Nashville

The elegant Hutton Hotel (1808 West End Ave., map; from $249 in low season) isn’t only well-run and stylish, it makes a noble effort to be green: Besides a strong recycling program, it has no water-wasting bathtubs and uses LED and fluorescent lighting, bamboo furniture, soap/shampoo dispensers instead of bottles, biodegradable cleaning products, and low-energy elevators. A little more than a mile from the downtown Broadway area, the hotel offers a courtesy vehicle—a hybrid, naturally—to help you get around. Bonus: In addition to a great fitness center, seven of the guest rooms have a stationary bike, treadmill, or elliptical machine in the room—a godsend in this town, trust us.

Everyone from FDR to Al Capone to Oprah Winfrey has stayed at the luxe, history-rich Hermitage Hotel (231 6th Ave. North, map; from $259 in low season), the place to splurge smack in the middle of downtown Nashville. The recently restored 100-year-old hotel offers spacious rooms—many with impressive views of the State Capitol building—and premium service and amenities, including on-call limo service and afternoon tea (and evening cocktails) in the plush Beaux-Arts lobby. Downstairs is the locavore-centric Capitol Grille and old-school Oak Bar, with its famous art-deco men’s restroom.

It’s a chain, yes, but the Holiday Inn Express (920 Broadway, map; from about $189) downtown is a good, moderately priced option within easy walking distance of the raucous honky-tonks, cowboy-boot stores, and historic landmarks of Broadway (there’s also a free shuttle around downtown at certain times). The complimentary hot-and-cold continental breakfast offers great value—though don’t go fillin’ yourself up too much on it—and there’s a small gym to help you burn it all off.