feel engineered for group photos.
The practical difference shows up in scale. A single Broadway venue can hold several hundred people across multiple floors. The largest bar in Printers Alley seats a fraction of that. The alley is also physically darker and narrower, which creates a different social dynamic. Conversations happen more easily. The music feels closer. You are more likely to end up talking to the person next to you at the bar.
For visitors who have already experienced Broadway and want to understand why Nashville's nightlife reputation runs deeper than neon signs and boot scootin' tourists, Printers Alley is the logical next stop. The rooftop bars in Nashville offer a third option entirely: elevated views, craft cocktails, and a more upscale crowd. Each of the three serves a genuinely different night out.
How do I get into the Hidden Bar in Nashville?
Nashville has several "hidden bar" or speakeasy-style venues that require knowing the right approach to enter. The most commonly referenced hidden bar experience in Nashville involves Red Phone Booth, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar accessible through a phone booth entrance concept. Guests typically need a reservation and a specific code to enter, which has historically been available through concierge services or, as noted by Underwood Manor guests in their reviews, through the host's local recommendations.
Printers Alley itself carries a speakeasy quality in the general sense: the alley is easy to miss if you do not know it is there, and first-time visitors to Nashville sometimes walk past the entrance without realizing what is inside. This is part of its appeal. Unlike Broadway, which announces itself from two blocks away with sound and signage, the alley requires a small amount of intentionality to find and use.
If you are specifically searching for the Red Phone Booth experience, the standard approach in 2026 involves calling ahead or booking through their reservation system. Walk-ins are generally not accommodated, and the dress code leans toward smart casual. The cocktail program is serious and the pours are priced accordingly. It is not a casual stop, but it is a genuinely different Nashville experience from anything on Broadway or in the alley itself.
Guests staying at Underwood Manor, which sits roughly 7 minutes from downtown by rideshare, have noted that the host has provided access codes for the Red Phone Booth as part of the property's local recommendations, so asking your vacation rental host is a reliable shortcut regardless of which venue you are targeting.
Where does Morgan Wallen hang out in Nashville?
Morgan Wallen's Nashville hangout spots are a frequent search query from fans visiting the city, and the honest answer is that any specific venue changes regularly and cannot be confirmed as current without live reporting. What can be said with confidence is that Wallen's most public Nashville connections center on Broadway and the surrounding honky-tonk district: he co-owns Casa Rosa on Lower Broadway, a multi-floor honky-tonk that opened in 2022 and bears his personal branding across multiple levels of the building.
Casa Rosa is the most reliable Morgan Wallen-adjacent experience a Nashville visitor can plan around. The venue operates like a standard Broadway honky-tonk in format, with live music across floors and a bar program built for high volume. Whether Wallen himself is present on a given night is unpredictable, but the venue reflects his aesthetic and draws fans specifically because of the connection.
Beyond Casa Rosa, artists at Wallen's career level in Nashville tend to frequent venues in the Gulch corridor and private clubs rather than public bars. Printers Alley is more closely associated with Nashville's music industry history than its current star circuit. The alley was the stomping ground for a generation of artists who built Nashville's reputation in the 1940s through 1970s, not the current wave of country pop stars. If your goal is proximity to current Nashville artists, the Gulch's cocktail bars and the more upscale sections of Midtown are more likely territory.
How should you plan a Printers Alley bar crawl in 2026?
A well-structured Printers Alley bar crawl starts earlier than most Nashville visitors expect. Arriving at 6:00 PM to catch the first set at Alley Taps, before moving to Skull's Rainbow Room for dinner and the jazz show, then finishing the night at Bourbon Street Blues or Lonnie's Western Room gives you a full three-stop progression without hitting any venue at its most crowded and expensive moment.
Here is how to sequence it practically:
6:00 PM: Alley Taps. Grab a drink and catch the opening live music set. Food here is bar-standard, so eat beforehand or at your next stop. This is the low-pressure, low-cost way to ease into the alley before the night gets busy.
7:30 PM: Skull's Rainbow Room. This requires an advance reservation. Book before your trip, not the day of. Order the cocktails, eat dinner, and stay for at least part of the jazz performance. Plan to spend 90 minutes here minimum.
9:30 PM: Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. By this point the live blues are in full swing and the alley is at its most energetic. Check the schedule ahead of time to see who is playing. Some nights the act is genuinely worth staying for.
11:00 PM onwards: Lonnie's or Ms. Kelli's for karaoke, or Dirty Little Secret for dancing. This is where the night ends depending on your group's energy. Lonnie's is the right call if you want to stay loose and cheap. Dirty Little Secret on a Friday or Saturday takes the energy up considerably.
A few practical notes that most Nashville guides skip entirely: Printers Alley is a physically narrow space, and on busy Saturday nights the alley corridor itself gets crowded enough to slow movement between venues. If mobility is a concern, earlier arrival matters. Rideshare pickup from the alley area is best done on Church Street or 3rd Avenue North rather than trying to hail from inside the alley itself, where the narrow layout delays drivers.
For groups using a Nashville vacation rental as a home base, the distance to Printers Alley varies by property. The Luxe Cowgirl 538, a western-themed 2-bedroom apartment 4 minutes' walk from Broadway, puts you within comfortable walking distance of both Printers Alley and the entire Lower Broadway corridor. That walkability matters after midnight when rideshare surge pricing can climb significantly during peak weekend demand. Start the night well, too: check the brunch spots nearby to set the day up right before heading out.
One more detail most Nashville guides miss: Printers Alley does not have dedicated parking. The nearest parking garages are on Church Street and 4th Avenue, but weekend evening rates climb quickly around peak hours. If you are driving from a rental property, plan to park once and use rideshare or walk between the alley and Broadway for the rest of the evening. Combining an Uber with the walkable lower Broadway strip makes the logistics considerably simpler.
Frequently Asked Questions
What bars are in Printers Alley in Nashville?
Printers Alley currently hosts Skull's Rainbow Room (fine dining and jazz), Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar (live blues seven nights a week), Alley Taps (country and emerging artists, music from 6 PM nightly), Lonnie's Western Room (karaoke dive bar, open since 1989), Fleet Street Pub (British-style pub), and Ms. Kelli's Karaoke Bar. Dirty Little Secret, a Las Vegas-style nightclub, operates on select nights.
Is Printers Alley in Nashville safe?
Printers Alley is a well-trafficked downtown district in Nashville, located between 3rd and 4th Avenue North, adjacent to major hotels and office buildings. Like any urban entertainment corridor, standard caution applies after midnight when crowds are heaviest. Staying on the main alley path and traveling in a group is the standard approach most visitors take.
What is the vibe at Printers Alley compared to Broadway?
Printers Alley feels markedly different from Lower Broadway. Broadway runs louder and more tourist-facing, with massive multi-floor venues and cover charges on weekend nights. Printers Alley is narrower, darker, and carries a historic speakeasy quality. The crowds are smaller, the venues more intimate, and the overall energy leans toward discovery rather than spectacle.
Does Printers Alley have a cover charge?
Cover charges vary by venue and night. Skull's Rainbow Room operates more as a ticketed dining and jazz experience. Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar and Alley Taps typically have low or no cover on weeknights, with cover charges on busier weekend nights. Always check the venue's website or social media before you go.
What time does Printers Alley get busy?
Printers Alley starts filling around 9 PM on weekends, though Alley Taps begins live music at 6 PM nightly, making it a viable early stop. The alley peaks between 10 PM and 1 AM on Friday and Saturday. Arriving before 9 PM gives you a much better shot at seating at intimate venues like Skull's Rainbow Room.
How far is Printers Alley from Lower Broadway?
Printers Alley sits roughly 5 to 8 minutes on foot from Lower Broadway, running parallel between 3rd and 4th Avenue North, between Union and Church Streets. Most visitors combine it with a Broadway crawl by walking up from Honky Tonk Central or Tootsie's toward the alley before circling back to Broadway later in the evening.
Where should I stay in Nashville to be close to Printers Alley?
The Luxe Cowgirl 538 is a 4-minute walk from Broadway and roughly 10 minutes on foot from Printers Alley, making it one of the most convenient bases for a downtown Nashville nightlife itinerary. The Luxe Loft SoBro 916, also 3 blocks from Broadway, offers similar walkability with a saltwater pool and skyline balcony views.
Who is known for playing at Printers Alley bars?
Printers Alley has a long history of hosting notable performers. Skull's Rainbow Room is historically associated with jazz legends and burlesque, while Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar focuses on blues acts. Alley Taps specifically positions itself as a launching pad for emerging country artists, and the alley's broader history includes decades of performers who later became central figures in Nashville's music industry.
The Bottom Line on Printers Alley Bars in 2026
The bars in Printers Alley represent something Nashville does not offer anywhere else: a compact, historically layered nightlife district where six genuinely different venues sit within a single city block. Skull's Rainbow Room for dinner and jazz, Bourbon Street Blues for live blues until late, Alley Taps for early-evening country, and Lonnie's Western Room for no-frills karaoke cover enough ground to satisfy most groups without a rideshare in sight. With Nashville reaching 17 million visitors annually, Printers Alley remains one of the few downtown spots that has not been completely overtaken by the tourist infrastructure that dominates Broadway.
Plan your visit early in the evening, book Skull's Rainbow Room ahead of time, and treat the alley as a warm-up or complement to Broadway rather than a replacement. That sequencing gives you the historical texture of the alley and the full-energy spectacle of Lower Broadway in a single night. Both experiences are worth having. But if you only do Broadway, you will leave Nashville having missed the city's oldest nightlife story.
If you are building a Nashville itinerary around the city's nightlife, a home base that keeps the whole group together matters. Underwood Manor sits about 7 minutes from downtown by rideshare, with a speakeasy game room, 7-person hot tub, and karaoke machine that handle the pre-game and the after-party without requiring anyone to fight for a cab at 2 AM. The Printers Alley bars are the middle act. Underwood Manor is where the night starts and ends well. Check availability here.
Written by Chase Gillmore, Owner & Operator at Stay Nashville
Comments