Nashville Travel

When did we go

• Oct 4-7, 2018

 

Why did we go

• We have friends from Dallas that we make an extended weekend trip with each year, and we had all heard that Nashville was a happening place
• I had been on business twice but never had time to explore it properly

 

How did we get there

• Westjet has direct flights that leave mid-morning on Thu and return mid-afternoon on Sun
• The four-hour flight is rather seamless and just enough time for a nap, some chow, and a little reading

 

 

Where did we stay

• Hilton downtown which was the most central location for all the club action on and around Broadway
• Our good friend Craig Tadlock who has recently created the website www.middleagemiles.com was able to get us a nice room discount (check out his very informative site)
• We had a spacious one bedroom room with a nice view over the park below
• The concierge (Flo) was very helpful
• The only downsides were spotty internet service and a somewhat nondescript lobby bar that was not as inviting as some others
• Other hotels that we scoped out and provide some options are Union Station, Hermitage, and the Omni

 

 

Where did we eat

• Southern Steak & Oyster for dinner the first night (upscale, great location, excellent food, and service)
• Hattie B’s for lunch (fun vibe, busy place, super hot sauce as the medium version knocked my socks off, average place given the hype)
• The Farm House for dinner (simple décor, the menu was a bit challenging to figure out, and the food was only average)
• Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint for lunch (cool décor and vibe but the food was average)
• City Tap House for dinner (upscale bar and the food was generally good, we watched our guests Fighting Irish football team knock off Virginia Tech in the bar after dinner so that alone made the outing a success)
• The Diner Nashville (cool upscale diner where we enjoyed a coffee at the bar the afternoon we arrived and then a nice breakfast on our final day)
• Overall the service was a bit spotty at a lot of the establishments, but it could be due to the explosive growth they are going thru (23 building cranes in the downtown area)

 

What did we do

• Cruised the bar scene on the famous Broadway Avenue and especially enjoyed  Honkey Tonk Central (got a pic with Morgan Frazier from season nine of The Voice), Tootsie’s (famous Honkey Tonk bar) and Legends Corner
• Also enjoyed two famous bars in Printers Alley called Skull’s Rainbow Room (live burlesque show in a very historic venue) and Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie bar (cool, quaint venue)
• Walked over the new Pedestrian Bridge that connects downtown to the Nissan Stadium area which is the home of the Tennessee Titans and hosted the Ed Sheeran concert while we were there (he played to 70,000 people, and apparently he was very good)
• Rode a scooter with Craig around the downtown area (fun and super popular but they have had a bunch of incidents from reckless drivers so this may not last as they already banned it once for a while)
• Two-hour tour on a golf cart thru a company called JoyRide with a chap named Neil who was very informative (got to see many downtown landmarks as well as the Gulch and Mid Town areas – highly recommend doing this as it was one of the highlights)
• Toured the Parthenon which was a well-done replica of the original Greek venue and also contained a nice art exhibit and beautiful grounds
• Explored the Country Music Hall of Fame (lots of interesting information but super packed which negated some of the viewing enjoyment) and the Johnny Cash Museum (this was fascinating, less busy, and very well done – what a legend)
• Met some friends for a couple of beverages in the historic town of Franklin that is a half hour south of Nashville (wish we had more time to explore the area)
• Shopping in the downtown area was a bit more limited than we expected and especially to try to buy some nice Western shirts that I was on the hunt for
• Did pick up a funky hat at Goorin Brothers (the sales chap was amazing as he said ‘no’ to the first hat I tried on and then grabbed another one that he fired over to me, and it was a done deal)

 

 

What did we not do that is on the agenda for next time

• Grand Ole Opry (a huge part of the history of Nashville but 20 minutes outside the downtown core)
• Bluebird Café (tried to reserve tickets but to no avail)
• Ryman Auditorium (original home of the Grand Ole Opry)
• See a show at the Tennesse Performing Arts Center or the Nashville Symphony
• Explore some of the historic bars in the Midtown area

 

Final thoughts

• Very fun city where everyone is out to have a good time but with less mayhem than Vegas or New Orleans
• So many incredibly talented musicians plying their trade hoping for their big break but ultimately working for tips
• The weather was very warm (low 30’s for highs and low 20’s for lows)
• Fewer people wearing cowboy boots and hats than we anticipated (my t-shirt attire fit in better than expected)
• Bachelorette capital of North America with over 200 happening every weekend