Planning for Spring Break in Nashville

In high school, the idea of spring break always seemed amazing. It was portrayed as a week at the beach partying with everyone you know — a time for you to let go of your stress and have fun.

And it’s true, spring break can be a week for college students to take a much-needed vacation from the mid-semester gloom of their college town. However, that is not always the case. 

It is a highly anticipated, and yet sometimes strikingly underwhelming, time for students. It is something that doesn’t always live up to Hollywood’s romanticized depiction. 

Beach cities, like Fort Lauderdale, are classic destinations for spring break. Although it sounds fun at first, college students from all over the country are stumbling around on the beach and in the bars.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a relaxing spring break on the beach, but the execution isn’t always graceful. Everyone I’ve talked to said they loved this type of spring break vacation, but would never do it again.

I’m not hating on spring break at all. I love to take trips. I’m just saying that beaches and bars might not be as much fun as they’re cracked up to be in the movies. 

My friends and I will take a break from State College this year, but instead of the warm beaches and ocean breeze, we’re going to Nashville. 

My dad has been there multiple times and the friend I’m going with has a house outside of the downtown area. So many country artists have bars downtown and the city’s aesthetic always looks so pretty in photos. 

For these reasons and more, I have always wanted to go to Nashville. However, there are so many questions that come with planning a trip.

The hardest part of preparing for this trip has been the outfits.

What am I going to wear? What boots should I pack? Should I buy new boots? Do I bring my cowboy hat?

Even though cowboy hats are the perfect accessory for Nashville, I am leaning toward not bringing mine. It wouldn’t fit in my luggage, so I would have to wear it on the plane. 

Vacations can come with a hefty price tag, too. If you’re thinking of going on a spring break vacation, try picking out a couple of statement pieces to center the rest of your outfits around.

This can be a big money saver when it comes to trips like these. You can wear plain pieces from your current wardrobe to highlight the most important accessories.

I’m allowing myself one outfit purchase. I own cowboy boots, but I will order a new pair of cherry red, knee-high cowboy boots to become the focal point of all my outfits.

The red in the boots will match the purse I am bringing, and the rest of my outfit components can be fairly simple pieces that I already own.

I’m thinking of bringing mostly skirts to wear with a white or black top, or I’ll wear dresses with an oversized leather jacket. For the daytime, I can just wear jeans with a baby tee or a bodysuit with the same leather jacket.

Keeping it minimal on vacation is a safe way to go about packing. Elaborate, preplanned outfits don’t always end up looking like how I envisioned them.

Overall, I feel good about the trip and the outfits that will be included. No matter what, I will be happy if I get some good pictures for Instagram.

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• Nashville outfits
• spring break