Nashville - a town that's been of my list for forever, but I never ended up going. A few weeks back, my parents and my boyfriend and I packed up the car and headed on a spring break road trip. Up first on the itinerary? You guessed it, the Music City!
I'm a big fan of country music, so of course, Nashville was on my list. But there's so much more to this city than just country music. If you're a fan of any genre- you can find it being played live in one of the many honky tonks throughout the main strip. My dad and I were really the only two on the trip who enjoy country music, but my mom and boyfriend still fell in love with Nash. One of the highlights of the trip was the Johnny Cash Museum. Growing up listening to him with my dad, we all knew we definitely wanted to check the museum out, and it was even better than we had imagined. We spent quite a lot of time in there watching old film clips he had cameos in, learning about his involvement in other famous singers' careers, and even looking at his old high school yearbook. If you're a Cash fan, do not skip out on the museum. If you're a student, don't forget your ID, you'll get a discount.
Another great thing about Nashville...the rooftops!
Basically 75% of the honky tonks have a rooftop and they're perfect for relaxing and snagging some pictures. On the right, my boyfriend and I are at the FGL House, and on the left picture we're at The Stage. In our 3 nights there, we ended up going into just about every bar on the strip. Some of our favorites were: Legend's, Robert's Western World, Kid Rock's Big Honky Tonk (the live music here is amazing, we went back every night), and Acme because their food really hit the spot and they had a band playing when we were there that seriously should've been famous already.
During the day time, if you're not already enjoying some YeeHaw Beer overlooking South Broadway, then head to the Gulch. Here you can find plenty of boutiques and restaurants unique to this city. We had brunch at Milk & Honey (forgot to take pics before we ate) and it was super good. I had the Mushroom & Ricotta toast and frosé and let me tell you we were all very impressed with our meals. The restaurant is worth the hour wait if you didn't already make a reservation. Just pass the time taking pictures at the murals or visiting the local shops!
Another stand out meal in Nashville was dinner at City House. If you're craving innovative Italian with southern staples, head here. The menu is very unique and I enjoyed everything I tried.
The best meal in Nashville goes to...drumroll...Husk. Wow. Amazing. 10/10. Would eat there every night if I could.
I got the vegetable plate and honestly...I have no words. You MUST eat here and someone at the table MUST order this. My dad got the same entree as me and was just as blown away. The grits were out of this world, the carrots had an amazing smokiness to them that you just have to try yourself, the potatoes were perfect, the greens were some of the best I had on the entire trip...and you gotta order cornbread for the table...or maybe 2.
On the lighter side, Avo is a great place to get some vegan entrees during the day. This particular day we hadn't gotten around to eating lunch until 4pm and we were starved. We ordered 2 entrees, a salad, and an appetizer to share between the 4 of us and we loved it all. Their kale caesar is a must, and their lentil walnut burger left us all tempted to order another. If you're looking for an all vegan restaurant that can please anyone, veg or not, stop at Avo.
Another fun place to visit in Nash is Yee-Haw Brewery. They've got a lawn set up for live music and corn hole, and then a large building with all of the brewery's beers + the Ole Smokey Moonshine collection. If you've been to the Ole Smokey's in Gatlinburg you'll love the one in Nashville. We found out from our bartender that they have limited edition moonshine flavors that you can only get at certain locations. After our moonshine tasting, I got myself a jug of the sour watermelon moonshine. If you're in Nashville anytime soon, try and pick some up, it'll be perfect for summertime.
Got a sweet tooth? Five Daughter's Bakery is a must see. The outside of the building is instagram worthy itself, and the doughnuts are worth every calorie filled bite. Don't be fooled, we split 4 doughnuts between the 4 of us and had that as our breakfast. I don't remember exactly what we got, and their flavors vary daily, but I don't think you can really go wrong at Five Daughters. The bakery is in the 12 South area, so after your doughnuts, you can get your steps in and see all the upscale boutiques and hip coffee shops in that part of town. If you need some caffeine, we loved our lattes from Frothy Monkey! While the shops were, for the most part, completely out of my price range, it was still so fun to window shop.
Head to Draper James (Reese Witherspoon's boutique) to get some complimentary sweet tea while you browse through her collection. Honestly you could do a photoshoot for insta just in the Draper James dressing rooms...that's how cute it's decorated.
Once you've walked around, head back to your hotel, take a nap, and get ready for a night full of live music and good (cheap) drinks. Nashville really is an amazing city with so much character. I know this blog post is mainly about eating and drinking but hey...that's what you do here!
See y'all next time,
Tori