Why You Should Spend a Weekend in Nashville (ASAP)
Oh Nashville. How did you fly under the radar for so long? Nashville is a straight up hidden gem. I was expecting to like it, but I don’t think my husband anticipated my enthusiasm to become a full-fledged resident after spending only 3 days there. My trip to Nashville was short but jam packed with fun, and the best part was I spent it with my brother.
We made plans about 6 months back to go see our long time favorite indie folk singer Brandi Carlile at the Ryman Auditorium. If you’ve never been to the Ryman, book a concert NOW. To say I was blown away by the power of the acoustics is a vast understatement. The concert itself was enough to make me swoon for Nashville. Add in the other shenanigans we stumbled upon and you’ve got yourself one hell of a time.
Day 1
We landed in Nashville around 11 a.m. and were itching for a good bite to eat. Prior to visiting a city, I do my research. By research, I mean I am constantly on the lookout for recommendations weeks to months in advance and promptly save them on my google maps. By the time I actually get anywhere, that city has often become a big green blob in my google maps app. I’ve found this to be unbelievably helpful, especially when I have zero patience and am HANGRY AF. I quickly tracked down Butcher & Bee on the map for the brunch of a lifetime.
Holy cow is this place easy on the eyes. Whoever decorated Butcher & Bee is 100% welcome to decorate my house (whenever that happens). We were seated ASAP despite the fact that the restaurant was bumping. The service was quick and our server was super helpful with choosing our entrees. My brother got the Green Eggs & Lamb and I got the Farmhouse Hash. Can someone say drool worthy???? I love when you order a dish and it exceeds every expectation you could ever have. DONE. We could have gone straight home and I would have already been in love.
Next we took a lyft to 12th St. South where Five Daughter’s Bakery is. Five Daughter’s is iconic in Nashville and guess what??? The bakery was completely sold out. 12th street is brimming with places to visit and the walking score is 10/10. We improvised and posted up at 12th South Taproom. We had 2 hours to kill before we could check into our Airbnb and the taproom did not disappoint. The taproom has a heated, enclosed outdoor patio in the winter. We hung out on the patio and ordered some local brews. By personal preference, I went with the ciders/sours. The selection is extensive, but not so much that you’re overwhelmed by all the options. I also thoroughly embarrassed my brother by asking to pet every single dog on the patio which was a win win for me 🙂
Our Airbnb was nice and the perfect size for us. It had 2 king beds, a living room, and a kitchen for only $100 a night (post taxes and cleaning fees). The only negative is that it is in an area that is clearly being gentrified. Thus, it’s not the “safest” area but we didn’t have any issues and the location was hard to beat. I did 2 runs while we were there and was able to explore Vanderbilt as well as some of the nicer Nashville neighborhoods.
That night we headed to Old Glory which was walking distance from our Airbnb. Old Glory is a speak easy south of downtown. What a mood. First off, you need to find the door which is pretty obvious if you look at the pictures on google maps. I love the mystery of speak easy’s, but I hate working for my alcohol so this perfectly fit the bill. The atmosphere inside makes you feel hella classy, but no one can really see anyone other than the people they’re with because the lights are super dim. BIG FAN.
My brother and I both got a sour that was outta this world and spent the night laughing our faces off. We had reservations for a fancy dinner for his birthday, but we rescheduled for the next day. Instead we each had like 4 empanadas. We then preceded to eat our weight in edible cookie dough and cozy up on our airbnb couch for a quiet night in.
Day 2
After I had worked up a hefty appetite from my morning run, we headed into the Gulch to grab some grub at Biscuit Love. By the time we got there the line was crazy long. I’m not really that patient, so we headed down the street to Saint Anejo. The food here was incredible, especially the quesadillas that we scarfed down in 3 seconds flat.
Once we were thoroughly satisfied from brunch, we grabbed some caffeine at Killebrew coffeehouse. Killebrew is adjacent to the Thompson Nashville, a SWANKY hotel. We felt extra classy sipping on our matcha and chai teas on the expensive couches in the Thompson lobby. Buzzing from our caffeine fix, we headed around the corner to Two Old Hippies. This is a mash up of a vintage clothing store and a knick knack store. We perused to our hearts content, but ultimately didn’t buy anything as everything cost a pretty penny.
In search of something to kill the time before our dinner plans, we caught a lyft to Marathon Village. If it hadn’t been January, we probably would have walked over, but I wasn’t keen on the idea of losing a finger to frostbite. Marathon Village did not disappoint. The building is an old refurbished auto factory. It now serves as a local shopping centre with little boutiques and a few distilleries. We had a blast looking through the shops and then we grabbed some phenomenal drinks at Corsair Distillery & Taproom.
For dinner, we ate at 5th & Taylor. Since it was early on a Monday night (we had a show to catch), the place was pretty empty. I can imagine it gets much busier later at night and on the weekends. The ambience of this place was unreal with candles everywhere and mood lighting for dayyyzz. Obviously we ordered the cheese board and some cocktails to start. OH M G these were to die for. I think I could have finished there and been ready to roll. Queue a basket of cornbread, entrees, and a chocolate chip cookie cake and we were happily stuffed. Although the food was spectacular, I honestly think I would go back for the cocktails above anything else. The cucumber gimlet that I had blew my mind (thank you vodka).
The Concert
I would be entirely remiss no to give this its own section. I have never been so completely moved by a live performance. The show was held at Ryman Auditorium and we were there to see our beloved Brandi Carlile. If you don’t know who I’m talking about, then look her up immediately!!!! My brother and I have been obsessed with Brandi and her music since we were both in high school…..so very long ago. You could say we were GIDDY to see her live.
The Ryman is a super intimate setting. The actual theatre fits a decent amount of people. The seating is comprised of church pews so we got close and personal with our neighbors. I have a disgustingly annoying ability to make friends with random people on airplanes, in ubers, and apparently at concerts so this wasn’t a huge deal for me. When the lights went down, you could hear a pin drop and then an explosion of noise as Brandi sauntered onto the stage.
WOW. I can’t even put it into words. Watching an artist command the stage like Brandi did and pour their soul into their music is transcending. The whole experience gave me goose bumps and the acoustics of the Ryman made everything 1000 times better. There was pure magic in the air during the entire concert and I may have shed a few tears. It’s safe to say we will be fan girls for life. We currently own multiple t shirts to show for it 🙂
Day 3
We had early afternoon flights the third day which meant pack up and get to brunch ASAP. Since my brother is a major pancake lover, we hit up Pancake Pantry for the cap to his birthday weekend.
Pancake Pantry is literally that, a slew of different types of pancakes. Just reading the descriptions was making both of us drool. I went with the raspberry compote pancakes and my brother got the sweet potato pancakes. Honestly, I don’t think you could go wrong here (if you like pancakes that is). Every single option looked heavenly. I legit forced a couple extra bites into my pie hole because they were THAT good.
Wrap Up
Should you go? Yes. Should you bring friends? Yes. Will you have a blast? Yes. Right now my husband is starting the process of applying for his medical residency and I’d be lying if I didn’t say this is basically #1 on the list. Full confession, I’m going back in late April with my girl gang for my golden birthday and I can’t wait. We are going to eat our hearts out and take on round 2 of Nashville. Stay tuned.