It seems like everyone is traveling to Nashville lately. Whether it's for a bachelor party, bachelorette party, birthday bash, girls weekend, couples get away, etc. my social media feeds just seem to be blowing up with friends and family heading to the capital of country music. I've actually been a part of this trend twice in the past year or so. Last spring I went for my best friend's bachelorette party and last month Todd and I went for a little getaway. After going there twice and seeing the city in two very different ways, it's safe to say that it is worth all the hype that everyone is giving it.
Any time that I travel I like to ask around for what people liked and disliked about the area, places to visit, holes in the wall that are worth discovering, what tourist attractions are worth it and which ones to skip, and most importantly where to stay. These two trips were no exception to my inquisitive pre trip investigation. During my searches, I got an overwhelming amount of feedback from everyone. In fact, I got so much that after two trips I still have not been able to get to all of the amazing recommendations that I've been provided with. While Todd and I were away we had so many people reach out to us about our tips and tricks to navigating Nashville because they were planning to visit in the near feature, so I thought it would be helpful to create the ultimate guide to Nashville for y'all! Brace yourself because this is about to be a long post filled with tons of excitement!
Nashville is unlike any other city that I have visited. It is broken down into a bunch of different sub sections (21 to be exact) that are anywhere from 2-15 minutes away from another. Each community has its own vibe and reputation. Between the two visits, I've made it to six of these neighborhoods.
Downtown:
This is what most people think of (or at least I used to) when they think of Nashville. This is where you'll find Broadway, the honky tonks, pedal taverns, party barges, and live music all day and night. You can visit here during the day or head here to go out and night, and either way you won't be disappointed.
Downtown it's also fun to do a moving tour of the city. If you're looking for a pedal tavern, then I recommend Country Music Crawler. When we went, brides got to ride for free. You can also do a barge tour. Both of these options are BYOB and lots of fun!
Pedestrian Bridge:
When you are downtown, be sure to checkout the pedestrian bridge. The views from it are amazing!
12 South:
This cute little section has a more suburban feel to it. Here you'll find tons of cute restaurants, shopping, a mix of local places as well as chains. This is where Reese Whitherspoon's famous store is found, Draper and James.
The Gulch and SoBro:
These two areas are so close to one another that I find it funny that they have two different names. This area is pretty close to Downtown. It is a little more "city-esque" that 12 South or East Nashville. This is definitely a newer end of the city. There's tons of places to eat, murals to take pictures at, and places to shop. The shops here are a combination of chains and local vendors.
East Nashville:
This particular area has a bit more of an artsy feel to it. Here there are tons of local places to eat and not as many stores to go shopping. It's really close to Nissan Stadium and downtown, so if you're looking for somewhere a little quieter to stay, then this is definitely your spot!
We stayed at the Russell and absolutely loved it! It's a boutique hotel located in a perfect location! We didn't realize it until we got there, but we actually stayed there two weeks after they opened. Excellent facilities and helpful staff.
The Nations:
Similar to The Gulch, this is an area that was once run down but has recently gotten a facelift. This location is just a short ten minute uber/lyft ride from downtown. It is a quieter section of the city, but with tons of restaurants it's a great location to stay at.
In The Nations, Todd and I stayed at the cutest airbnb. The only down side was that we had to drag our luggage up three huge flights of stairs, but it was definitely worth it.
Check it out here.
The other sections of the city include: 8th Ave S, Belmont Blvd, Berry Hill, Demonbreun Hill, Edgehill, Elliston Place, Green Hills, Germantown, Hillsboro Village, Marathon Village, Melrose, Midtown, Sylvan Park, Wedgewood- Houston, and West End.
Other Helpful Information:
Transportation:
Once you are in Nashville, you really don't need to drive much. You can uber/lyft everywhere for about $10-$15 or less. Your most expensive ride will be to and from the airport. The second time I went, we rented a car because we spent half of our time in Pigeon Forge (about a three to four hour drive).
I definitely recommend taking a scooter ride while you're in town. Each scooter has directions as to how it operates. It will prompt you to download and app to pay for and unlock it.
Lodging
I would reccomend not staying downtown, but looking into a hotel, air bnb, or Vrbo in one of the other neighborhoods. Downtown can be really noisy and much more expensive. As far as deals go, you're going to get a better bang for your buck not staying at a hotel. Choosing somewhere with a kitchen allows you to cook rather than eat every meal out.
Plan Ahead of Time
I suggest making a tentative itinerary ahead of time because there is seriously so much to do in the Nashville area. If you don't make a plan, then you most likely will not be able to see and visit everywhere that you want to. Each day we made a game plan during breakfast to make sure we could get the most out of our days. We used this website to help us find out what to do in each neighborhood.
If you're looking for more specifics, comment your email below and I can email you my complete guide! This is a more general guide, but I am considering creating a Bachelorette specific one. Does that sound like something you'd want to read? Drop me a comment with your thoughts!
XOXO
your picture looks so good!
ReplyDeletetoupee wig new year
and i like this place! i want to go there