Hello, Music City!
Living in Atlanta, I have a lot of great cities that are only a few hours drive away. One of my favorites is Nashville. There’s no other city like it! So my besties from college and I decided to head there for a much needed Girl’s Trip. I’ve been to Nashville before, but I was super young and my experience this time was much different now that I’m 23. I wanted to show my friends a good time, so I kind of took the reigns on planning out the itinerary (something I love doing anyway), but ultimately we’re all pretty laid back so we just kind of rolled with the punches and did whatever we wanted with no set schedule. We had a really great time and got so much squeezed into 48 hours, that I wanted to share with you guys what we did, where we stayed, where we ate and what I wore.
Where to Stay
We wanted to stay at a hotel that wasn’t too far from all the things we wanted to do – but we also didn’t want to pay a lot for a room since we’d only be sleeping there, so we decided on staying at the Embassy Suites. It was actually the perfect hotel for us and I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Nashville. The lobby was gorgeous, the rooms were spacious and comfortable, they had free breakfast and they provided a shuttle to take you anywhere in Nashville and back! Oh, they also had free happy hour – with amazing sangria…just saying.
Some other hotels that we looked at were the Hutton Hotel, Aloft Nashville, and The Westin – all are great hotels that are in a perfect location to easily get to all the fun stuff around the city. If you really want to treat yourself, stay at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. It has a massive atrium that actually has a little river that you can take a boat ride on! I’d actually recommend just going and checking it out even if you aren’t staying there because it’s just that cool.
There are also so many cute options through Airbnb that would add the perfect touch to any Girl’s Weekend!
Where to Eat
Probably the most important section in this post to be honest. We ate at some really great places over the weekend. I can truly say that we didn’t have one bad meal the entire time!
Pinewood Social – The first place we went to upon arriving in Nashville. This trendy hangout spot is a millennial’s paradise. There’s a retro-esque bowling alley, outdoor patio space, Crema coffee bar, private karaoke rooms, dipping pools, and bocce! They are definitely “the place to be…”. The bar is gorgeous and the food is delicious! The only complaint we had was that the service was very slow, but everyone was so nice.
The Stillery – Very cute place with a southern-hipster vibe. All drinks are served in mason jars and there is a second level where you can hear live music. Everything we ate was amazing, but the pizza gets an A++ from me.
The Southern – This place is a bit pricey, but we decided to treat ourselves a little on our last night together. The food is so good, you guys. I had the macaroni & cheese and I can’t even describe how life-changing the experience was. I’m salivating at the mouth just thinking about it. Other good eats are the ribs, the fried chicken, and the filet. They also have delicious drinks – I recommend the Blackberry Mountain Tea. Definitely make a reservation!
Acme Feed & Seed – Basically like 3 bars in 1. Kitchen and MainStage are the first level, where you can sit, eat and listen to live music. The second level is a lounge with cocktail bars, and the rooftop has a tiki type bar that offers great views of the city. We were there a little after lunch and did notice a lot of rowdy, younger people on the rooftop which was a little annoying, and we enjoyed the atmosphere on the first floor better.
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| My pizza from The Stillery |
Some other great places to eat are:
- Hattie B’s – a Nashville institution! The best fried chicken in the whole city. There will be a line, but it’s well worth the wait.
- The Pharmacy – Great burgers and a beautiful outdoor patio. A little out of the way, but the food is worth the trek.
- DeSanos Pizza – I’ve heard incredible things about the pizza here. We didn’t get a chance to stop by but the pictures of their pizza alone will have me coming back to Nashville.
- Five Daughters Bakery – this aesthetically pleasing family owned donut shop is the place of Instagram dreams. They have tons of options and you will not leave disappointed!
- Biscuit Love – Perfect place for breakfast. As the name says, they have biscuits that you’ll love!
Where to Drink
Broadway is definitely the place to go for some honky tonk fun.
- Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge – One of the most famous honky tonk bars in the city. Gets very crowded but worth it to stop by to say you’ve been there, even just for a few minutes.
- Tequila Cowboy – There’s a mechanical bull you can ride and it’s an amazing place to people watch. We saw/met some very interesting characters…
- Wildhorse Saloon – They have a huge dance floor where you can learn to line dance, it’s a really fun, family friendly atmosphere.
- Nudie’s – One of our favorite stops, the live band was so great and we had so much fun meeting some new friends, everyone there seemed so much nicer than anywhere else. They also have a killer rooftop bar. Highly recommend.
- Robert’s Western World – Another famous honky tonk that’s a must do – great live music that really embodies true country music.
- The Stage – Really cool place with a very country vibe. The performers here are top-notch! Also has a great rooftop bar that’s perfect when the weather is nice.
What to Do
- Country Music Hall of Fame – Not to be missed! If you’re not a country music fan when you walk in, you will be by the time you walk out. I could stay in this museum all day. They always have special exhibits dedicated to famous Country music stars. Shania Twain had one when we went.
- Studio B Tour – From the Hall of Fame, you can take a bus to Studio B, where legends like Elvis, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson recorded. This studio played a very important part in the rise of country music in Nashville. By far my most favorite thing we did the whole weekend, this tour actually gave me goosebumps. Highly recommend!
- Shopping – There are so many great places to shop, and shopping is a must-do for any girl’s trip, right? Along Broadway there are cute souvenir shops that have very fun, eclectic offerings that will make you laugh. The places to find boutique shops would be The Gulch, 19th Avenue North and the Vanderbilt area. Some of my favorites are Draper James (Reese Witherspoon owned), The Impeccable Pig, Posh, and Pangaea
- See the Parthenon – One thing I did not know was that Nashville is considered the “Athens of the South” so it’s only fitting they have their own Parthenon located in Centennial Park.
- Grand Ole Opry & Ryman Auditorium – Two country music institutions that still host some of the biggest names in music. Make sure to check the website to see who’s performing while you’re there – you never know who you’ll get a chance to see!
- The Pedestrian Bridge – gives you great views of the city! On Sunday’s during football season you’ll see hordes of Tennessee Titans fans crossing the bridge to get to the stadium.
- Nash Trash Bus Tour – I’ve heard really good things about this tour and it was recommended to us by several people. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to ride it but it’s supposed to be very informative about the history of Nashville, but also really fun and provides a lot of laughs.
- Obviously can’t forget to take pictures in front of all of the insta worthy murals around the city.
And that’s it! Nashville is a great city to visit when you have just the weekend to go somewhere. You can pack a lot into a short amount of time because it’s so easy to get around. You won’t be able to get enough of Nashville and it’ll have you coming back again and again.
