Local Guide
Things to Do in Donelson, Nashville
Donelson is the east side Nashville neighborhood most visitors drive straight through on their way from the airport to Broadway. That is their loss. It has a genuine restaurant and brewery strip, miles of riverside greenway, a nineteenth century mansion on open parkland, and almost none of the downtown crowds.
The short list
The best things to do in Donelson, if you only have a day:
- TennFold on Lebanon Pike, the neighborhood brewery
- The Stones River Greenway, paved miles along the river
- Edley's Bar-B-Que, the Donelson outpost of the Nashville standby
- Two Rivers Park, with a dog park and skate park attached
- Cooter's, a free Dukes of Hazzard museum on McGavock Pike
- Two Rivers Mansion, an 1859 house on open parkland, and home of the September festival
Two Rivers Mansion, completed in 1859, anchors the Two Rivers corridor in Donelson.
Donelson Restaurants: Where to Eat and Drink
Most of the best Donelson restaurants sit along a short stretch of Lebanon Pike, which makes it easy to park once and walk between a few places. This is the part of the neighborhood that has changed most in the last few years, and it now covers barbecue, hot chicken, pizza, a brewery, and a proper coffee shop inside about a mile.
TennFold
2408 Lebanon Pike
Donelson's own brewery, with a full kitchen, a large covered patio, and a view into the brewing area from the tall main room. Beer is the draw, but the pizza and the cheese curds do a lot of the work. Cocktails, wine, and whiskey are on the list too, so it works for a group where not everyone wants a pint.
Edley's Bar-B-Que
2719 Lebanon Pike
The Nashville barbecue standby, with a Donelson location on Lebanon Pike. Brisket, burnt ends, and the sides you would hope for. Longtime Touch of Brews people may recognize the name: Edley's was among the sponsors of our second annual back in 2022.
Party Fowl Donelson
2620 Lebanon Pike
Nashville hot chicken with a range of heat levels that runs from genuinely mild to genuinely regrettable, plus a full bar and weekend brunch. A good introduction for out of town guests who want the hot chicken experience without committing to the hottest thing on the menu.
Phat Bites
2730 Lebanon Pike
A deli and bar with a stage, an eclectic room, and a late kitchen, which is a rare combination this far east. Sandwiches are the thing to order. If you like the idea of a neighborhood spot where somebody might be playing while you eat, this is the one.
Caliber Coffee Co.
2513 Lebanon Pike
The neighborhood coffee shop, with a drive through for the mornings when you are not stopping. Breakfast is served, and it opens early enough to be useful before a flight out of BNA.
Midnight Oil Donelson
2606 Lebanon Pike
A newer addition to the Lebanon Pike run, doing pizza by the slice and by the pie with a bar attached and late hours toward the end of the week. High top seating, so it leans more bar than family dinner.
Darfons Restaurant + Bar
2810 Elm Hill Pike
A long running Nashville restaurant just off the Donelson strip, and the pick when the occasion calls for tablecloths rather than a counter. Steaks, seafood, and a proper bar. Worth a reservation on a weekend.
Outdoor Things to Do in Donelson
This is where Donelson genuinely beats the middle of the city. The Two Rivers corridor packs a greenway, a golf course, a dog park, a skate park, and a water park into a few square blocks, all of it wrapped around the point where the Stones River meets the Cumberland.
Stones River Greenway
Paved greenway running along the river through Donelson, connecting north toward the Cumberland and the pedestrian bridge over to Shelby Bottoms in East Nashville. Flat, shaded in stretches, and one of the better long walks or rides in Nashville. Cyclists can ride in from East Nashville entirely on the greenway.
Two Rivers Park, Dog Park, and Skate Park
Open green space next to the mansion grounds, with a fenced dog park and a skate park in the same footprint. If you are bringing a dog to the neighborhood, this is the place to let them run before or after everything else.
Two Rivers Golf Course
2235 Two Rivers Parkway
A municipal eighteen hole course right in the corridor, with a clubhouse, rental clubs, and green fees that make it one of the better value rounds in the city. Popular enough that a tee time is worth arranging ahead.
Wave Country
2320 Two Rivers Parkway
Metro Nashville's wave pool and slide complex, with a splash pad and a lot of grass for laying out. It runs on a summer season and weekend hours toward the end of it, so check before you drive over in September.
Nashville Classics In and Around Donelson
Head north on McGavock Pike and Donelson runs into Music Valley, which holds some of the most recognizable names in Nashville. You can be at any of these within about ten minutes of the neighborhood.
Cooter's Nashville
2613B McGavock Pike
A Dukes of Hazzard museum and general store, free to walk through, with a General Lee parked out front and episodes playing on a screen inside. It is exactly as odd and as fun as it sounds, and it sits on the same road as Two Rivers Mansion. The Willie Nelson and Friends Museum and General Store is next door.
The Grand Ole Opry, Opryland, and Opry Mills
The Opry House, the Gaylord Opryland resort with its indoor gardens and boat ride, and the Opry Mills shopping center all sit clustered together just up McGavock Pike. Even if you are not seeing a show, the Opryland atrium is worth walking through once.
Festival Day in Donelson: September 26
One Saturday a year, the mansion grounds at the center of all this turn into a festival. Touch of Brews runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on September 26, 2026 at Two Rivers Mansion: six bands on one stage plus a solo set from John Kadlecik, Nashville food trucks and a makers market, a free Kids Zone, and craft beer and cocktails poured by the drink.
It is the rare Nashville festival built for everybody in the car. Kids 12 and under get in free with a ticketed adult, and leashed dogs are welcome at no charge, which is not something most beer festivals in this city can say.
Make a whole day of it
Coffee on Lebanon Pike in the morning, a walk on the greenway or a run at the dog park, then park on the mansion grounds and stay through the last set. Dinner is handled by the food trucks, so the only thing left to plan is who is driving.
Get tickets · Directions and parking · Bringing a dog · The Kids Zone
see you on the lawn!
Where Donelson Is on the Map
Two Rivers Mansion sits at 3130 McGavock Pike, just off Briley Parkway. Most of what is listed above is within a ten minute drive of this pin.
Donelson Questions, Answered
Where is Donelson in Nashville?
Donelson is an east side Nashville neighborhood inside the Briley Parkway loop, between the Cumberland River and Nashville International Airport. It sits about fifteen to twenty minutes east of downtown Nashville.
Is Donelson worth visiting?
Yes, particularly if you want green space and local restaurants rather than downtown crowds. Donelson has a walkable restaurant and brewery strip along Lebanon Pike, miles of paved greenway along the Stones River, a historic mansion and grounds, and it sits minutes from both the airport and the Grand Ole Opry.
Where should I eat in Donelson?
Most of the neighborhood's restaurants are on Lebanon Pike. TennFold is the local brewery with a full kitchen and a covered patio, Edley's Bar-B-Que handles barbecue, Party Fowl does Nashville hot chicken with a range of heat levels, and Caliber Coffee Co. opens early for breakfast and coffee. Darfons on Elm Hill Pike is the pick for a sit down dinner.
What is there to do outdoors in Donelson?
The Stones River Greenway runs through the neighborhood with paved miles for walking and cycling, Two Rivers Park has open green space, a dog park, and a skate park, and Two Rivers Golf Course is a municipal eighteen hole course on Two Rivers Parkway.
How far is Donelson from downtown Nashville?
About fifteen to twenty minutes by car. Take I-40 east to Briley Parkway north, then exit at McGavock Pike. Nashville International Airport is roughly ten minutes away in the same neighborhood.
What festival happens in Donelson?
Touch of Brews takes place on the grounds of Two Rivers Mansion, 3130 McGavock Pike, on Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is a live music and craft beer festival where kids 12 and under are free and leashed dogs are welcome. Full details here.
Hours, openings, and seasons change. This guide was checked in August 2026, but it is worth confirming with a business directly before you make the drive.
Sept 26, 2026 · 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. · Two Rivers Mansion, Donelson
Come See Donelson at Its Best
Early Bird tickets are $30 all in through August 31. Kids 12 and under are free, and so are the dogs.
Get Tickets 🎟️