04 Aug, 2021
Nashville.
NashVegas
NashBash.
A few words synonymous with my favorite US city, and found on virtually every 3rd T-shirt and tank top you’ll see walking around Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee.
This city brings me to life. It’s a musical oasis, combined with more fun than you can shake a stick at. I’ll preface this by saying this was my sixth trip to the Music Capital of the world. If you can do it in Nashville, I’ve probably done it. Sang Karaoke ✔️ Peddle Pub through downtown ✔️Party bus birthday ✔️Eaten breakfast without going to bed first ✔️ This city doesn’t sleep much, so get your zzz’s in advance.
This trip was a relatively impromptu girls weekend with one of my best friends and those are the best kind of weekends. No plans. No expectations. No worries. We decided to tour the different parts of the city and find a few hidden gems. Here is your treasure map to a long weekend in Nashville.
New Must See Although I’m not usually much for retail complexes, you must check out the latest addition! Fifth + Broadway that just opened March 4th . It is a dream for photo-ops if you’re looking for the best Insta posts.
Murals abound, it’s a beautifully trendy indoor/outdoor space with some great shopping, and the Assembly Food Hall is LEGIT. You can get your live music fix, grab a mimosa and have everything from gourmet cotton candy to authentic Thai cuisine in one awesome space. Trust me, it’s worth the stop.
Funky Fried Foods: I love a good Mom & Pop shop and The Donut Distillery hits the mark and then some. Owned by a super sweet husband and wife team, they combine the art of signature, made to order mini donuts with a tasty pairing of whiskeys or mimosas.
They have two locations. One inside of the Assembly Food Hall at Fifth + Broadway and the original stand-alone shop on Gallatin Ave. For “research purposes”, obviously, we went to both!
Check out the mimosa and donut flight we enjoyed along with live music at their Gallatin location. Saturday Brunch was a total success!
AH-Mazing Accommodations: You have to sleep eventually, so if you’re going to crash somewhere and you want to have some awesome pictures to remember it by, check out The Graduate. The décor itself is post worthy – so much so I watched one Instagrammer take up one photo-op spot for a solid 20 minutes of duck face poses. Check out those hoop skirt chandeliers!
Music on Broadway and Beyond: If you are looking to catch some great music, just follow your ears.
Virtually every honkytonk on B-way has 2-3 floors with a different band playing on each floor! Not digging the vibe? Move up a level!
Bonus - there are NO cover charges at any of the bars on Broadway or basically anywhere, but keep in mind those musicians aren’t being paid by the venue either. It’s Nashville custom that at the end of each hour they pass the ceremonial tip bucket around the crowd and that’s their income for the night. You should also consider carrying a few $20’s with you in case you’d like to get your favorite jam played ASAP. Most bands take Venmo, PayPal, Cash, or in some cases drinks, as currency to bump you to the head of the request line!
Funky Venues: Looking for something a little out of the ordinary and not on Broadway? Here are two favorites from our trip
Santa’s Pub – Ho Ho No, this is not your average honkytonk. This is a Bonafede and double-wide trailer converted into a dive bar that stays decked out for Christmas all year long. Karaoke is the highlight, as is the original kitchen fridge that Santa (the owner) will pull your $4 beer out of. Cash only. And no cussin’ on the stage. The cheap drinks, funky atmosphere and the stories you’ll hear from Mr. and Mrs. Clause make this a must stop.
The White Limozeen – A nod to the OG of Country, Dolly Parton, designed as an over the top restaurant and puffy pink rooftop patio stop.
Located on the 12th floor of The Graduate Hotel (there is a special elevator you can hop in to go direct to 12) this is a must see and MUST make a reservation for stop. I unfortunately missed the memo on the reservation part, so like the true investigative journalist I am, I bribed the hostess to let me wander around the and take some kind of blurry pictures of the place while people looked at me like I was an idiot. The things I do in the name of research!
Definitely check out pictures on Google, but if you want to feel fancy for a few hours, this is THE place to do it.
Old Faithful: The Grand Ole Opry. Been there, done that? Well, do it again. It’s back to the full time show schedule, but social distancing is still a thing.
We were lucky enough to catch The Oakridge Boys on our visit.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a Girls Weekend, Guys Weekend, a Just Because Weekend or
anything stateside in between, Nashville is the place to be.
Alicia Weigel
Independent Travel Consultant (contractor partner under Mode Travel Agency, Inc)
