The success of Nashville as a resort destination known for its country music and bachelorette parties is rubbing off on Las Vegas, as a third country-music star will open a honky tonk on the Strip.
Last week, Caesars Entertainment, country singer Luke Combs, and Nashville-based Opry Entertainment announced plans to bring Combs’s Category 10 restaurant to the Flamingo Las Vegas.
The 34,000-square-foot three-story venue in the former Margaritaville space will feature bars, a stage, dance floor, women’s-only lounge with Champagne bar, bourbon bar, and rooftop dance floor, bar, and DJ. Construction is underway.
Category 10 builds on the success Caesars has had with Blake Shelton’s Ole Red at the nearby Horseshoe Las Vegas that opened in January 2024. Jason Aldean opened his Kitchen + Bar in December 2024 adjacent to the CityCenter casino and condominium site.
Nashville visitation is expected to be up at least 2% this year, while tourism is down in markets across the country, including Las Vegas, continuing a trend of year-over-year gains.
Joey Valenti, a senior broker with Nashville-based Centennial Retail Services, said the city welcomes 11.7 million tourists in in 2024. Las Vegas had nearly 42 million visitors in 2024.
“We became everybody’s cheap place to go,” Valenti told a group of Las Vegas real estate executives at the Orleans. “When life became expensive in 2008 and 2009 and then during COVID, we were a cheap vacation spot. We cleaned up Broadway, so people felt safe. It blew up from there and never stopped. Every national crisis has benefited Nashville in some way. We have a recession-proof economy, and people flock here every time something goes bad.”
Even international tourism is growing, new for Nashville, Valenti said. “You can walk downtown hearing languages that I don’t hear in Nashville,” Valenti said. “It’s normally Southern drawls, but now it’s German and French and people from all over Asia coming in for the country-music vibe.”
Brian Sorrentino, director of ROI Commercial in Las Vegas, said Nashville has benefited from drive-in traffic, especially from the South looking for a cheaper alternative to Las Vegas. The mid-market and lower-tier customers “are going to Nashville now,” Sorrentino said. “Locally, we have to look at ourselves differently and bring some value back into that proposition.”
Sorrentino applauded the interest from Las Vegas casino operators, pulling in a third honky tonk direct from Nashville.
“Nashville is having a moment right now,” added Angelica Clemmer, executive vice president with ROI Commercial in Las Vegas. “I think it is great,” Clemmer said of the honky tonks. She cited “an incredible” $1 million a month in sales at Ole Red at the Horseshoe.
“That answers some of the issues we’re seeing in the market. Nightclubs are down substantially. People are looking for a more approachable level of entertainment, and that’s where honky tonks come in. It’s approachable to hear live music.”
Sorrentino said Ole Red does well with its name recognition and being a world-class venue for best-in-class artists to showcase their music.
Valenti said Nashville has a giant location-based entertainment area; every bar on Broadway has live music starting at 10:30 a.m. Morning bands pay to play, while record labels pay for afternoon gigs. The night shift of musical acts gets paid. “You can walk down Broadway and hear 15 bands playing songs you’ve heard and know. Music is a niche for us and you can always have fun walking around for little to no money.”
Nashville benefits from major music companies; the music industry is the third largest employer, Valenti said. Also, “It doesn’t try to be Vegas or New York. It’s 100% Nashville in every shape and form.”
Clemmer applauded the addition of a third honky tonk, but said Las Vegas doesn’t need any more. “For Nashville, the success they create with honky tonks is critical mass. The Strip already has critical mass with casinos. We don’t need to add honky tons.” She cited Fremont Street, Area15, and the three honky tonks. “Everyone is looking for unique experiences that they can go home and talk about and share on their social media feed.”
