Nightlife, Music, and More in Nashville (Guest Post)
Nashville, Tennessee is one of my favorite cities in the U.S., yet somehow I’ve never blogged about this must-visit destination!
I actually lived in Nashville for a semester while completing an internship in college, yet there is still so much I have yet to explore. I’m a big country music fan, but even for those who prefer a little less twang in their music, Nashville has so much to offer.
I highly recommend checking out the massive Gaylord Opryland Resort. If you can afford to stay there, great! If not, park at the adjacent mall to avoid the parking fee and walk over to the hotel, which is like no other.
The massive resort includes indoor waterfalls, plenty of unique shops and restaurants, a water park, and tons of seasonal activities. You could spend several days just inside the Gaylord Opryland Resort.
Trust me, the Gaylor Opryland Resort is worth a visit!
Given that I haven’t been to Nashville in a while (something I need to rectify), I thought I’d let my friend Pam share some fun adventures from her recent visit. And now I have even more fun spots to add to my next trip to the Country Music Capital…thanks, Pam!
Guest Post by Pam Howard of Our Adventure is Everywhere
As the capital and largest city in Tennessee, Nashville is an ideal choice for a weekend getaway! With plenty of things to do whether you are a family or enjoying an adult trip, you really can’t go wrong. We recently enjoyed a weekend with our two teenagers and it was FULL of Nashville family fun.
If you are looking for a great day in Nashville, take a look at our perfect day and then tailor it to your traveling party!
Fuel up with an iconic Nashville Breakfast
Most prior visitors to Nashville will tell you to start your day with biscuits. Specifically, biscuits from Biscuit Love. In addition to delicious homemade biscuits, Biscuit Love has other tasty breakfast treats – including Mimosas with fresh-squeezed orange juice. YUM!
Biscuit Love always has a line, so just expect it and embrace it. Our party of 4 took turns standing in line while the rest of the group checked out some of the cute boutiques nearby. This area is known as the Gulch and it is a fun spot to wander a bit before or after your breakfast.
You’ll also find some really fun murals and spots for photo ops around the Gulch, so take time to document the morning.
Visiting the Grand Ole Opry is a MUST
Although there are so many options for learning about country music in Nashville, with teens or kids, I’ve discovered it’s best to limit the touristy Nashville attractions to one per day. So if you need to pick one place to start, I highly recommend the backstage tour of The Grand Ole Opry.
It’s a bit of a drive from breakfast, so you’ll need to drive or Uber. Although none of us are huge country music fans, the history and tradition of the Grand Ole Opry were fascinating. The tour is very well done with visits to the dressing rooms, backstage, learning about the Grand Ole Opry traditions, and more.
We even got to stand on the circle where dozens of famous artists have performed. And did you know that the Grand Ole Opry has its own post office?
If you write a letter to your favorite country star that is an Opry member, it will end up there! You simply write the performer’s name, Grand Ole Opry, and then Nashville, TN. Needless to say, Dolly’s mailbox is always full!
The tour lasts a little over an hour and will give you an entirely new appreciation for country music.
Shop til you drop
Depending upon who you are traveling with, shopping in Nashville could become a multi-day event.
However, if you just want to spend a little time browsing, a favorite area to shop is 12South. The street is full of terrific boutiques, restaurants, vintage stores, and more. We even did a little shopping out of a VW bus!
And when it’s time for an afternoon pick me up, 12South is home to the original Frothy Monkey coffee shop.
As part of our exploration of the area, we picked up delicious (and strong) iced coffees to keep us going. A few mugs might have made it into our shopping bags too!
Dinner options for everyone
If you have a group that loves good food, and a wide variety of it, The Assembly Food Hall on Broadway is the place for dinner. Imagine an upscale food court with a little something for everyone. We found street tacos, pizza, hot chicken (a Nashville tradition), Thai, Poke bowls, sushi, and plenty of desserts. It was fun to pick a variety of food, grab a seat and listen to the free music while we ate.
If you prefer a more traditional dinner, Sixty Vines on the floor above the Food Hall is an excellent choice with a variety of wines, charcuterie, brick oven pizzas, and more. You can even create your own wine flight with several 2.5 oz pours. The views from the deck are fantastic too – you’ll get to see all the action along Broadway.
End the evening with live music
And speaking of Broadway …
Known as the Honky Tonk Highway, the section of Broadway starting at about the Food Hall and heading several blocks is chock FULL of Honky Tonks.
Never heard of a Honky Tonk? I hadn’t either, but basically, it’s a small bar with continuous live music. And with dozens of them along Broadway, you WILL find a musician you like. The honky-tonks don’t have a cover and all of the musicians were excellent. Of course, there was a lot of country music, but as you walk by, you will also hear other genres.
If you have kids along, bar hopping won’t be part of your evening, although they should enjoy walking up and down Broadway, soaking in the atmosphere after dinner. The music spills out onto the street so if you find something you like you can enjoy a song or two from the sidewalk.
Luckily, almost every hotel bar and restaurant seem to have live music too. Speaking of hotels, we chose the Margaritaville right downtown. The location was perfect as we could walk so many places.
Even the pool bar at our hotel had an excellent musician with a guitar. So, we ended our evening lounging on pool chairs, sipping cocktails (virgin for the kids), and listening to music.
It was a perfect evening to a day full of fun things to do in Nashville!
Have you ever been to Nashville? What was your favorite part? Pam especially loved the live music and I have to agree. There is so much to discover in Nashville that both Pam and I are ready to make return trips!
Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya
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