When I told people I was going on a family vacation to Nashville, Tennessee I inevitably got one of two responses.
1. “OH MY GOSH you’re going to love it! You have to take so many pictures, you’re going to have so much fun, I’m so jealous!!!!”
Or 2. “Uh, why?”
So, for those of you who are asking the second of those two, I’ll tell you about some of my experiences (the show Nashville has some pretty great tips, too!) and you’ll be packing your bags before you even finish reading.
1. There is LIVE music everywhere.
Literally everywhere you go, someone is singing. All of the bars have live music; many of them are karaoke—which is always a good time. The amount of talent in this one city is unbelievable! Broadway is where all the good stuff happens. It alternates from bars to boot stores just about every other store. You might think that sounds boring, but there is a different vibe in each location that makes you want to wander in every one.
2. The Grand Ole Opry
This is where country music became famous. There are multiple shows every day of the week! One of the country music broadcasts happens right during the Grand Ole Opry nighttime performances. The night I went I saw so many different artists perform. A lot of the people that perform there are up and coming artists; I saw Sarah Darling (Little Umbrellas), Aaron Tippin, Frankie Ballard (Helluva Life), Justin Moore (Point at You), Striking Matches (sibling writers for the show Nashville), and some other fantastic musicians.
3. The Gaylord Resort
The resort has maps at every turn because it’s so big… I even admit to getting lost a few times, no shame. Even if you don’t stay here, you HAVE to go just to see it and wander around. The amount of activity in the restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs INSIDE the resort itself is unreal.
4. Titans vs. Redskins Pre-season Game
Timing is everything. My mom just so happened to pick up a brochure off the ground to throw out, but read it to see what was going on in Tennessee the week we were there, and she spotted this football game. Not only was it for the game, but for a boat party from the resort to the stadium, basically dropping us off in our seats. It was so great! The DJ had a lot of fun picking on the Washington fans (until we won) and of course the Hustle had to be played.
5. FOOD.
If you don’t love food, you’re wrong. But seriously, I had some of the best food ever in Nashville. What better place to do BBQ than Tennessee? Puckett’s, on Church Street, was some darn good soul food. I’m not a huge BBQ fan, but I was most definitely a member of the clean plate club here. And they have cookie skillets, so basically it’s perfection. Another place you want to check out is Virago. Their sushi was phenomenal. I’ve lived on the beach my whole life, so my first reaction to “Nashville sushi” was “ummm yeah no.” But it was delicious. There were seven of us and we ordered and ate 34 rolls. I’m not kidding. Then had dessert… It was that good. If you go, and you like sushi, you MUST try it.
My family and I also went to the Johnny Cash Museum, Country Music Hall Of Fame (where I was TWO feet away from Reba McEntire!!!), The Ryman, visited Belmont University (I don’t recommend making the 6 mile trek walking from Downtown Nashville in 98 degree weather and 78% humidity. Speaking from experience it was a struggle, but it was still really neat!), and so many other things in just one week that I can’t wait to go back and do even more the next time. So next time you think you want to leave the country but can’t quite afford the airfare, remember there are SO many fabulous opportunities to travel right here in the USA! #ROADTRIP