America's best music cities

It’s a battle more intense than best barbecue: Which city has the best music scene?

“Austin, period. No competition,” says Dana Marlowe, a Washington, D.C., consultant who used to live in the Texas capital. “NYC is fantastic, L.A. is great, New Orleans rocks, Nashville kicks it ol’ school country, but Austin has them all beat. You can hear any kind of music, any day, in almost any venue.”

For the most part, Travel + Leisure readers agree. In the latest America’s Favorite Cities survey, they rated 30 cities on a wide variety of qualities: luxury hotels, coffee bars, cool neighborhoods, and even how intelligent the locals seem. When it came to live music, AFC voters ranked Austin at No. 3, right behind rhinestone-studded Nashville.

Folks in Nashville are quick to tell you, though, that Music City isn’t just about big hats and steel guitars — you can find plenty of indie rock, gospel, and even acoustic hip-hop in venues around town.

“Tons of top musicians live here — Ke$ha, Robert Plant, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow,” says David Hooper, a Nashville music-business blogger. “It’s not uncommon to see folks like this get up on stage at various bars to sit in on a song. The level of musicianship is so high that you can walk into the worst place in town and see somebody good.”

Even so, to some folks in Chicago (No. 6), Nashville may still be a one-trick pony. “The music of this country wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for Chicago,” says guidebook author Gail Lecht. “While every region might be known for a particular style of music, Chicago can boast them all.”

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Settle down, folks. You all have a valid point. Spending an evening listening to live music in any city is a great way to tap into its inner spirit, whether the music is on the cutting edge or just rejoicing in the past.

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

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For a city to boost its own music scene, the key may be taking the music out of the nightclubs and into the spots where people will find it without even looking. In Austin, for instance, you can hear great live music at a number of supermarkets or at Austin-Bergstrom Airport, which offers several live-music “stages” in its terminals.

“Austin has some really great music, and we have a lot of bands,” says Nancy Coplin, the airport’s music coordinator for the past 11 years. “And for travelers, let’s face it, it’s nice to sit down, enjoy a beer, and listen to some music.”