City Spotlight: Things to do in Nashville

We recently traveled to Nashville for our one year wedding anniversary and had a great time. Between the music, food, and history there’s a lot to explore. We stayed downtown right in the middle of all of the action. As much as the touristy stuff gets old, I recommend staying downtown. It’s central to everything and a short Uber ride to the quiet neighborhoods. Here’s a round up of our favorite and not so favorite places:

Food & Music:

Broadway is a must see for every tourist. It’s an entire stretch of bars, restaurants and shops. We went to Rippy‘s. I had the pulled chicken and my husband had the catfish. It was pretty standard and the live music was decent. We only needed to experience Broadway once.

Biscuit Love Brunch. This place should be an absolute must on your list. If there’s a line around the building, wait it out. We weren’t as creative with our selections (I blame the heat). I got the veggie grits (grits, eggs, and kale) and he got the steak and eggs, but they were still delicious. The menu is fantastic and the bonuts (biscuit donut) are incredible. The coffee was great too.

Station Inn: we’re big bluegrass and old school country fans, which is probably why we didn’t hang around Broadway as much as most tourists do. Station Inn in the Gulch is awesome. It’s a little hole in the wall place with some of the best bands we’ve ever heard. We loved this place so much we went twice in a three day trip. Highly recommend this place.

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Both the Station Inn and Biscuit Love are in The Gulch, a quiet and developing neighborhood near downtown. We walked from downtown, but most people were surprised that we did. While you’re in this neighborhood, stop by the What Lifts You mural and take a picture!

The Frothy Monkey surprised us. We ended up here because the places we had in mind were either closed or had a two hour wait. The place is relaxed and tasty! The baked brie and the shrimp and grits (pictured above) will knock your socks off!

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East Nashville is an artsy neighborhood with shops and restaurants. It’s a $6 uber ride from downtown. We went there on a Monday and Tuesday afternoon and it was a ghost town. I guess it gets really busy on the weekends. We went to The Family Wash and I was pretty disappointed. It got tons of great reviews but it was nothing to write home about. I ordered some spicy egg breakfast and my husband ordered the catfish. Not to mention, the coffee was awful.

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Instead, head to Nashville Biscuit House in East Nashville. Another hole in the wall, these biscuits were the best I had in Nashville. Loved this place. After inhaling two egg and cheese biscuits, we walked along the main road and discovered the most adorable bubble gum pink wall. Of course, photos were taken.

The line was constantly out the door at Puckett‘s so I had pretty high expectations for this place, but the food was pretty average. However, our waiter was incredibly friendly and the place has a cool vibe. Although the BBQ chicken was just average, the mac & cheese was delicious. The live band they had that night was pretty bad, so we went straight to Station Inn afterwards.

A photo posted by d i n a y o u n i s (@dinasdays) on

On our last afternoon, I set out to explore on my own while my husband slept off his BBQ ribs. I took an uber to Five Daughters Bakery and indulged in their 100 layer donuts. This place is a must not only for their delicious pastries but for many photo opportunities. If you love neon signs, pastel colored murals, and donuts as much as I do, you’re in heaven.

A photo posted by d i n a y o u n i s (@dinasdays) on

 

A photo posted by d i n a y o u n i s (@dinasdays) on

While you’re here, take a short walk up the road to visit vintage and local shops. Although they can’t compete with Ohio’s prices, I loved the vintage scene in Nashville. Lots of bolo ties, bold dresses, boots, and tuxedo shirts.

This is just a handful of the places we visited on our trip. It’s a great place to explore so keep your options open!

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