Where: Nashville, Tennessee
When you should visit: year-round
If you like: arts and culture
Why you should go: “You may have heard the news that the independent bookstore is dead, that books are dead, that maybe even reading is dead—to which I say: Pull up a chair, friend. I have a story to tell,” wrote New York Times best-selling author Ann Patchett in her essay collection This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. Parnassus, a wood-paneled bookstore with charm to spare, is that story. An unflappable optimism, a deep appreciation for books and the people who love them, and no small amount of grit and collaboration have allowed the Parnassus tale to continue nearly fifteen years after Patchett and then–business partner Karen Hayes opened the literary jewel box in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood. But it’s the shop’s friendly, well-read staff—a roster of librarians, writers, and teachers with wide-ranging tastes and a rotating cast of shop dogs—who have created the kind of personalized experience that has customers lining up at the door each morning.
“There’s someone on staff who always knows exactly what you should read next,” says marketing and communications director Sarah Arnold. “Looking for a history of the Cold War? Andy knows what you need. A twisty thriller with just the right balance of humor and intensity? Jenness has a great rec for you. A gift for a cinephile? Jake can help.” Along with in-store events featuring powerhouse authors such as George Saunders, Tayari Jones, Jon Meacham, and Lauren Groff (and that’s just in January and February), Parnassus will celebrate the release of Patchett’s new book, Whistler, on June 2 and its own fifteenth anniversary this November.
G&G tip: If a Nashville trip isn’t in the cards for 2026, follow Parnassus on Instagram, where Patchett, her staff, and visiting authors weigh in with new and new-to-you book recommendations, or sign up for one of Parnassus’s five expertly curated subscription boxes, including the Signed First Editions Club.
Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin is a Garden & Gun contributing editor and a full-time freelance writer covering hospitality and travel, arts and culture, and design. An obsessive reader and a wannabe baker, she recently left Nashville to return home to Charleston, South Carolina, where she lives with her husband, their twins, and an irrepressible golden retriever.
