Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to get to visit Nashville, Tennessee for my one year anniversary trip. We stayed for three nights at the Downtown Virgin Hotel. We loved the boutique feel of the lobby and rooms and especially the fact that we were less than a ten minute drive away from all the city’s major hot spots. The room was very clean and had a rain shower, and the bed was super comfortable. Located in between Music Row and the Gulch, you can walk to many attractions. I’d recommend going in spring or fall if you want to do a lot of walking because the heat in August was pretty brutal. We ended up taking a lot of short distance Ubers which were reasonably priced and a good chance to ask some locals where the best spots are. We also enjoyed the rooftop pool that is available to guests for free or non-guests for a daily fee.
With the flight to Music City being less than three hours, it could make for an awesome weekend break from New York!
After checking into the hotel, we set off to the Gulch neighborhood to grab some breakfast. My boyfriend had visited Nashville before and raved about Biscuit Love. Don’t be discouraged by the line outside- it’s there for a reason and the food is totally worth it. I ordered the brown sugar lemonade and the S.E.C., a buttermilk biscuit topped with sausage, scrambled egg, and aged cheddar with sausage gravy added. My boyfriend opted for the mimosa and the Hungry Hash Bowl which had fried potatoes, bacon, eggs, and sausage gravy. Everything was delicious and filling and we even received some free bonuts (biscuit donuts) when the waitress saw my boyfriend’s Biscuit Love shirt. It was a great first meal and a warm welcome to Nashville.
There’s some murals to see while in this neighborhood, the most iconic of which is Kelsey Montague’s What Lifts You. This is the mural at the top of this post, the angel wings made popular by Taylor Swift. Another cute photo op can be seen below, Amelia’s Flower Truck.
I found this next spot in Music Row on Atlas Obscura, which if you’re not familiar, is a site that shows some off-the-beaten track attractions. There’s a hidden heart in the southern wall of Reba McEntire’s recording studio, Starstruck Entertainment. Since I’m not great with my directions, it took a little bit of hunting but we found it. It was added into the design to act as tribute to love and creativity.
If you get a craving for sweets in the Music Row Area, you have to stop at The Baked Bear. They make homemade ice cream sandwiches with fresh-baked cookies. Between all the cookie, ice cream, and toppings combinations, the possibilities are basically endless. These ice cream sandwiches can get a little messy to eat but they succeed where I feel like a lot of similar confections fail. The cookies are fairly soft so they kind of blend with the ice cream so you get a better bite than with places that use a harder cookie that is prone to breaking. I went with the nutella chocolate chunk cookies and bear batter ice cream (like cake batter but blue) and my boyfriend got what I think was the cookie of the month (cheesecake) with vanilla ice cream and Oreo pieces. 10/10. You’ve got to try these if you’re in the area.
Another cool place to see in Nashville is Centennial Park. While I originally wanted to go because of a Taylor Swift lyric, I also saw on Atlas Obscura that there is a full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon in the park. As someone who always misses Europe, I jumped at the chance to see it. Within this replica, there is a recreation of the Parthenon’s Athena statue, as well as a collection of artwork from the 19th and 20th centuries. The park is also home to some pretty cute squirrels. You can see one peeking out of the tree in the photo below.
One area you definitely shouldn’t skip is 12th Avenue South. We started a few minutes away at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, where we split a two person sampler of spare ribs, brisket, and two sides. We chose mac n’ cheese and hushpuppies. Everything was really tasty but I especially enjoyed the sides.
We took a short walk toward 12th Ave S to see some of the murals in the neighborhood, the first of which was the “Make Music, Not War” mural. Across from it, you’ll see a mural of flowers. As you continue up 12th Ave S and cross Paris and Halcyon Ave, you will see several other murals that are easy to spot. Once you reach Draper James, Reese Witherspoon’s store, you will see the I Believe in Nashville mural. Across from it, Draper James has a pretty blue and white vertically striped backdrop. We saw the floral wings along this avenue too but I’m not sure whether or not these are a permanent fixture.
To conclude our time in this area, we grabbed some doughnuts at Five Daughters Bakery. The shop itself was very cute and the doughnuts were amazing. We tried the seasonal brownie batter, the chocolate sea salt, and the King Kong. The King Kong was my favorite, a maple bacon croissant-style doughnut with vanilla buttercream. The chocolate sea salt was a close second, with its delicious balance of sweet and salty. Don’t let the price deter you, like our Uber driver who questioned our ability to still afford an Uber after eating here. These aren’t like three-bite Dunkin’-level doughnuts. They’re rich and indulgent enough to warrant the splurge.
Another favorite during this trip was Hattie B’s Hot Chicken. I couldn’t leave Nashville without having some hot.. well, mild chicken, in my case. I don’t know about you but the summer makes me sweat enough, so I wanted to get through my meal without sweating. Neither of us are spicy-food people, but my boyfriend tried the medium and it definitely had a kick. The chicken sandwich from Hattie B’s was probably the best fried chicken sandwich I’ve had and the pimento mac n’ cheese did not disappoint either. I’d love for one of these to open in New York.
Finally, let’s get to the nightlife! We mostly spent all three of our nights in Nashville around Broadway to grab some drinks and see as many bars and rooftops as we could. Almost all the spots we checked out had several floors of bars, all with different live music to experience. I’d recommend Acme Feed & Seed rooftop for a great view of the water around sunset.
As far as stages go, I think Kid Rock’s bar had a really unique look with the band far above the audience and bar. It made for a really cool show.
Some of the rooftop bars had DJ sets, if that’s more what you’re looking for. When we visited, Jason Aldean’s and Luke Bryan’s bars (which are connected) and Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row had this vibe.
If you need a break from drinking, Casa Rosa has some good Tex-Mex food. You’ll probably want a frozen margarita with it, but hey, at least you’ll have some food in your stomach.
Just let your ears be your guide and keep your ID ready for when you wanna hop to the next bar. One of our favorites was the Wild Beaver Saloon, a karaoke bar with a mechanical bull and arcade section.
My favorite bar we went to in the city is actually located in East Nashville. Rosemary & Beauty Queen serves up killer cocktails in a Victorian house. There’s a few main rooms inside along with the bar, as well as a patio and an upstairs bar with swings in place of barstools. I just really loved how different this place was to other bars I’d been to. It’d be a great place to hang with friends and enjoy a top-notch cocktail.
Nashville is such a fun destination and I hope you check it out! Thanks for reading and happy travels!
Bri Right Back 