Hadley HitsonNashville Tennessean
Known for its neon signs, narrow walkways and thick history, Printers Alley has long been an integral, if sometimes seedy, part of downtown Nashville.Now, tourists are catching on and it's become a must-see destination.
The popularity of the block between Third and Fourth avenues off Broadway has risen to new heights in recent years and attracted all sorts of new businesses — from the high-end clothing store AllSaints to the swanky nightclub concept relocated from Chicago, The Blueprint Underground co*cktail Club.
Nashville Downtown Partnership tracked the surging interest and put data behind noticeably larger crowds there.
The number of Printers Alley visitors has jumped 69% since 2019, according to the nonprofit's pedestrian-counting software that anonymously tracks cell-phone pings.
What's drawing such a big surge in tourism to the alley named after a collection of print shops in the 19th century?
History and authenticity.
"There’s no denying our tourism has grown exponentially over the years," Nashville Downtown Partnership Director of Economic Development Crissy Cassetty said. "When people come to a city, they want to find something interesting and local and historic. They want to feel a part of the history of Nashville. You can really only find that in certain areas of downtown."
Here are some Printers Alley highlights, history and a comprehensive list of businesses in the district off Broadway.
Keeping Printers Alley authentic
Legendary artists like Hank Williams and Jimi Hendrix once graced the clubs lining the alley, and Elvis Presley and Paul McCartney had their fair share of visits too.
But, originally, the area got its name for housing dozens of Nashville newspapers in the early 19th century, including The Tennessean and The Nashville Banner.By day, the space bustled with newspaper business and, by night, it was filled with patrons of saloons and brothels.
In the early 1900s, the alley brimming with speakeasies was no stranger to Prohibition-era busts.
This nightlife legacy continues today with bars, restaurants and speakeasy-style hot spots like Black Rabbit and Skull's Rainbow Room.
"It’s a really great combination of new and old development," Cassetty said.
Since 2019, at least 10 new retail spaces and restaurants have opened in and around Printers Alley, Cassetty said. The newest business on the street opened just three weeks ago under the 24-story One Nashville tower.
“For decades, the allure of Printers Alley’s storied past has attracted both visitors and locals alike,” President and CEO of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp Deana Ivey said. “We love how the diverse music, great food scene and nearby boutique hotels thrive as a mini-neighborhood within the larger entertainment district. The historic structures dating back to the late 1800s, combined with the new offerings, beautifully showcase Nashville’s past and present.”
The story of Nashville is something that leaders like Ivey, Cassetty and other locals tend to be protective over. Cassetty said that, as tourism rises, their goal is to maintain the city's authenticity — even on Broadway, where almost 60% of businesses are owner-operated.
"I think that’s telling, having local ownership is so important," Cassetty said. "It just keeps Nashville authentic, which is what we want for downtown."
Printers Alley newcomers
Newcomer Blueprint Underground co*cktail Club swung open its doors on May 31, aiming to bring a high-end, modern nightlife energy to Printers Alley while also paying homage to the area’s history at 156 Printers Alley.
Owner Billy Dec, a TV personality and businessman who also owns Sunda New Asian in the Gulch, drew inspiration from the 1920s Art Deco style.
Just a few hundred feet away, The Cellar Bar will open later this summer. Located at 211 Third Ave. N., The Cellar Bar owners Gary Bowie and Mike Penner are aiming to welcome their first patrons sometime this month, according to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.
Bowie has been invested in Printers Alley for over a decade. He bought and restored a nearbythree-story, 15,000-square-foot, 1890s building in 2012 that became the Printer’s Alley Lofts.
Longstanding Printers Alley favorites
The Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar has served Cajun food and live music for over 25 years.
Next door is Skull's Rainbow Room — another mainstay of the block that first opened in 1948 as one of Nashville’s first dive bars. The original location closed after longtime Printers Alley nightclub owner David “Skull” Schulman was robbed and killed in 1998.
In June 2015, downtown businessmen Phil Martin and David Wileman reopened the bar. Two years later, in June 2017, Johnny Cash Museum owner Bill Miller purchased a majority interest in Skull's, and he now has full ownership.
Miller remembers the first time he visited the bar as a patron. It was just after Skull's reopened and while he was in the process of opening Nudie's Honky Tonk on Broadway.
"The more we went there, the more intrigued I became with it," he said. "Skull's just has this soul about it. There's a special feeling. It's almost like a living, breathing space."
Skull’s still hosts the nightly jazz performances and late-night burlesque shows it's known for, plus Sunday brunches.Whether someone visited last year or 75 years ago, when the original bar opened, Miller said everyone gets the same feeling.
"They say, 'I feel like I never left. I can still feel that spirit,' whether that's the spirit of David 'Skull' Schulman or whatever it is," Miller said.
Skull's is in the basem*nt of the Southern Turf Building on 4th Avenue, which backs upinto Printers Alley and has its own sordid history of brothels and Prohibition-era crimes. Miller owns the entire building and, in 2023, he added Sinatra Bar & Lounge, The Southern Turf Lofts and the membership-based Southern Turf Club to the space.
One of his favorite pieces of history in the building is an unopened 1916 bottle of Rip Van Winkle bourbon, one of the oldest in the country.
Miller feels passionately about protecting important history, from the century-old bourbon to the historic Printers Alley, and that's what has motivated so many of his investments.
"It's one of the last bastions of what Nashville was all about and such an important part of history. I don't want to see it, like most of Nashville, end up where the wrecking ball hits, and next thing you know, it's concrete, steel and glass," Miller said. "I think that's something that Metro needs to acknowledge. At the very least, if they don't participate, allow us to do that, to keep it alive for another few hundred years."
Where to go: Bars, restaurants, lofts in and around Printers Alley
Businesses line the historic street and adjacent blocks, and people buzz in and out of them at all hours. Here's a list of some popular Printers Alley-area businesses — both new and old — to check out:
- Skull's Rainbow Room, the speakeasy-style lounge, restaurant and late-night burlesque club
- Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar, a Cajun club serving up New Orleans-inspired food and live jazz music
- Printers Alley Lofts, upscale vacation rentals in a building dating back to the early 1900s
- The Majestic Lofts, 2021-renovated rental units in a 19th century property
- Vatos Tacos, a taco shop operating from Thursday through Saturday from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Ms. Kelli's Karaoke, a family-owned karaoke bar with beers, co*cktails and light pub fare
- Fleet Street Pub, a traditional English pub with pints, bangers and mash and specialty co*cktails like the English Breakfast Martini
- AllSaints, a high-end women's and men's clothing store
- Daddy's Dogs, a food stand with gourmet hot dogs and other late-night food offerings
- Stateside Kitchen, a modern American restaurant in the Dream Hotel, open from brunch to dinner
- Sinatra’s Bar and Lounge, a bar celebrating Frank Sinatra's contribution to culture with live music, a dinner menu and co*cktails
- Bobby's Rooftop Lounge, a year-round hotel rooftop bar just outside of Printers Alley
- Snitch, a dive bar with live music and co*cktails
- Alley Taps, a bar on the other side of Church Street with draft beers, bar food and live music
- Blueprint Supply Co. Underground co*cktail Club, a club next to Alley Taps with Art Deco design and massive, shareable co*cktails
- Black Rabbit, a speakeasy and restaurant with rabbit rolls, steak and craft co*cktails like the Disco Lemonade, takes reservations
- Dirty Little Secret, a nightclub and event venue open on Friday and Saturday from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. with VIP table service available upon request
- Down the Rabbit Hole, a brunch and dinner restaurant beneath the hotel Noelle on 4th Avenue that also hosts weekend tea
- Queen of Hearts, a hidden co*cktail bar behind the storage door in Down the Rabbit Hole, open 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday
- Dream Nashville, a 4th Avenue hotel on the site of the historic former Utopia Hotel and the 19th-century Embers building, which once housed a brothel known as the Climax Saloon. Signs for the Embers, the Climax Saloon and the Brass Stables Play & Dance Theatre remain in Printers Alley
Hadley Hitson coverstrending business, dining and health care for The Tennessean. She can be reached athhitson@gannett.com. To support her work,subscribe to The Tennessean.
