This Iconic Nashville Bar Was Just Named Best in the U.S.

Full disclosure, I haven't been out on the town in Nashville for a long time. The past decade has seen a huge boom in visitors from all over the United States as the popularity of Country Music has been on the rise.

Bachelorettes on Broadway

Groups of bachelorettes flock to Broadway for "last fling before the ring" weekend celebrations, and while I am SO HAPPY for them, it isn't necessarily my favorite vibe. Nashville has acquired the nickname "Nashvegas" for this reason. Instead of flying to Sin City, people want to celebrate in Music City.

Rosie's Twin Kegs

One of my favorite Nashville spots is a little hole-in-the-wall called Rosie's Twin Kegs. Great bar grub, drinks, live music, and karaoke nights are a real treat if you're looking for somewhere away from downtown. Super laid back and fun. My friend, Katie, had her wedding reception there and we had a blast.

MKAT

Nashville's Robert's Western World Best in U.S.

However, if you want to have an authentic honky tonk whoop it up, an iconic spot just got the attention it deserves as it was named one of the best bars in the country by USA Today.

Robert's Western World, home of one of Nashville's longest-running house bands, is the place to visit for an authentic experience on Broadway.

Robert’s Western World is an icon among icons. Among the noise on Nashville’s bright, boisterous Broadway, it stands alone. And it does so with a (relatively) quiet reverence for Nashville’s spirit, the one that existed before the crowds. It’s a shotgun shack of a place in a street full of multistory bars named after famed country music makers. At its barrel is a tiny stage where musicians play beneath the visages of long-gone country stars, while the masses whirl and two-step in front of them. Robert’s is neon beer signs and crooked tile. It’s fried bologna sandwiches and ice-cold PBRs. It’s an Old Fashioned and a twang of real country music in the air. If the Ryman Auditorium is the Mother Church of Country Music, Robert’s Western World, just a stone’s throw from its back door, is the Holy Ghost. — Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean

I have never been. But after reading that description, it's on my list of things to do the next time I visit! Have you ever been? What did you love about Robert's Western World?

Click here to read the whole list of "Best in the U.S." bars.