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Nashville, Tennessee has been on my travel list for a long time! People from our area regularly travel to Eastern Tennessee to visit Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg but hardly ever drive the extra three hours from Knoxville to Nashville. I’m glad we finally had the chance to visit!
When you think of Nashville, country music comes to mind, but oh, is there so much more to take in. From the southern comfort food to the arts, the “Music City” lives up to its name and so much more.
Research and Planning
Our trip was created for a couple, but can easily be changed to a famiiy or friend centered trip with a few adaptations, such as more family friendly restaurants.
I started planning for the trip with online research. I checked out the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp’s website. Here, I downloaded important information, such as maps of Nashville’s Neighborhoods, Downtown Attractions, and Downtown Dining. I also looked at package pricing, but of course, you know me, I ended up designing our own itinerary to save money. But do make sure to check out the Music City All Access Pass.
TripAdvisor is my number one app for finding top restaurants and attractions in new areas. If you would like to follow me on TripAdvisor, click here then click Follow. I’ve mainly used it for research and just recently started posting more reviews.
Accommodations
I use Hotels.com to do almost all of our hotel bookings. It has an easy search feature and lower prices. I filter according to my price (usually $0 – $90) and guest rating (I go for at least a 7) and usually don’t worry about star ratings.
I ended up choosing Knights Inn Nashville since it is very close to downtown (Germantown is right across the river), had free breakfast, and met our pricing and guest rating requirements. Although it may not look great from the road, it was a pleasant experience. Our room was nice and clean and had the amenities we needed. We stayed for three nights for a total of $203.
Daily Plans
Friday Evening
We ate cheap on the way, stopping at Chick-fil-A and Subway. We checked in at our hotel and freshened up since it was a 7 hour drive. Now, it was off to our first adventure.
Zoolumination was one of the top suggestions in my research- it did not disappoint. It is an art installation hosted at the The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. The zoo was filled with wonderful displays of Chinese lanterns. It was also filled with people so if you are able to go on a weeknight (I know, not what this post is about), I would. And if Zoolumination has passed, check out the Zoo during daylight hours or look at their current events.
Now… for the delicious part… tacos. For our Friday night dinner, we at Taco Mamacita located near Belmont and Vanderbilt Universities. They were the BEST tacos! I had the Korean BBQ and Steakhouse and Lucas had the Hot Chicken and Steakhouse. The service was great and the food was even better.
No Baked Cookie Dough is next door. It drew me in and I took a wonderful butterfly picture. I went with the basic chocolate chip. I wasn’t able to eat a whole scoop but it was very good!
We spent the rest of the night driving around and purposefully getting lost. We had a recommendation to go to Love Circle, Nashville’s very own Lover’s Lane, near Vanderbilt and The West End. As you can see from the view, the recommendation was well received. Just search for Love Circle and the road should pop right up!
Saturday Morning & Afternoon
Now this was my favorite day! We crushed out so many must sees and actually had time for much more. We woke at 9 am and since the weather was nice, decided to go on a self guided walking tour. But first…. food!
We traveled over the Jefferson Street bridge right into Germantown and found our way to our FAVORITE restaurant of the trip: Monell’s. Ya’ll, this place is amaahhzing. I didn’t know what I signed up for so everything was a surprise. If you want it to be a surprise too, skip the next paragraph.
I knew the wait would be long. I mean, it is the #1 rated restaurant on TripAdvisor. Check out their page and reviews here. Wait was given as 45 min but we were in in 15. Our name was called with a few others and surprise- it’s family style. I got real nervous. New people, conversation, what do I do? But don’t worry, the staff is quick and brings out an endless array of food. The deliciousness kickstarts conversations and it’s grand from there.
And, it’s not expensive. I think our meals ended up being around $18 each. For all you can eat breakfast in a wonderful setting- worth it all! (Take my money!)
Next, is the walking tour from Germantown to Downtown. We started with the Bicentennial Mall (which was being prepared for New Year’s and was pretty cool) and then went to the Tennessee State Museum (one of our favorite parts of the trip). We finished this area by stopping by the Nashville Farmers’ Market. Make sure to check out the times before visiting.
We walked up the hill to the Tennessee State Capitol and took in the cool view of Germantown and the Capitol Complex. We walked down The 5th Avenue of the Arts, passed the Ryman (the original home of the Grand Ole Opry), to Broadway, also known as Honky Tonk Highway. It was kickin’ for 2 pm and there were tons of people. Check out this list of Honky Tonks and be prepared for neon signs and lots of people. We head south after exploring and people watching.
At this time, it would be perfect to visit the Johnny Cash Museum and The Country Music Hall of Fame. These came highly recommended by some locals. We decided to go the cheaper route and forgo these museums, but I definitely regret it. I also regret not knowing about the GooGoo Cluster shop. I would have loved it! Plus, they have some very unique flavors and even a make-your-own class!
Next, definitely check out the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, where you can get great views of the city. It also takes you over to the Titans Nissan Stadium, where many fans park and walk from to get to the Bridgestone Arena.
We walked back to our hotel via the RiverFront Park and made it a point to walk by the First Tennessee Park, where GLOW Nashville, a holiday event was occurring in the evenings.
Saturday Night
After resting at the hotel for a moment, we needed FOOD! All of our friends raved about Hattie B’s Hot Chicken so we went on a quest. We checked out two locations and the lines were out the door. After some quick online research, it turned out they didn’t have the best hot chicken in the land so we changed our plans to BBQ. We decided on Martin’s BBQ Joint, and, once again, was not disappointed. I had the BBQ Potato and Lucas had the sandwich. He wouldn’t stop talking about it the rest of the trip so it must have been really good.
I wanted to take a picture at the Bluebird Cafe so we headed that direction. If you want to get in to this “listening room,” you need to be ready at 8 AM CST on a Monday to get tickets for the Saturday show. Check out how to reserve here.
Now here’s where you get to chose what to do for the rest of your Saturday night. Maybe you pick out a show at the Ryman or Grand Ole Opry, head back downtown to one of the Honky Tonks, or check out a Nashville special event.
Image by Lisa Johnson
Sunday Morning & Afternoon
Our Sunday was a dreary, rainy, and cold day, but that didn’t prevent us from having fun. We woke late and went straight to eat lunch. Lucas wanted Martin’s again but I convinced him to go with something new. We swung by Hattie B’s once more but the line was super long. Our lunch adventure ended up being to DeSano Pizza.
DeSano Pizza was NOT PERFECT. It’s rated high on TA but the sticky tables, burnt cheese sticks, and badly proportioned calzone made me wonder why.
So where should you go? We never got our hot chicken so I would try these favorites:
But most local’s don’t go to these tourist laden chicken shacks. Check out this post by Brad Schmitt, who doesn’t even mention the previous two establishments.
You know how each state has unique and quirky attractions, such as West Virginia’s World’s Largest Teapot or Mystery Hole? The Parthenon is one of Tennessee’s most famous. So we headed to Centennial Park and had to see what the fuss is about.
First off, it contains one of Nashville’s art museums in the “basement” so I totally nerded out on some American art. It also provides an interesting history of the building. I could tell Lucas was getting antsy to go upstairs though (he’s big on Greek Mythology).
Upstairs is the full scale building replica and statue of Athena. It is awe inspiring. There is also a history of the Parthenon Marbles and a description of the replica process. Oh, and I made Lucas reenact the Hydra fight scene from Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lighting Thief.
If we would have woken earlier, we would have time to go to the Adventure Science Center, something I was really looking forward to doing. We love science centers, even if they are kid focused, because, let’s face it, we all should be kids at heart.
I looked online for unique shopping experiences and found the up and coming Marathon Village. It’s a conglomeration of retail shops, event spaces, business offices, and restaurants found in an old gasoline engine manufacturing plant. Just walking through the building was a unique old-timey experience.
Saturday Night
We were already hungry (for more tacos) so we traveled south to the 12 South neighborhood to get some bartaco. It was crowded for a Sunday night and there wasn’t a comfortable waiting area, but the guacamole redeemed and the tacos were delicious. The only downside was the churros. They were soggy and expensive- don’t get the churros! I initially gave it a negative review but I think I should give it another chance.
As you may know, I am an ice cream lover so I looked for options to satisfy my sweet tooth. Just down the street was Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. It is full of unique flavors and the staff was very helpful. I got the seasonal Egg Nog and Lucas got the Whiskey and pecans.
After dinner, we went to a traditional indoor shopping mall, The Mall at Green Hills. It has a wide variety of stores, ranging from luxury brands to “normal people stuff”. If you go to Nashville for the shopping, make sure to stop here.
Monday Morning
We woke early on Monday and had breakfast at the hotel. It’s a long travel day and we loose an hour so we wanted to get a head start. But….. you cannot be huge Dave Ramsey fans and not visit the headquarters…. so we headed south to the now Nashville suburb of Franklin.
Ramsey Solutions headquarters is located slightly off the beaten path in an up and coming commercial area. Signs pointed us in the direction we needed to go. I think Lucas is almost going to pee his pants at this point.
We see it! We see the employee parking and Lucas says, “Maybe we can park there one day!” We’re there a little before 10 so we take a picture in the front and Lucas says he’s good to go. Ummm, no way are we going to come all this way and not go it. So we waited the 10 minutes until the lobby opened.
Lucas knew Dave wasn’t going to be there or broadcasting live that day but he was still just so excited (and I was a little as well). The front staff worker was so friendly and filled us in on what to do . They offered free coffee and tarts- umm… yes.
There is a bookstore and a history timeline you can delve into. You also see the recording studios and the Debt Free Scream Stage. My favorite part was recording our story in a small sound booth area. This was a great way to cap off our weekend.
Costs
We ended up spending $200 on accommodations through Hotels.com, $200 on food, and $100 on event and museum admissions. Our gasoline cost was about $100 for the trip (two 7+ hour drives). Our total was under $600.
Summary of Your Perfect Long Weekend in Nashville
Friday Night
- Check into your hotel
- Dinner at Taco Mamacita
- Dessert at No Baked Cookie Dough
- Go to a Nashville Special Event (Ours was Zoolumination)
- Drive around and explore town
- Go to Love Circle for a perfect nighttime view of the city
Saturday
- Breakfast at Monell’s
- Self-guided walking tour of downtown, including the Tennessee State Museum, Farmer’s Market, Capitol, Honky Tonk Highway, The Ryman, Johnny Cash Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame, and John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. IF YOU PLAN ON GOING TO A LOT OF MUSEUMS, MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE ALL ACCESS PASS
- Stop at The Goo Goo Shop
- Dinner at Martin’s BBQ Joint
- See a show at the Ryman or Grand Ole Opry, head back downtown to one of the Honky Tonks, or check out a Nashville special event
Sunday
- Breakfast at Biscuit Love (We didn’t go here, but the reviews are fabulous)
- Adventure Science Center
- Centennial Park and the Parthenon
- Lunch- Get your Hot Chicken fix (Hattie B’s, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Moore’s Famous Fried Chicken, Slow Burn Hot Chicke, 400 Degrees Hot Chicken
- Shopping- We chose Marathon Village and The Mall at Green Hills
- Dinner at bartaco (make sure to get the guac and don’t get the churros)
- Dessert at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
Monday
- Visit Ramsey Solutions in Franklin (Franklin also has great downtown shopping)
- Five Daughters Bakery
Extra Resources
- Nashville’s Neighborhoods
- Nashville Guru’s guide to The Best Shopping Neighborhoods
- Historic Tours
- Best Murals in Nashville
- The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
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