Nashville

[RRLover]

Just booked for March next year. Wife loves Pink, we both want to sample Nashville & i'm in the dog house
So what are the do & dont's ?

Restaurants ?
Pubs?
Things to do ?
Hotels ?

[K50 DEL]

Tootsie's Orchid Lounge for some fantastic live music
Grand Ole Opry
Gaylord Opryland Hotel (like no hotel you've ever seen before)

Catch a Titans game

I liked Nashville, but be aware that the safe parts turn unsafe very quickly, in all the touring I've done around the US (47 states so far) Nashville is the only place where the local police have popped me in the back of the car to "return me to a safe location"

[RRLover]

K50 DEL said:

Tootsie's Orchid Lounge for some fantastic live music
Grand Ole Opry
Gaylord Opryland Hotel (like no hotel you've ever seen before)

Catch a Titans game

I liked Nashville, but be aware that the safe parts turn unsafe very quickly, in all the touring I've done around the US (47 states so far) Nashville is the only place where the local police have popped me in the back of the car to "return me to a safe location"

Fantastic.
I've been looking at the Opryland Hotel.
I think Pink has the use of the Titans home for a night, so that will be out.

[alangla]

Spend 2 nights doing the Broadway, 1 side each night. Visit Jack's Bar-B-Que 4 doors down from the previously mentioned Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. You queue up for food served over the counter on paper plates then have to find a seat but it's the best barbeque pork I've ever tasted.

Don't accept offers from your hotel to "phone a cab" to get you to Opryland or the airport. I did this & they phoned a (licenced) limo operator who charged considerably more than the taxi rate. The council fix taxi fares between downtown, the airport and Opryland (i.e. any journey between any of those 3) so you should know what you're paying before you get in (it's on a window sticker)

[David Beer]

I’ve only been to Nashville once and I have to say can’t wait to go back it was July 4 and it was mad I stayed at the Hermitage which is a very nice hotel and can honestly say I don’t think I had bad meal in any of the restaurants of course I did the grand old Opry which was great but generally just walking around the central bit I certainly had no worries

I have done a fair bit of travelling in the US and in fact in 2 1/2 weeks time I finish the final two states to visit which is Washington and Oregon just Nashville is a little difficult to get to I did it on the New York to LA trip which sounds daft But it was part of a 5000 mile four week trip

[djc206]

Florida Georgia Line have their own bar called FGL House which has very good live music and a nice rooftop bar area.

417 union for breakfast

Painters alley specifically Bourbon street blues and boogie bar. It’s great.

Martins BBQ joint.

Cycle along the river, they have something similar to Boris bikes.

Use Uber not normal taxis.

[bridgdav]

A crazy, but great place to visit, vibrant and soulful.
Number 1 destination for Hen parties after a wedding magazine quoted it as the place to go.
Stick to the main drag and the odd side street and you’ll be fine.

Always Uber never taxi.. go up to 9th street and broadway for pick up, avoiding the hustle. Just a walk up the hill.
General country during the day then rock/country in the nights for live bands.
They are everywhere, so bar hopping is a good shout.
During the day there are plenty of bars offering specials.
Food on the Main Street isn’t great - just use trip advisor to make your choices based on tastes.

It gets very busy..!!,

[joshcowin]

Being a massive country fan this is my dream holiday!

Would love to see Alan Jackson play at the Opry, I would book my trip around that

I have bookmarked this to use for my trip (one day)

[djc206]

To anyone thinking about going BA are doing business class deals to Nashville direct for £1400 ish in November.

[The Moose]

Funny to see this thread now. I am just heading to Nashville as I write. I’m going to have a couple of hours to kill around lunch time before jumping on a plane - any recommendations (that involve lunch!)?

[liner33]

David Beer said:

I’ve only been to Nashville once and I have to say can’t wait to go back it was July 4 and it was mad I stayed at the Hermitage which is a very nice hotel and can honestly say I don’t think I had bad meal in any of the restaurants of course I did the grand old Opry which was great but generally just walking around the central bit I certainly had no worries

I have done a fair bit of travelling in the US and in fact in 2 1/2 weeks time I finish the final two states to visit which is Washington and Oregon just Nashville is a little difficult to get to I did it on the New York to LA trip which sounds daft But it was part of a 5000 mile four week trip

I will "should" be there July 4th this year as part of a road trip with my 18 yr old son , that might make some of the bars out of bounds but we are really looking forward to it , staying in a central hotel with everything within a few minutes walk its going to be fab

Can anyone suggest any live music restaurants that you can take under 21's in?

[David Beer]

liner33 said:

I will "should" be there July 4th this year as part of a road trip with my 18 yr old son , that might make some of the bars out of bounds but we are really looking forward to it , staying in a central hotel with everything within a few minutes walk its going to be fab

Can anyone suggest any live music restaurants that you can take under 21's in?

WHere is your start and finish? Sorry not sure of the drinking side of things, at 58 I only get asked for ID occasionally!
Even at that hideous age, I walked(wadled) back to hotel at 4.30!! It truly is a great place to visit.
Thought about popping it this coming road trip but not this year.

[liner33]

We are doing

Atlanta, Nashville, Little Rock, Fort Worth, Roswell, Tombstone, Phoenix, Week in LA then wander up coast via Pismo Beach, Monterey to San Francisco for a few days , Paso Roubles on way back and then fly out.of LA

[RRLover]

Fantastic replies.
Keep them coming

[offspring86]

My favourite place in the whole world. I've been countless times, it does help that my other half lives in Murfreesboro, 30 minutes away.

I can only really echo what people have already said:

On Lower Broadway be sure to visit Tootsies, Layla's (where I met my girlfriend) and Robert's Western World in the evening. Honky Tonk Central and Rippy's are good one's for food, drink and music during the day. Acme Feed & Seed and Rock Bottom do great food and beer. Printer's Alley also has some very unique bars!

A few acts you shouldn't miss:

Don Kelley Band - They're really Robert's Western World's house band
The Eskimo brothers - Usually found playing at Layla's or Nashville Crossroads
Daniel Donato - Guitarist who used to play in Don Kelley's band, now a solo player. Unbelievable talent for someone so young.

Take a tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and definitely pay the extra to tour RCA Studio B - the history in that room is incredible.

If the Predators are in town go and watch some ice hockey before spending the evening milling with the fans on Lower Broadway! Sadly you won't be able to catch a Titans game as the season ends a few months before that. Depending on what time in March you visit you may be able to catch the very beginning of the baseball season. Nashville has a Minor LEague team, The Nashville sounds. They play a few blocks north of Lower Broadway at the First Tennessee Park.

I've only been to the Gaylord Opryland Resort once and that was at Christmas. It's a phenomenal place, there really is no other hotel like it on this planet!

Go for a walk around Centennial Park so you can see the Parthenon replica.

Outside of the centre, Pharmacy Burger does possibly the best burger in Tennessee.

If you take a drive out of the city be sure to visit Dickel Whiskey, the countryside surrounding it is beautiful and the whiskey is damn fine!

If anything else springs to mind I'll add it!

[Aldos Army]

I'm off to NJ in June and have 4 days left at the end. Was thinking of flying to Nashville for a night or two and then driving to Memphis for the same. Is this realistic or would I just be best off staying in NJ for a few more nights?

[raddog]

Eat\drink at Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant 500 Church St, just back from Broadway, went there last year with one of my colleagues who's a Nashville local, great BBQ meat, good local beers and off the main tourist trail.

[liner33]

We decided to give Memphis a miss , its quite a bit more dangerous than Nashville by all accounts

[Aldos Army]

liner33 said:

We decided to give Memphis a miss , its quite a bit more dangerous than Nashville by all accounts

yeah fair enough. I figured I'd only stay one night and spend it on Beale Street, but not sure it's worth all the hassle

[djc206]

Aldos Army said:

liner33 said:

We decided to give Memphis a miss , its quite a bit more dangerous than Nashville by all accounts

yeah fair enough. I figured I'd only stay one night and spend it on Beale Street, but not sure it's worth all the hassle

There was no hassle when we went. I never felt unsafe in Memphis and we wandered around freely. The Cooper Young district has some nice bars and restaurants. I slightly prefer Memphis to Nashville, it’s got a rawer feel and far fewer stag and hen dos.