Your Guide to a Long Weekend in Nashville.
Nashville, Tennessee. The only place in the world where there’s a boot shop next door to a craft ramen restaurant. I love Nashville, it’s one of my favorite cities and it’s an easy flight from Jacksonville so it was the perfect spot to celebrate my graduation and birthday all in one trip. Tyler left a day before me so I flew in Sunday morning, which gave us 3 1/2 days in music city. We did rent a car and if you aren’t visiting friends or family in Nashville I highly recommend this, especially if you are traveling in the colder months and staying more than a night or two.
Where We Stayed.
We stayed at the SoBro Guest House a couple blocks from Broadway. I fell in love with this spot as soon as I saw it online and I will try to stay here every time we visit Nashville from now on. It was more of an Air BnB set-up and we had a virtual check-in where the door codes were texted to me when our room was ready on check-in day. Every unit is set up like a little apartment and has its own kitchen. It was full equipped with pots and pans, a french press coffee maker, plenty of tea bags (thank goodness because we both had sore throats) and a really cute record player with old country records. It was also right next door to the best BBQ in Nash and had lots of cute murals and wallpaper.
Day One.
Breakfast:
Biscuit Love – Hillsboro Village
I’ve wanted to try Biscuit Love since the first time I visited Nashville, but we were always in the Gulch and the line was always down the street. The day I landed in Nashville it was a cold, rainy Sunday so we decided to drive over to Hillsboro Village to try the famous restaurant. There was hardly a line when we got there and found a seat right away. We definitely weren’t disappointed. I got the Southern Benny with fried eggs instead of scrambled and Tyler got the East Nasty. We really enjoyed the restaurant and the food but it still isn’t a T-Rays biscuit… sorry not sorry.
Afternoon:
After breakfast we were freezing, wet from the rain and we couldn’t check into our hotel yet. We decided to go see a movie at AMC Bellvue, such a nice movie theater with reclining seats. We saw Bohemian Rhapsody it was amazing. We were also both starting to feel a little sick… so this was a nice chill afternoon but if you wanted to you could head straight to Broadway for a drink before checking into your hotel.
Dinner:
Martin’s BBQ – Downtown Nashville
Our hotel was 15 feet from the best barbecue in Nashville. Tyler had already been here before but he was very excited about visiting again. We got there early and sat at the bar. I got the smoked chicken wings tossed in Alabama white sauce and Tyler got the smoked turkey plate. This one probably my top two favorite meals of the whole trip. Even if you’re not a BBQ fan normally I promise you’ll fall in love with this place. Highly, highly recommend.
Dessert:
Five Daughters Bakery – 12 South
Five Daughters came highly recommended so we decided to swing by here after dinner for one of their 1000 layer croissant dough donuts. I got the gingerbread flavor and it was unreal. Since we came at night we didn’t have many options left to choose from but I would absolutely go back for breakfast the next time we’re in Nashville.
Day Two.
Breakfast:
Frothy Monkey – 12 South
The Frothy Monkey was another one of those places on the “must visit in Nashville” list. There’s a couple different locations but we headed down to 12 South. It was a cold, sunny day so I wanted to take full advantage of the sunshine and walk around a little bit. I got toast/eggs/bacon/avocado and a latte. For a coffee shop the food here was on point.
** P.S. The “Nashville Looks Good On You” mural is right behind Frothy Monkey.
Mid-Day Activities:
Murals. Sorry.
I made Tyler run around with me for about an hour looking for murals. This blog post: The Ultimate Insta-Worthy Guide to 20 Murals In Nashville is a great guide to finding all of the cute murals in Nash. Tons in 12 South.
After the murals head down to Broadway and start scouting out the spots you want to hit on your night(s) out. We jumped on Bird Scooters and scooted around downtown. These scooters are so fun!! Totally recommend them but just be careful because they go so fast.
You can also browse through some of the prestigious guitar shops all over Nashville. You might even see a famous country singer. I saw Chris Stapleton. Did I speak to him? No. Because I’m a big fat baby. But…. maybe you’ll be braver then I was.
Dinner:
The Flipside – 12 South
After all the fried food and barbecue we had eaten in the past couple days I was ready for a little bit of a healthier meal…. but not too healthy (we were on vacation after all.) Tyler found this really cool restaurant in 12 South called The Flipside. It’s hard to explain but you should just look at the menu. The majority of the menu is “Italian style chicken” but served a bunch of different ways. I got the JBBLT but instead of having the chicken pan-fried with breadcrumbs I got my chicken grilled. It was excellent and the restaurant is an old-school, 50’s theme.
Night-Out Activities:
Tyler had been wanting to go to “Whiskey Jam” in Nashville for months and they happened to be holding one while we were visiting. Whiskey Jam is basically a night for up and coming music stars to perform. In my eyes it was definitely a traditional Nashville night out. It’s free and held at “Winner’s Bar.” If you plan on going definitely arrive early and get started drinking because this place packs out fast. Here’s a link to the website with the schedule: Whiskey Jam
Before or after Whiskey Jam, walk next door to Kung Fu Saloon. This is a really cool bar that is loaded with old arcade games. It’s definitely a fun, off-broadway bar, if you want to miss some of the crowds of downtown.
Day Three.
Breakfast:
We went to breakfast on day three at Milk and Honey in the Gulch. (This is where the big, angel wing mural is.) I had Chicken and waffles and they were wonderful. We sat at the bar that overlooked the kitchen and I actually really enjoyed it. This place is always rocking so you might have to wait for a few minutes.
Coffee Shops & Shopping:
We went to Crema Coffee on the third day. I liked this place and it was very aesthetically pleasing buuuuuut it’s notas good as Barista Parlor. You’ll hear more about Barista Parlor later. Keep reading.
Two Old Hippies was one of my favorite shops we visited in Nashville. There’s so much fun stuff to look at in here. From really funny greeting cards, pretty art prints, upscale “hippie” clothes, this place has it all. Would definitely recommend walking through here even if you’re just window shopping.
Dinner:
So we had planned to go to Taco Mamacita for dinner this night but Tyler didn’t think about the time change when planning for the Predator’s game and we ended up not having time. I really want to try this place next time we go though, it came highly recommended. We went to a quick Mexican restaurant but I’m not going to talk about it because it was average @ best. Go to Taco Mamacita instead.
Predator’s Game & Night Activites:
If you are in Nashville when the Predators are playing you should definitely go. We had never been to an NHL game before and it is such an awesome experience. It’s more like a show than a sports event and this (stadium?) is absolutely beautiful. Plus theres a lot of good food. This is their schedule for the rest of the season: Nashville Predator’s Schedule.
After the game we went down to Broadway. I’m usually a huge fan of staying out until the crack of dawn in Nashville
<——— Last New Years …… but unfortunately we were all sick. So, we went down for a drink then Tyler and I went to The Diner for some late-night food. Sometimes you just need some eggs and bacon at midnight. This place is really cool and right off Broadway. I was kind of expecting a Waffle House but it’s actually a really beautiful restaurant filled with old black and white photos and drunk bachelorettes. The food was really good too for a 24 hour restaurant. Highly recommend it for some drunchies.
Last Day & Heading Home.
Coffee Shop:
Barista Parlor is my FAVORITE coffee shop I’ve ever been too. We always go at least one time while we’re in Nashville. Their bourbon vanilla and whiskey caramel lattes are the best coffees I’ve ever had. Their Gallatin Ave. location is my favorite because they have a bunch of old motorcycles inside in front of big garage doors. It is a pricey cup of coffee, but it’s worth it. Also great location for an instagram picture….
Lunch:
We saved the best for last (in my opinion) and went to Hattie B’s Hot Chicken for lunch. Worth every single minute spent in line. Worth all the people bumping into you trying to get into this place. Worth it, worth it, worth it. You will always have to wait in line here. Always. We happened to get here at a good time (early) like 11:30 and got a parking spot right out front. The food here is as amazing as all the Yelp reviews say and you definitely shouldn’t miss it on your next trip to Nashville. I got the “Original Hot Chicken Sandwich in Medium,” and it was SPICAAAAAY. I don’t know how you could get hotter than medium. I also tried the pimento mac and cheese and it was wonderful. Can’t recommend this place enough.
Mid-Day Activities:
We decided to go see the Christmas decorations at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. I’m probably going to get a lot of hate for this but I wouldn’t do this again. Yes, it was beautiful and all decorated for Christmas. But…. it was 20 minutes outside of the city and honestly just a hotel. It was neat to see and I’m glad we went but I’ll do something else next time and I would never go if it wasn’t Christmas. If I could go back I would’ve walked around Broadway during the day and gone into some of the boot shops.
After the Opry Hotel we headed to the airport and after a quick drink at “Tootsies” in the airport and a hundred “I don’t want to leaves,” we boarded our plane and headed home.
We love Nashville. It grows on us more and more every time we visit. I can’t say enough great things about this city and would recommend it to anyone, even if you don’t care for country music. I hope this helps you plan out your next vacation or gives you some ideas for next time you visit! Below are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.
Mural behind Frothy Monkey in 12 South.
Mural on the side of Draper James in 12 South.
Tyler in Lucchese – Daydreaming.
The Flipside – 12 South.
The SoBro Guest House Hotel where we stayed.
Barista Parlor – Golden Sound Location.
Mural in the Gulch.
Predator’s Game. (I look so sick and tired but I’m trying to be positive ok??)
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken.
Jenny Strozinsky 