Weekend trip to Nashville, TN
Want a fun quick get away? Have you every given a thought to visit the birthplace of country music? We did just that and had more fun than thought possible. From the food, ease of getting places, music and people it’s a great long weekend place to visit.
We flew out of ONT (our local airport) to avoid LA traffic. The ease of flying in and out of ONT is worth the extra $76 we paid per person. We are close enough to ONT where we Uber to the airport for a small cost. The pro’s and cons with flying Southwest are: pros can take and check in 2 LARGE suitcases, cheaper airfare, chances are higher that you can pick your seat of your choice and chances are even higher that the middle seat will be open next to you. They serve coke zero and dr. pepper and offer a large array of snacks from chips, pretzels, cookies and peanuts.
Cons: you have to make sure that you check in exactly 24 hours before your flight leaves to ensure you get a good loading zone/number/group. You can pay big money to get the boarding zone A #1-30. If it is a full flight and you are boarding zone C, its almost a guarantee that you’ll have a middle seat towards the back of the plane.
Where to stay in Nashville:
We opted for the Doubletree downtown strictly because of the location. We had gone back and forth as to staying here or at Opryland. Opryland is about 15-20 minutes away from Broadway Street the main street with all the music and where the action happens. The Doubletree is less than 2 blocks from Broadway Street making it easy to walk to and from. The hotel itself is an older hotel. The lobby is updated and even had live music at night which was comparable to what one hears on Broadway Street. The hotel room isn’t anything fancy a very generic hotel room. Which in this case was okay since we didn’t spend much time in the hotel room unless we were sleeping or getting ready for the day. The pricing of this hotel was the cheaper for how close it was to Broadway Street. However, it was still a few hundred dollars each night. Cheaper hotels that are still big name brands can be found located a few minutes further (not walking distance) away near Vanderbilt University.
Places to eat:
~The Pancake Pantry suburb breakfast place. Don’t be discourged when showing up and seeing a line going out the door. They seat people in the order the line forms, so you’re not waiting in line to put your name in. You wait in line and then get seated. We waited about 20 minutes. We ordered way too much food, but wanted to try everything. Hot choclate was delicious, sausage patties & bacon chocolate chip pancakes were mouth watering. Okay these pecan and banana pancakes along with the Buckwheat pancakes and hashbrowns left us beyond full.
~Wild Eggs ~
Was recommended to us from the hotel concier at the Doubletree along with a few coupons to get a free cinnamon roll. The cinnamon roll wasn’t that great, but everything else was! Wild Chicken and Waffle Seasoned chicken infused waffle, a Nashville classic of hot chicken breast, chopped bacon, and house made buttermilk maple syrup was out of this world delicious. I know chicken and waffles! I’m always thinking gross, but get this to share for the table so everyone can enjoy a few bites. The other big hit was the Breakfast Burrito which consisted of Flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, chorizo, cheddar jack cheese, poblano pepper and onion, topped with queso fundido, sour cream, pico de gallo, avocado and green onion served with skillet potatoes and black beans. The waitress was great, very informative about the menu and gave great suggestions and didn’t try to upsell anything which was nice.
CHILE CON QUESO with added choriazo along with the JALAPEÑOS were great starts full of spice. We actually got full from the appetizers and opted for the tacos and an enchilada. The tacos were full of flavor, however the enchilada we would skip next time.
We found their food truck while walking around the 12th district and actually the sign that caught my eye was the advertmsent for their cinnamon rolls, they were sold out so we got the Peach Cobbler Pie with warm vanilla ice cream and it didn’t disappoint.
~ this is a very cute botquie looking donut place. We ordered 6 and our friends ordered 6 donuts so we tried every single kind/flavor that was offered (even the vegan option). These donuts for 6 were about $30. Several of their options sounded delicious, some were questionable. The Chocolate Glazed was one of the better tasting donuts, but the Chocolate Ganache was a different story. The texture was an immediate turn-off. I felt as if I was biting into cornbread. The icing wasn’t too bad, at the very least. Overall, I would NOT recommend this place! Not much room to eat inside, but they do have a large patio out front.
~Palm Restaurant We opted to try this place on our last night in Nashville. After reading a few reviews we thought we’d give it a try and were disappointed. Our server was nice and knowledgeable, however our order was wrong and they didn’t do a lot to correct the order. We had ordered a 12oz, our friend ordered an 8oz. Our steak when it arrived wasn’t cooked enough, our friends steak was cooked to what we ordered so the server literally took his plate put our friends steak on a butter plate and put it in front of us and said here you go and charged us for the 8oz instead of the 12oz. Besdies the fact that it was the wrong steak. The vegetable soup and wedge salad where the best things there. Last thing, if you order a soda, it comes in a tiny glass bottle. Save the soda money and get water to drink.
Places to see:
is a wonderful place to visit in Nashville. It is $6 for regular admission. The lower level offers different displays of old memorabilia from the Parthenon and loads of great history to learn about. They also have a gallery full of beautiful paintings. Athena statue is located on the second level that can’t be missed. The grounds are beautiful to walk around.
The museum itself isn’t huge, but it is packed with interesting Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia to look at. It also has quite a bit of fun souvenirs to buy. Even if you aren’t a fan of the show just the history and nostalgia of the items is worth a look. Plus it’s free! You can see Daisy’s Jeep, or General Lee and take a picture sitting in the car if you want for a small fee of course.
The house and the grounds were beautiful even in early March. The audio tour and map made it easy to follow along and learn so much. It's highly informative and everything is very well preserved.
~ Grand Ole Opry ~
is an experience not easily forgotten! Who knew that it is the oldest running live radio show in the country?! From the pew seats to the incredible acts; each one better than the last, it's an unforgettable evening out.
~612 Woodland Street~
surrender of Nashville, this is a park with a historical sign pointing out that this is the place where government officials met to discuss the terms of surrendering and giving the city back to the Federal government. A major piece of history that can’t be missed.
~Carter House ~
Beautiful and well preserved with many places to see where bullets and cannons hit the house and other structures on the property.
live music on the street, cute town to walk the streets and stop in Puckett’s to grab a bite to eat. We LOVED the tri tip nachos and chocolate milk. The chocolate milk is served in an ice cold mason jar from a local diary and was so good we had to get seconds.
~Broadway street is about a quarter mile long and is lined with bars/resturants full of live music. Some of these places are 2 or 3 stories tall and on each level is a different band playing.
The fun thing is these bands are incredibly talented. Also, the music that is being played is big cover bands songs so if you know country music you know all the songs being played. An inviting atmosphere to have a good time.
~2nd street wasn’t as packed as broadway street but we still wanted to check it out. After going to a few establishments, we did prefer Broadway street and headed back that way for some great music.
is a very iconically must do/see/attraction while in Nashville. While we were there they had a beautiful tribute to Shania Twain and Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, some of our favorite country music stars so that made the museum that much better for us.
