Road Trip to Nashville, Tennessee!

One of the many wonderful facets of living in Greater Lafayette is the ability to get to SO MANY fun towns within a few hours! If you’re looking for an idea for a fall break road trip, I have just the thing! (This was not a kid-friendly trip, by the way, though it can be!)

One of my favorite spots is Nashville, and it’s an easy drive from here—less than six hours! One of the best things about it is that no matter how you define “fun,” there’s something for everyone. From the bar scene with live music to a more subdued live music scene to a historic live music scene—we got to experience all of it! And then there was the food. Oh my word, the food. We didn’t have a bad meal. We rounded it off with some shopping and called it a great escape!

Here are some of my highlights:

We arrived Thursday afternoon and headed right to Hampton Social. This three-story restaurant just off bustling Broadway Street had the perfect rooftop bar. The music was a tad loud (I might have gotten accused of sounding like an old lady…), but we had fabulous beverages and the BEST pizza (avocadoes on anything is a win!). After getting freshened up, we made our way to the Listening Room. This is such a fun, intimate way to experience music, oftentimes directly by the songwriter! We enjoyed live music and delicious drinks while listening to music performed by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and many, many more. It was so fun to hear the stories behind the songs. This is a ticketed venue, so be sure to grab your ticket before you head to Nashville! For dinner it was The Southern—this meal ranks as one of my best ever. The Southern is a steak and oyster bar, and I went all in on a filet! We also had some fabulous Brussels sprouts to start our meal. YUM!

On Friday morning we woke up and stretched our legs with a stroll through the campus of Vanderbilt University (where I was born!) on our way to Pancake Pantry. Pancake Pantry has been serving up the best breakfast since 1961. (This is a fabulous stop if you’re driving to or from Florida, btw!) We were stuffed to the gills after our brief line-out-the-door wait. We did a little shopping on our way back to our hotel for some fun in the sun and spotted a billboard that said Carrie Underwood would be performing at the Grand Ole Opry that night. NO WAY! A quick perusal of the website, and we had TICKETS! This would be a first for all of us! We strolled back to our hotel and enjoyed the fabulous rooftop pool. We enjoyed dinner at Mockingbird, which is like a modern diner. It was fabulous and had the most interesting toilet I’ve ever seen. HA! Then we headed to the Grand Ole Opry, and it was amazing! Parking was a breeze. Once inside, we got to enjoy all types of music you’d imagine in Nashville, from older tunes featuring fiddles to the top-ranking songs of Carrie Underwood and Jo Dee Messina. It was an awesome night.

On Saturday we started the day at Tavern, and I had one of the best Bloody Mary drinks I know of. Spicy, no less! It was a great spot for brunch, which we enjoyed tremendously. From there we made our way to White Limozeen, which is a Dolly Parton-themed bar. Warning: Do not go unless you’re decked out in PINK! (I felt a little underdressed!) This place is a trip. Pink EVERYTHING. They have a pool where people will pay to reserve a spot, too, though we thought it was TINY! Next up: SHOPPING! We hit the up-and-coming part of Nashville called 12 South. Such a fun area to stroll! We stopped at Five Daughters Bakery for 100-layer doughnuts on our way back to the hotel. We rounded out our trip at the secluded City House restaurant, which was fabulous! I’m not usually hot on Italian food, but this meal was unforgettable. Thankfully, we decided to experience more of the menu by sharing items. Everything was delicious, and sitting on the screened porch was perfect.

Sunday morning it was time to head home, but not without first filling our bellies (again…) at Milk & Honey. The biscuits are unforgettable and powered us through the entire drive home.

It was yet another trip to Nashville leaving me wanting more! Can you ever do it ALL in that town? I don’t think so!

Do you have any favorites in Nashville for the next time I’m in town?