During Spring break, we road tripped through North Carolina and Tennessee - part of this trip took us to Nashville, Tennessee. Starting in Charlotte, the drive was around 6.5 hours and much of the journey was beautiful! It involved driving through the Great Smoky Mountains and a great deal of the sweet Tennessee Countryside.
We stayed in an Airbnb, (Nashville was pretty pricey to stay so it did take lots of research before we left), the place was great - it was just a short drive from downtown in Berry Hill. Staying there was an ideal location, it was around $8 in an Uber or a 20-30 minute walk. The host was fantastic, she provided us with tips and local advice on where to go/where to avoid.
Since being in Tennessee, we thought it would be fitting to go to the Whiskey Kitchen for dinner. The whiskey cocktails were a dream and the food was even better! I'd been to the Whiskey Kitchen before in Raleigh, North Carolina - the menus were completely different. I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken with mac and cheese; it was soooo good!
For our first night, we had booked tickets to go to the Mercy Lounge to see Chris Shiflett with Sam Palladio and Brian Whelan. All of the acts were incredible and the venue was a cosy club, which meant wherever you stood you got great views and didn't feel too far back, for $10 tickets it was an awesome night! A great start to 3 days in The Music City.
Day 2
We decided to Uber downtown to a spot for breakfast called Frothy Monkey, their food was delicious and fresh - the coffee was great too! Next, we headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Being a recent country music fan, we felt that we couldn't give this a miss. It's a $25 entry fee and definitely worth it.
After our visit around the Music Hall of Fame, we grabbed some ice cream from Mike's Ice Cream, just on 2nd Avenue then chilled by the river. It's the perfect spot to watch the people of Nashville doing their day to day thing and pick up the city's vibes. Just opposite the river view is the Tennessee Titans Stadium, if you fancy checking that out. Instead, we had planned to do a mural tour - there are loads around Nashville, you really don't need to do a lot of searching.
Doing the mural tour helped us get to grips with places that we wanted to check out later, as well as see places that we weren't expecting. If you've seen the TV show Nashville, then you'll know what Highway 65 is, the front of the building is just off one of the main streets.
My favourite mural had to be the 'What Lifts You Wings' which is situated in the Gulch at 302 11th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203. They are about a 10 minute walk from Broadway, it's a great photo op! While you are in the Gulch, you should have a wander around as it's a pretty cool area. We sat outside at Juice Bar - The Gulch and had a delicious smoothie.
Finally, it was time to check out Broadway - there is live music playing all the time and it's awesome! Walk up and down Broadway on either side of the road to soak up the atmosphere, on our second trip down we popped into Margaritaville to grab a cocktail and listen to some of the live music.
Heads up - There is no cover charge inside the bars however, the bands are playing for tips - be prepared for them to walk around with a bucket collecting tips and taking requests. It is expected that you give something.
Just opposite Margaritaville is a bright lilac bar called Tootsies with a rooftop - we had gorgeous weather so sat by and listened to some more live music while having a drink. To be honest, all the bars along Broadway are worth dropping in - pop your head in and see which one takes your fancy.
Day 3
We decided to walk into downtown as it was much cooler, we stopped for breakfast at Another Broken Egg Cafe, it was a decent place for a cheap eat and a pit stop. We then set off to walk the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, there are great views of the skyline and it's a pretty decent photo opportunity.
From the bridge we walked back to Broadway, as there was a band playing at Honky Tonk Central which we wanted to catch at lunch time - the place really is worth checking out.
After a quick pit stop we walked to Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park (about 15 minutes). The park includes information about the state of Tennessee, the city of Nashville and a World War 2 memorial. There is also the 31 River Fountains which could be a good place to cool down in the heat.
Since we were so close, we walked on to Germantown, it got it's name from the influx of German immigrants way back when. It was a cute neighbourhood and had lots of nice places for for a drink or bite to eat - apparently the cupcakes at The Cupcake Collection are incredible! The Nashville Farmers Markets are also located in Germantown, they are pretty cool to wander through and talk to some of the locals.
The next place on our itinerary was the Ryman Auditorium, this took us back into the centre and was a 30 minute walk from where we were in Germantown (we'd wandered pretty far). Unfortunately, we didn't check the times and presumed it would be open fairly late, it actually closed at 4 and the last tour was 3:30 so do check this out before you go.
For dinner, we headed to a burger place called 'The Pharmacy' the food was delicious and there were lots of tasty drinks available too, especially German beers. It is a bit out from downtown so you will need to drive or get a taxi - its definitely worth it!
