Nashville Travel Guide
/Looking for a quick trip to a stylish musical town full of energy and life? Look no further then Nashville! Its a fun-filled town with of so many great music venues featuring live music, great restaurants, hotels, bars, history and places to shop! You honestly cant go wrong with so much to choose from …but here were all my favorites!
Where To Stay: Kimpton Aertson Hotel
You already know I am a HUGE Kimpton fan! So as soon as they opened their new spot in Nashville I had it on my bucket list of places to visit and stay! After our stay I was once again reminded why I do LOVE Kimpton Hotels! The staff was amazing, rooms were amazingly hip and they of course had all the amenities you could ever need! (hotel spa, great restaurant and Bar, gym, wine hour, coffee and hot cocoa in the morning and valet)
What To Do:
Nashville is full of so many fun things to do and music to see everywhere!! These are the things we enjoyed the most and would do again one day and highly recommend if you’re planning a trip here soon! I am listing them in order of what we liked the most incase you don’t have time to do it all and have to prioritize.
THE GRAND OLE OPRY
I loved going to the famous historic Opry venue on night one so much that we decided to go again on the last night we were in Nashville for a benefit concert! If you are a short girl like me who normally hates going to concerts because everyone is taller then you then this is the type of concert venue you want. Everyone sits for pretty much the whole concert, enjoys the music and it seems so much more intimate then huge sports venues. I also love that so many talented musicians that may or may not be household names yet are nightly regulars there and they often have hit new songs you’ve on the radio!
THE LISTENING ROOM
Another great experience was the listening room. Its an extremely intimate venue with food and drinks and most everyone is so close that they are literally be right next to the stage. Here you are listening to lesser known but totally talented artists or songwriters who are sharing their music. Could be a number one hit, something they just wrote today or a song you’ll hear on the radio in a few years. They have different artists every night and its a fun setting that really gets you to experience the music. We had the pleasure of seeing 3 different singers sharing the stage and taking turns playing their songs and incorporating their musical and life journey along the way with the crowd.
VISITING THE SUBURB OF FRANKLIN
If you are up for a day trip I 100% recommend heading to the quaint town of Franklin about 20 minutes outside of Nashville. Its an adorable little historic town with the cutest shopping, great restaurants, coffee shops and so much charm! We met the nicest people working in the downtown stores and had the nicest conversations with them. We decided to eat breakfast at Biscuit Love here and after shopping around town we headed just to the edge of town and got to do one of our favorite vacation activities with some wine tasting at the beautiful winery Arrington Vineyards.
GOO GOO CLUSTERS
If you want the original American candy makers this is the spot. Goo Goo Clusters was the first candy making company to actually put more than 1 other ingredient into their chocolate candies. Everything was delicious and they have an area in the back of the factory where you can create your own goo goo candies and listen to some great goo goo history which makes it a family fun stop right next to Broadway!
RYMAN AUDITORIUM
You can see artists perform at this famous historic venue or just simply do a daily tour. We decided to just do the tour being the shows didn’t fit into our schedule. The tour was so cool and the building is so beautiful. It’s a great way to spend a couple hours also happens to be right next to Broadway.
THE PARTHENON
This was a mile from our hotel so we decided to do as a morning walk with coffee to explore more of the city. Once you arrive at the Parthenon they have a QR code on the ground you can scan to have a guided online free tour and learn more about the structures history. Beautiful to see and inside of a the gorgeous Centennial Park.
THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
This was another morning walk for us to get some exercise and the best way to see the city downtown skyline views from across the bridge and across the river leading to their NFL team football stadium. If you are at all like my husband then seeing any pro stadium within reach of any trip we take is a must! There are multiple bridges to see along a flowing river that leads to some beautiful views
BROADWAY STREET
Probably the most popular thing to do in Nashville! It is a must do but at the bottom of my list just because one day of the partying was enough for me. I highly recommend bar hopping all the famous bars like Tootsie’s. I’m sure if you are here for a bachelorette party or with friends Broadway would be where everyone spends most of their time! Every bar had a different vibe and there was lots of live music at every one. I suggest just popping into them all and seeing if you like the crowd and ordering a drink if you do. If you don’t go to the next one, you are sure to find a spot you love! I don’t really recommend eating anywhere near Broadway but I’ll share all my favorite places to eat below!
Where To Eat:
The real reason I love going on vacation AND can totally make or break a trip for me.. just ask my husband how my mood can change with a great meal! The first day of Nashville I was pretty sad we hadn’t had anything that delicious, but come day 2 I was a much happier traveler! Here are my favorites from the trip listed in order of my favorites!
BARCELONA WINE BAR
Amazingly delicious Spanish tapas! Every single thing we got was delicious, fresh and was one of my favorite meals!! I would recommend a reservation here but you will mostly likely be okay getting in with a small wait. We went mid week and it was PACKED. We got a small bite and wine at the bar for our 30 min wait and it was perfect!
BAR TACO
We love bar taco! They have them all over the East Coast and I highly recommend going if you are ever near one! We have loved every variety of taco we’ve eaten, and their side dishes and guac and chips is amazing. Also the drinks (margs) are always so fresh! If we both had to pick one thing you must get it’s the Glazed Pork Belly tacos for sure! We both said we could eat them every single day and not get tired of them! I kind of want one right now..
BISCUIT LOVE
This was a top pick on all the blogs I read and I can see why! Biscuits galore and drinks were also amazing! Everyone said to get the Bonuts so we did and they were a delicious desert to add to our breakfast! They have several locations all over Nashville and one in Franklin. We went to the one in Franklin during our day exploring and loved the charming house they redid.
FIVE DAUGHTERS BAKERY
The most delicious donuts you will eat! They are also all over town so you honestly cant miss it! I highly recommend the maple bacon donut! DELISH!
HENLEY
Perfect location because it was at our hotel! However, almost every single Kimpton hotel we have been to has had the most delicious restaurants. I always love to order room service at least one day on vacation because that means I get to sleep in! HAHA! Loved the brunch we had. Delicious avocado toast!
THE PHARMACY
Great burgers and beer garden featuring some unique European beers. All the burgers are delicious and make sure you get the tots YOU WONT regret it! Loved that they had spiked milkshakes also, so fun and delicious!
THE WHITE LIMOZEEN
We only had drinks here so I can only speak to that but they were YUM! The atmosphere was also worth even just going for a cocktail! Super cute for a girls night! Recommend reservations they book out quick and start only 2 weeks ahead of the date.
HATTIE B’S
This is a MUST if you visit because HOT CHICKEN. Everything was super delicious and when I say everything.. we ordered pretty much the whole menu. We had this first night when we arrived and hadn’t eaten all day. So our eyes were totally bigger then our stomach but we loved getting to try it all!
