Anyone been to Nashville?
Discussion
I went to Nashville last year we were there for about 5 days, I'll caveat that I'm a 'new' country man, love bourbon, food and the country music scene. I'll also say that this will be all over the shop in terms of recommendations so I'll apologise in advance.
Nashville to me was what I expected Las Vegas to be before I went to either. I'd go back to Nashville in a heartbeat and recommend it to most, Vegas I'm glad I've been but won't be back.
We stayed at Holston House, on North 7th Avenue. It was far enough away from Broadway you didn't hear any noise or disturbances but was close enough that you felt like you were in the action. It's worth noting if you throw this in the ring as a place to stay, we felt it was easiest to park in the Library garage next door and just walk. As the comment above says, Hattie B's hot chicken is worth a visit, there is a queue and their 'shut the cluck up' was insanely hot. I can deal with decent spice but this was too much for me. They're good for giving you a single tender if you want to try it.
We had a simple shake shack our first night before headed to bed but the strip was absolutely bouncing as there was a predators game on. The country music hall of fame is worthwhile, however if you buy the ticket to do the RCA studio B ticket too, make sure you have enough time to both as the HoF takes maybe 3 hours properly view everything. At the end there is an Atrium thing that says "Here lives country music: It's spirit, it's soul and it's history it's people and it's songs" on the floor. Stand on that point and speak, they'll probably recommend it.
RCA studio B is worthwhile if you're an Elvis fan, even if you're not, it's still quite cool to see.
Not far from the HoF is Martin's BBQ, I thought I was good at BBQ until I went here. It was insanely good.
My SIL is a graphic designer so she dragged us all to hatch show print shop, I ended a bit glassy eyed but it was interesting to see how the posters are printed.
For breakfast, we visited D'Andrews bakery, which is behind the library garage. If you enjoy a pastry, it's award winning, expensive but excellent! We taken the trip one day down to Lynchburg to Jack Daniels, it's a bit of an eye opener as it's a dry county so they won't serve alcohol anywhere other than the Jack Daniels factory and when they do serve you, they serve you perfect levels so you can drink and drive and appear quite open and excited to tell you this fact. The shop isn't that cheap if I'm honest but they do factory only bourbon which is well worthwhile.
The Gulch in Nashville is a bit hipster-ish but has Milk and Honey, some 'big wings' on the wall which the wife loved and a Patagonia shop which I loved. We left there and went out to the Opry, unfortunately we managed to book the week they had nothing on and left on the day the CMA Fest started. (I should add, D'Andrews had a parking lot across from it and it cost us $50 for 18 minutes on the day CMA Fest started as it read your plate and you paid on exit..)
In terms of bars, most beg for cash to hear whatever song you want but depending what you look for, you tend to find someone doing it quite quickly anyway. We visited Painters Alley which was out the way but quite a cool area with quieter bars. Morgan Wallen, although a bit of a dick, his bar was great. Lainey Wilsons bar had the best hot sauce I've ever had (gator sauce) and was the only bar we went to that had more actual country music than rock. Kid Rock's bar has all the staff in luminous skin clad clothing with more rock music, alot of trump aligned fans that were a little loud, brash and didn't want to keep themselves to themselves, otherwise the bar was good. Friends in low places, we saw a pop-up from the Bluebird cafe as it was closed when we visited for roof repairs. Jon Bon Jovi's bar was good also. White Limozeen is Dolly's bar, it's very pink, full of instagram style screamy type girls but good cocktails and views if you don't get it on a rainy night like we did. If you're into a REALLY good cocktail bar, Patterson house is quite hard to find but has great cocktails and a good vibe.
Most of the bars are fairly similar, you get the same in most bars, only the band and view changes.
Apologies this is so chaotic, I've gone through my photos to try to remind me of everything we did which has made it as such. I'll finish by saying you could spend a comfortable 5 days going round all the bars easily within itself, never mind everything else that you may want to visit. I'll definitely be looking to go back for a week or more to just visit all the bars on Broadway.
Nashville to me was what I expected Las Vegas to be before I went to either. I'd go back to Nashville in a heartbeat and recommend it to most, Vegas I'm glad I've been but won't be back.
We stayed at Holston House, on North 7th Avenue. It was far enough away from Broadway you didn't hear any noise or disturbances but was close enough that you felt like you were in the action. It's worth noting if you throw this in the ring as a place to stay, we felt it was easiest to park in the Library garage next door and just walk. As the comment above says, Hattie B's hot chicken is worth a visit, there is a queue and their 'shut the cluck up' was insanely hot. I can deal with decent spice but this was too much for me. They're good for giving you a single tender if you want to try it.
We had a simple shake shack our first night before headed to bed but the strip was absolutely bouncing as there was a predators game on. The country music hall of fame is worthwhile, however if you buy the ticket to do the RCA studio B ticket too, make sure you have enough time to both as the HoF takes maybe 3 hours properly view everything. At the end there is an Atrium thing that says "Here lives country music: It's spirit, it's soul and it's history it's people and it's songs" on the floor. Stand on that point and speak, they'll probably recommend it.
RCA studio B is worthwhile if you're an Elvis fan, even if you're not, it's still quite cool to see.
Not far from the HoF is Martin's BBQ, I thought I was good at BBQ until I went here. It was insanely good.
My SIL is a graphic designer so she dragged us all to hatch show print shop, I ended a bit glassy eyed but it was interesting to see how the posters are printed.
For breakfast, we visited D'Andrews bakery, which is behind the library garage. If you enjoy a pastry, it's award winning, expensive but excellent! We taken the trip one day down to Lynchburg to Jack Daniels, it's a bit of an eye opener as it's a dry county so they won't serve alcohol anywhere other than the Jack Daniels factory and when they do serve you, they serve you perfect levels so you can drink and drive and appear quite open and excited to tell you this fact. The shop isn't that cheap if I'm honest but they do factory only bourbon which is well worthwhile.
The Gulch in Nashville is a bit hipster-ish but has Milk and Honey, some 'big wings' on the wall which the wife loved and a Patagonia shop which I loved. We left there and went out to the Opry, unfortunately we managed to book the week they had nothing on and left on the day the CMA Fest started. (I should add, D'Andrews had a parking lot across from it and it cost us $50 for 18 minutes on the day CMA Fest started as it read your plate and you paid on exit..)
In terms of bars, most beg for cash to hear whatever song you want but depending what you look for, you tend to find someone doing it quite quickly anyway. We visited Painters Alley which was out the way but quite a cool area with quieter bars. Morgan Wallen, although a bit of a dick, his bar was great. Lainey Wilsons bar had the best hot sauce I've ever had (gator sauce) and was the only bar we went to that had more actual country music than rock. Kid Rock's bar has all the staff in luminous skin clad clothing with more rock music, alot of trump aligned fans that were a little loud, brash and didn't want to keep themselves to themselves, otherwise the bar was good. Friends in low places, we saw a pop-up from the Bluebird cafe as it was closed when we visited for roof repairs. Jon Bon Jovi's bar was good also. White Limozeen is Dolly's bar, it's very pink, full of instagram style screamy type girls but good cocktails and views if you don't get it on a rainy night like we did. If you're into a REALLY good cocktail bar, Patterson house is quite hard to find but has great cocktails and a good vibe.
Most of the bars are fairly similar, you get the same in most bars, only the band and view changes.
Apologies this is so chaotic, I've gone through my photos to try to remind me of everything we did which has made it as such. I'll finish by saying you could spend a comfortable 5 days going round all the bars easily within itself, never mind everything else that you may want to visit. I'll definitely be looking to go back for a week or more to just visit all the bars on Broadway.
I hired a manual C7 Corvette on Turo for $120 for the day and drove to the Corvette museum at Bowling Green in Kentucky. It was well worth it.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChAW5TToN2U/?igsh=M...
I also had a KFC in Kentucky. It was awful.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChAW5TToN2U/?igsh=M...
I also had a KFC in Kentucky. It was awful.
We had 4 days there last year. Loved it but would have been happy with just three days really. The best thing we did was the Grand Ole Opry - a real mix of stuff, some good, some ok, but the experience was superb and I'd definitely recommend it.
Franklin, south of Nashville, was a nice little place to spend an afternoon.
Don't forget your ID. Most of the Honky Tonks won't let you in without it, irrespective of how old you are/look. In fact, that's the norm in Tennessee, Alabama and many other states in the region.
Where else are you going? If music is your thing, and I assume it is given you're going to Nashville, take a look at Muscle Shoals in Alabama - it's well worth a couple of nights if you have time (recording studios, Frank Lloyd Wright designed house, Helen Keller's house). We travelled from Chattanooga (loved it) to Lynchburg for the Jack Daniels distillery tour (really good), then onto Muscle Shoals. From there we went to Nashville via the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a great road for enjoying the scenery.
Franklin, south of Nashville, was a nice little place to spend an afternoon.
Don't forget your ID. Most of the Honky Tonks won't let you in without it, irrespective of how old you are/look. In fact, that's the norm in Tennessee, Alabama and many other states in the region.
Where else are you going? If music is your thing, and I assume it is given you're going to Nashville, take a look at Muscle Shoals in Alabama - it's well worth a couple of nights if you have time (recording studios, Frank Lloyd Wright designed house, Helen Keller's house). We travelled from Chattanooga (loved it) to Lynchburg for the Jack Daniels distillery tour (really good), then onto Muscle Shoals. From there we went to Nashville via the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a great road for enjoying the scenery.
I stayed in September 2023 for 2 nights and I had a blast. I stayed across the street from the main Vanderbilt university campus and would cut through the grounds to get to Centennial Park and the Parthenon. Universities there are something different I swear, also this was in an area known as Music Row for all the recording studios that are in the area. If you want a good breakfast, I'd highly recommend a place called Midtown Cafe. And definitely take a walk through Broadway down to the Riverfront, great views of the river and the Tennessee Titans stadium. There's also a pedestrian bridge that crosses the river.
Someone mentioned Hattie B's chicken which I can definitely vouch for, I'd also recommend Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint. Broadway at night, as expected, wild as can be but a lot of fun!
Someone mentioned Hattie B's chicken which I can definitely vouch for, I'd also recommend Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint. Broadway at night, as expected, wild as can be but a lot of fun!
I’ve been a few times. My recommendation is always just to head downtown and walk until you hear something you like, head inside and move on when it’s no longer to your taste. There’s a s
t load of money in Nashville so it’s an expensive city with some very good restaurants and some very poor quality drinks at top dollar so don’t be afraid to just keep moving. Martins is a good shout, it’s not sensational bbq but it’s good and reasonably priced.
I’m a tootsies fan. Not the most glamorous venue in town but there’s something about it.
Painters alley for sure. There’s a burlesque show at Skulls there that I was dragged to by my ex but it was actually really good.
Restaurants: the Finch, STK, 417 Union (breakfast), Husk.
Beer bikes can be a laugh, I did it with a group of friends. Very Vegas (Nashville is the new Vegas) but fun nonetheless.
t load of money in Nashville so it’s an expensive city with some very good restaurants and some very poor quality drinks at top dollar so don’t be afraid to just keep moving. Martins is a good shout, it’s not sensational bbq but it’s good and reasonably priced.I’m a tootsies fan. Not the most glamorous venue in town but there’s something about it.
Painters alley for sure. There’s a burlesque show at Skulls there that I was dragged to by my ex but it was actually really good.
Restaurants: the Finch, STK, 417 Union (breakfast), Husk.
Beer bikes can be a laugh, I did it with a group of friends. Very Vegas (Nashville is the new Vegas) but fun nonetheless.
Nothing extra to add other than whats already been said.
I'd head back to Nashville in a heartbeat, but certainly wouldn''t go back to Vegas.
Just loved the vibe in Nashville.(and Memphis for that matter as well)
As already said, Chattanooga was a great stop on the way from Atlanta in the hire car too.
I'd head back to Nashville in a heartbeat, but certainly wouldn''t go back to Vegas.
Just loved the vibe in Nashville.(and Memphis for that matter as well)
As already said, Chattanooga was a great stop on the way from Atlanta in the hire car too.
DJC76 said:
There s a st load of money in Nashville so it s an expensive city with some very good restaurants and some very poor quality drinks at top dollar so don t be afraid to just keep moving.
Indeed.t load of money in Nashville so it s an expensive city with some very good restaurants and some very poor quality drinks at top dollar so don t be afraid to just keep moving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yIFPE-PqFg
Nashville is the Healthcare capital of the US, with nearly every healthcare company having their HQ there. Nissan US have relocated to Nashville. A few major law firms have moved their from NYC. It's booming.
Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Wednesday 30th July 10:36
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff