Going to the Eagles-Titans game? Here’s what to know about Nashville, from Birds tailgates to celebrating Dolly Parton.
The Eagles last played in Nashville in 2018, following their first Super Bowl title after the 2017 season. From cheesesteaks to tailgates, here's what to know for fans making the trip down South.
The Eagles are traveling to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans this weekend. If it’s like their 2018 meeting, many Birds fans are expected to follow.
Coming off their team’s first Super Bowl win, Philadelphia fans took over Nashville — and the party started before they arrived. In a viral moment, a Southwest Airlines attendant shared on social media that 175 Eagles fans aboard a flight to the Music City finished every drop of alcohol on the plane. The attendant, Rachel Thomas, added that she was forced to listen to the Eagles fight song “35 times.”
Nissan Stadium was not quite converted to an Eagles home game then, but the stadium’s stands did boast huge clusters of green among the crowd. The Eagles lost in overtime that day, 26-23. This time around, Philly fans who are making the trip are expecting an Eagles (1-0) win on Sunday. The Titans are projected to be one of the worst teams in football this season and lost to the lowly Jets in Week 1.
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Here’s everything Eagles fans need to know before traveling to Nashville …
Where do I find fellow Birds fans?
Eagles fan groups are holding a few meetups and tailgates before Sunday’s game.
The Green Legion, which has hosted road trips for Eagles fans since 2004, is kicking off the weekend with a Saturday Pep Rally aboard the General Jackson Showboat. The sunset cruise along the Cumberland River runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and will feature a three-hour open bar and “light food.”
The group is also hosting a tailgate on Sunday at Nashville Live! from 8 a.m. to noon. The bar, a distant cousin of South Philly’s Stateside Live!, is located across from Nissan Stadium. Tickets are limited for both events and can be found on the Green Legion’s website.
Hoppers Bar Tours, a Nashville-based tour operator, is hosting an “Ultimate Birds Weekend” bar crawl. The crawl will take Eagles fans to six bars over three days beginning Friday. Former Eagles kicker David Akers, the franchise’s all-time leader in total points, is slated to do a “meet and greet” Friday night at Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up. Tickets can be purchased on Hoppers’ website.
Where should I get a cheesesteak?
If you can’t go a weekend without one or want to try Nashville’s take on the Philly staple, Brotherly Love Cheesesteaks boasts what they claim to be an authentic cheesesteak.
Restaurant co-owner John Hoffman, alongside partners Nicholas Nathan and Jeremy Smith, ate their way through Philadelphia’s top cheesesteak spots a few years ago to perfect their cheesesteak. They settled on using thin-sliced steak on their sandwiches. The only issue? Southerners weren’t used to “flats.”
“We found out that Southerners don’t think that’s a cheesesteak,” Hoffman told The Inquirer. “But we now are chopping it, and people are really enjoying it. I think we’re up there as maybe best cheesesteak in Nashville, which is awesome.”
“We’re getting our rolls shipped down from Amoroso’s, using center-cut ribeye, using Whiz, Cooper Sharp,” he added. “You know, we’re trying to keep it as authentic as humanly possible.”
The restaurant, which has a significant amount of Philadelphia sports memorabilia, has hosted watch parties for every Eagles game since opening in 2024. Hoffman, a native of Harrisburg, will be cheering on the Eagles at Nissan Stadium.
Where can I dance?
There are plenty of places to hear songs that are not “Fly Eagles Fly” this weekend.
Nashville is known for its country music. Most “honky-tonks” on Lower Broadway, the city’s main strip of bars, feature live music without a cover fee. Popular music venues in the district include Robert’s Western World and Tootsies Orchid Lounge. There are also a slew of venues owned and named after country music stars.
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If you are interested learning to line dance, consider checking out Bootleggers Inn on Broadway, a Prohibition-era bar. The bar offers lessons every day courtesy of Stompin Grounds, a line dancing company. You can book lessons at Bootleggers on Stompin Ground’s website.
Where can I celebrate Dolly Parton?
Most Eagles fans will be flying into Nashville International Airport — which will soon carry a different name.
Last week, a 6-0 vote by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority established that the airport will be renamed after Tennessee native Dolly Parton. The country music legend died at 80 last month after a short battle with cancer.
Dollywood, Parton’s amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., is about a three-hour drive from Nashville. However, Birds fans can still pay their respects to the “9 to 5” singer without making the pilgrimage. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, located in downtown Nashville, is hosting a special exhibition for Parton through October, titled Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker. The exhibit features some of Parton’s signature rhinestone dresses and other memorabilia from her career.
If museums are not your speed, you can dine at White Limozeen — a rooftop restaurant in Midtown Nashville named after Parton’s 1989 album. White Limozeen features pink decor, a rooftop pool, and a 9-foot-tall statue of Parton’s head made of chicken wire. The restaurant is almost as extravagant as Parton, herself.
