Planning a Trip to nashville?

Nashville bound? We got you covered!

Let us first say, we appreciate research made EASY and that’s exactly what we have tried to do for you. You’re welcome! 🙂
“I am a HUGE Nashville fan and I was fortunate enough to spend 5 years there as a student at Belmont University,” Daira beams. “It’s one of my happy spots with music around the clock, trendy hipster places, and comfort food for days!”

From things to do, music, places to stay, and food. Let’s go!

Disclaimer: When we travel, we like to get the lay of the land and look up all the touristy things before diving into some special experiences. And wow, do we have some cool suggestions! First, the basics.

General Must See:

• Music Country Hall of Fame
• Musicians Hall of Fame
• Belmont (Alma Mater) and across the street my favorite coffee-Bongo Java
• The Parthenon
• RCA B Studio
• Music Row Bar Scene

Music Venues:
(obvious choices)

Now to the Music. It’s not called Music City for nothing!

• The Bluebird Café
• Grand Ole’ Opry
• The Ryman Auditorium
• Puckett’s Grocery Store and Music Venue

These music spots are classic for a reason. Tons of history and practically every country star has played at these venues.

However, for less obvious choices that we LOVE:

Jazz:

• Ruby’s Jazz Room
• Sambuca (also in Dallas and Houston)
• Skull’s Rainbow Room

Let’ stop here for a moment and explain these top 3 choices. Ruby’s Jazz Room to us feels like New York City met New Orleans in a venue. It’s intimate with decent creole food and you’re sure to discover unique music. *There is a cover charge.

Sambuca is another personal favorite because it was one of our first dates in Dallas, although the Nashville location has a much better vibe. Awesome music and the food is also excellent from appetizers to entrées.

Last, if you want to go to a place where Etta James, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, and Bob Dylan played, look no further than the Skull’s Rainbow Room. 

Bluegrass:

Check out Station Inn for a truly unique experience.

Here’s why we love it. Musicians show up whenever they feel like it (for the love of the music) and unpack their instrument and start playing. From fiddles to banjoes to guitars with killer harmonies.

Singer/Songwriter Venues:

• Belcourt Taps
• Alley Taps
• Cabana Taps

We get excited about the singer/songwriter venues and your trip is NOT complete without hearing local talent. Truthfully, this was the highlight of our trip as we found that new, indie talent still exists. What to expect? Each hour several musicians on stools play songs they have written, often explaining the meaning behind the song. While Music Row was meant for the partier, these venues were meant for the true music lovers who appreciate new, raw talent.

• 3rd and Lindsley

We saw an awesome Beatles cover band here but each night has a different line-up and its family friendly. 

Whiskey Tours:

• Tennessee Whiskey Tours
• Pennington Distillery Tour
• Tennessee Single Malt Whiskey from Corsair Distillery
• Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
• George A. Dickel & Co.
• We visited the Pennington Distillery and the tour was wonderful. They make and package their whiskey in-house and for any non-whisky folks, they also have a Vodka line called Pickers.

Our Favorite Unique Experience

• House of Cards
  House of Cards is no longer a secret for the most part but it is worth the reservation. Be warned, men will have to wear a suit as they want to keep the place classy and old school. When arriving, you will go through the Johnny Cash Museum entrance and be transported down magical stairs into this secret speakeasy restaurant where entertainment is at its best. We wondered if it might be cheesy and we are happy to report that the magic was anything but. Everything was mind blowing as magicians walked around showing us card tricks and with the purchase of dinner, you get access to a magic show. There is even a cigar lounge. We loved this place and made friends with the general manager, who let us have access the magic show. We can’t vouch for the food because we had come from a wedding and we were too full to eat but the appetizers were great. Definitely don’t miss this place as we have never been anywhere like it before.

Let’s talk Hotels.

“I have a confession. I spend way too long reaching hotels. Sure, it is a place to sleep but I like the experience,” Daira shares. Good news, Nashville is not shy on hotel experiences.

• Russell:
  The Russell gives away a substantial portion of each nights stay to local homeless ministries. We love it for that reason and the fact that it is an old converted church! Your bed frame is literally a pew with gorgeous stained- glass windows. Here’s the scoop, there are only 23 unique rooms. It also happens to be rated #1 hotel on TripAdvisor out of 52 Specialty Lodging options in Nashville. Also, the history is amazing as this church was founded in 1904 undergoing a plague, a fire, a tornado and every other disaster you can name. They opened their doors as a hotel in 2019. And final thing…free parking. Y’all this is rare in Nashville!

• The Graduate:
  The Graduate, home of all things Dolly Parton! This is the place where we did our lemon photo shoot (shout out to Samantha’s_ Suitcase who we found on Airbnb) and the fun didn’t stop there. This place is the ultimate GIRLS TRIP/BACHORLETTE place. It’s so girly and fun and the rooftop pool seems like a girly girl’s dream. And the rooms? They are adorable with canopy beds dressed up in pink. 

• Omni:
  We stayed here because it was a convenient location to go downtown and walk around Music Row.

• Dream Hotel:
  Loved this place! Super trendy and music fills the air. The best part? You can get secret access to Printer’s Alley. This means you can listen to music, bar to bar (better than music row in our opinion) and there’s no need to call an Uber because the hotel is right in all the action. Also, they have a speakeasy bar attached called “Dirty Little Secret.”

• Hermitage Hotel:
  If you are looking for a 5-star classy experience, look no further. The Hermitage Hotel is lavish from its head to its toes. Great location and top-notch service makes this place a special, romantic stay for you and your lover.

Food

We are spoiled in Dallas with tacos and BBQ and comfort food galore, so we felt we were picky with our food picks. 

• BBQ:
  Martin’s OR Jack’s
  Personally, we burped up Martin’s all day and Sean is quite the BBQ smoker back in Dallas, so we wouldn’t recommend this place necessarily, although the long lines beg to differ. Jack’s is on the main strip and is good. Dallas has some killer BBQ, so I think our bar is high! 

• Classics:
  These two places live up to the hype: Pancake Pantry and Loveless Café. What to know ahead of time? Be prepared to wait.

  Pancake Pantry
  Pancake Pantry is our favorite. The sweet potato, sante fe cornmeal pancakes and the classic pancakes are the best. And, you can try all three by placing just one order as you can mix and match! Oh, our mouths are watering now.

  Loveless Café
  Likewise, Loveless Café is known for their biscuits but all their food is good for breakfast (over lunch). But, be prepared to take a nap afterwards!

• Pizza: (because we always feature pizza!)
  MAFIAoZA’s is our favorite for pizza. We can’t say enough about their gooey, cheesy pizza. Just go!

• Other:
  Finally, if you are headed towards Franklin (a suburb in Nashville) check out Tupelo Honey for breakfast (this is a great chain with multiple locations throughout the south) and Pueblo Real, a hole in the wall, amazing Mexican place even by Texas standards!