On a recent drive through Shelbyville, for the first time ever, I got stuck in traffic downtown. I’ve been visiting this small, quiet city about an hour south of Nashville since my oldest friend moved there in 2010. It’s perhaps best known as the charming host of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, a long-running equestrian event held at venues around town. But this time, the square—home to stalwarts like the art deco Capri Theatre, the seventy-eight-year-old Pope’s Cafe, and a smattering of antique shops in historic, pastel-colored buildings—was absolutely abuzz.
Turns out the city has been investing in itself, most notably in the form of the multimillion-dollar Shelbyville Historic Square Redevelopment Project, which updated sidewalks, streetscapes, and utilities. In 2024 the Tennessee Municipal League presented Shelbyville leaders with an award for Excellence in Downtown Revitalization.
Now, instead of heading right to my friend’s home, we meet up in the square, soaking up the atmosphere and new boutiques. Some of the shops and restaurants channel Music City and offer live entertainment options to boot. If you make a trip, stretch your Shelbyville itinerary to include these highlights:
The Fly Arts Center
Shelbyville’s cultural arts center opened in a 1927-built former shirt manufacturing building back in 1992, and has long played host to a community theater program, an art gallery, and the Bedford County Museum. This winter, after eighteen months of renovations, the Fly reopened with sparkling upgraded facilities throughout and a new classroom space for floral, arts, and crafts workshops.
Glass Hollow Table and Tavern
For a long time, Shelbyville’s main lodging options were middling chain hotels. In 2024, though, local resident Jeb House remodeled the second floor of an old hardware store into four high-end rentals with views over the historic square. The first floor is home to his steakhouse and bar, Glass Hollow. Check into a room and then pop downstairs to try the inventive cocktails and homestyle bread pudding.
Grindstone Cowboy
This winter saw the opening of a live music venue, coffee shop, and restaurant that draws professional musical acts. “You’d have to go to Nashville to find something like this,” says co-owner Craig Campbell. “And to bring it to Shelbyville’s square? That’s a lighthouse for the city.”
Music City Kartplex
You might hear whooping and shouts of excitement drifting from Shelbyville’s new high-speed karting venue that sprawls across thirty-four acres. Owner Jeffrey Gaccione, whose sons’ love of karting inspired him to build the facility, hopes the half-mile course becomes a pathway for kids to go from rental karts to professional racing.
Pope’s Cafe
Local favorite Pope’s has been slinging breakfasts and burgers since it opened in 1941. A recent renovation doubled the seating from a lunch counter and a few tables to include an entire second room. Daily specials focus on homestyle Southern food like fried catfish and chicken and dumplings. The place still operates, as the menu says, on “the power of bacon grease and spices.”
