If you had asked me a year ago which destination I thought would be the first we’d return to, I can assure you my answer would not have been ‘Nashville.’ New Orleans? Maybe. The Gulf Coast of Florida? Possibly. Savannah? Sure. But Nashville?? For two people who don’t listen to country music? Not in a million years…

But there was just something about this small city that made us happy. In fact, we were so smitten, I’ve already booked a return trip for the fall.

All the things we love….

Of course, when you think about it, the city ticks a lot of the boxes we often talk about. It’s a good size without being overwhelming, it’s got interesting history and architecture, it’s pedestrian friendly, and it’s got great food and entertainment options. But what we didn’t expect is that it would be so much FUN!

A pedal tavern heading down the road in Nashville, Tennessee.
When you see one of these on the road at 1:00 in the afternoon on a Thursday, you know you’re in a pretty fun place.

Walking around the main historic district reminded us of walking along Bourbon Street or the Vegas Strip: Tons of people out and about, live music pouring out of the bars, and happy, slightly buzzed people strolling from one venue to the next.

Busy sidewalk in the main historic district in downtown Nashville

A busy alley featuring several music venues in downtown Nashville.

But the city is more than just a collection of live music venues and bars. It is chock full of restored historic buildings, impressive street art, manicured parks, and the Parthenon.

A full size replica of the Parthenon, located in Nashville, Tennessee

Because why would there not be a full scale replica of the Parthenon in the middle of Tennessee???

The city’s energy drew us in and made us want to stay. And while sometimes it’s hard to define what exactly it is about a place that gives it that gravitational pull, with Nashville, we could identify several specific features.

One example? These incredible murals. We kept running into them as we wandered around. I don’t know if the city commissions them or private building owners offer space to local artists, but however it happens, it’s brilliant. The enormous one-of-a-kind paintings bring otherwise entirely forgettable buildings to life.

A large painting of a woman on the side of a building in Nashville, Tennessee. A large painting of a dog holding a child on the side of a building in Nashville, Tennessee. A series of paintings on the side of a building, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville also had a distinct personality and sense of humor…

A large cowboy boot in the middle of a sidewalk in Nashville

A trashcan with the words "Dolly Carton" spray painted on the side.

The city effortlessly blended old with new: set among the modern office buildings we found numerous preserved and restored nineteenth century buildings, many of which had their own unique histories.

The facade of the Heritage Hotel in downtown Nashville
The Heritage Hotel is located right across the street from the State Capitol and has a long history of being a hangout for the powerful and well-connected.
A row of buildings across the street from the river in Nashville, Tennessee.
A row of restored and converted warehouse buildings along the Cumberland River, which cuts through the city.

We found government buildings, many of which were built to replicate Greek architecture, surrounded by impressive plazas featuring memorials, historic markers, and fountains.

The Tennessee State Capitol Building
The Tennessee State Capitol Building. Tennessee was the last state to join the Confederacy and the first to leave it. The flag that flew over the Capitol after Tennessee returned to the Union has a long, interesting history.

Close up of the columns on the front facade of one of the government buildings near the Capitol Building in Nashville, Tennessee.

Collage of monuments and memorials near Nashville State Capitol building.

The city has also done a good job of highlighting and memorializing its interesting history…Tennessee was the 36th and final state to ratify the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, and it was home to an Exposition in 1897 which is somehow related to the whole Parthenon thing. (If you haven’t figured it out, I still have no freaken idea why there’s a full scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville. It’s just one of those mysteries of life I think we’ll all gonna have to live with).

Statue of women marching for women's suffrage.

Music City

More than anything else, Nashville is about music. Walk into any bar in the downtown district any day of the week, any time of the day, and someone will be playing live. We caught this guy doing a show in front of a pretty respectable audience in the middle of a weekday afternoon…

Then there’s the Grand Ole Opry, one of the best experiences we’ve had…

The front of the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee

I was under the mistaken impression that the Grand Ole Opry was simply a music venue for country shows. Turns out, it’s actually a radio program. Started in 1925, the show, which is broadcast live several nights a week, features 7-8 artists each of whom perform 3 songs.  In between the sets, an emcee will read a couple advertisements – hawking everything from cowboy boots to Humana Health Insurance. On any given night, the performers will range from the hottest current acts to folks who’ve been around for 40 years, from crossover pop stars to country rock bands, from gospel performers to bluegrass groups.

It is a huge honor to play the Grand Ole Opry and the artists clearly don’t take the invitation for granted, even if they do only get to play 3 songs. In fact, there’s something neatly democratic about each act being limited. There are no “headliners”; every act is given the same attention.

Of course, we know nothing about country music, so when I figured out what the Grand Ole Opry was, and I saw the performers who were scheduled to play the week we were visiting, I reached out to my friend Julie, the one person I know who loves country music, to get some advice. Via text, I rattled off some of the acts that we had the opportunity to see. I think a little part of her died as she realized I – whose entire knowledge of country music comes from belting out “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift in my car – was gonna get to see all these awesome performers. It’s like your friend who’s never watched a football game in his life winning tickets to the Super Bowl…and then asking how many points a team gets for a home run.

The listing of musical acts playing at the Grand Ole Opry on April 25, 2017

Anyway, based on Julie’s stellar advice, we went to the show above and had a fantastic time! The theater is small and the acoustics are incredible, so there are no bad seats. The artists keep their performances simple and straightforward; no light shows, no fog machines, no distractions. It’s just a night of great music, performed live, to an appreciative crowd. We loved it, and promptly went home and downloaded a bunch of new-to-us music.

Photograph of the stage at the Grand Ole Opry during a performanceInterestingly, the reason we loved downtown Nashville so much is directly related to the Grand Ole Opry. Nowadays, the Opry is located in suburban Nashville. But up until 1974, it was housed downtown at the Ryman Auditorium, a building just steps away from all those bars that feature the live music.

The facade of the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee

Famous artists used to play their sets for the Grand Ole Opry and then walk over to the bars and perform impromptu concerts. That’s how the bars became famous and that’s why up and coming artists still flock to those particular venues. The Ryman Auditorium (which was originally a church, if you can’t tell), still hosts the Opry a couple months each year, but generally, in order to experience it, you have to head for the burbs.

Good Eats

When we were done with all the walking, the music, and the trying to figure out the Parthenon thing, we headed to Hattie B’s Hot Chicken

Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and potato salad at Hattie Bs in Nashville, Tennessee

I’ve never been a big fried chicken fan, but seriously?  This stuff is life changing…. In and of itself, the fried chicken was great. Add some fire, and wow! Incredible. They offer levels of heat including: “no heat” “medium,” “hot,” “damn hot,” and “shut the cluck up.”

And “shut the cluck up” was the funniest description I’d seen on a menu right up until we got to Lexington when Kevin ordered the “Vladamir Poutine” at a restaurant downtown.

Menu items including "Valdimir Poutine"Seriously – you cannot say “Vladimir Poutine” without smiling.

Go ahead.  Try….

See?? It can’t be done.

Next time you’re having a bad day, just think: “Man, I should get a big bowl of Vladimir Poutine!”

You’re welcome.

Anyway, speaking of bad days, unfortunately we had 3 days of rain while we were in Nashville which put a damper on our ability to sight-see. It’s one of the reasons we vowed to get back there asap. There’s a ton to see and do, from live music bar crawls to touring the State Capitol, to checking out the museums, to visiting some of the historic plantations homes nearby. We are pretty confident we can keep ourselves busy for a couple weeks in this super fun city and we’re very much looking forward to getting back there.

 

Where we stayed: Grand Ole RV Resort

 

16 COMMENTS

  1. Very cool! They had one of those bar bikes in Asheville, I wanted to do it! I’ve only been to Nashville once for a business conference and didn’t get to see the city. It was at the Gaylord Hotel, which is this HUGE hotel city under glass. Literally. It was weird because the hotel kept bragging about how long you could walk without ever going outside and I was thinking, “Is there a reason I shouldn’t go outside???” Clearly don’t stay there, you’ll miss out! It was there that I learned that “country” and “western” truly are two different kinds of music and not just a joke in the “Blues Brothers” movie. We’ll send you some pics for comparison when we go to Greece and see the real Parthenon. ???? Glad you had fun when it wasn’t raining!

    • I looked it up, and it looks like that hotel is right down the street from the Grand Ole Opry, so it would be very convenient for seeing the show, but it would take a bit of a drive to get downtown to the historic district. The only thing I can think of as to why they would want to have tunnels is the intense heat and humidity in the summer. The temperatures were mild while we were there, but I think it gets pretty miserable in the summer. Other than that, I have no idea. We took a walking tour of the city and we learned a lot about the history of country music and the various styles and types. It was pretty interesting…and made the whole Opry experience even better because we could see the variation between styles of music and eras. Anyway, I look forward to seeing your pics of “the wannabe Parthenon.” You know the Tennessee one is WAY nicer. 🙂

  2. Oh my gosh, you got to hear “Whispering ” Bill Anderson sing! We will definitely have to meet up when you’ll go back there.

    • YESSSS!! That’s the guy! Everyone else seemed to know who he was. We had no clue. And yes, you should come hang out while we are there. There’s a ton of stuff I bet you guys would really enjoy.

  3. Wow, so great to read your review. My niece is getting married in October in Nashville. It will be my first time there. Can’t wait.

    • That’s awesome!! And actually, we heard from a bunch of people that fall in that area is spectacular, so it should be a perfect time of year to visit. If you can stay a couple extra days, I promise you won’t run out of things to see and do. It’s really a great city.

    • I was actually surprised I haven’t read more blog posts about it. It seems like everyone who’s been there loves it, but I can only remember one or two of my favorite travel blogs talking about it. Definitely odd. I’m looking forward to checking more of it out in the fall and writing about what we find.

  4. This is really good info for us! We’re doing the East Coast next year and Nashville is so popular but like you, we don’t listen to country music so it was hard to see the appeal here. I’m gonna have to bookmark this to remember for next year. I heard about the Grand Ole Opry but didn’t know what it really was, how cool! OMG, and that fried chicken!

    • I think you’ll really like it. It’s one of those places where there’s something for everyone, and when you get tired of sightseeing in the city, the surrounding country is beautiful. Speaking of which, if you’re not familiar, check out Seven Points Campground. It’s a COE park, so W/E only, but really close in and supposedly very nice.

  5. Great post. We love Nashville as well. We’re headed to Asheville this weekend n the 36LA, looking forward to craft brews and good eats., might even pic up one of those tiger shirts……..badass.

    • Asheville is one of those places that we know we’ll love, but it just hasn’t been on our route yet. We’ve heard nothing but great things about it, so it’s definitely on our list for when we make it back to the southeast. It also sounds like a great place to take the RV. I remember seeing some campgrounds in that area with pretty spectacular mountain views. Awesome. I hope you have a great time…. and make good fashion choices. 😉

  6. We were in Nashville years ago and loved it! There was an energy to the place that I just loved! We like CW music so it was great to be there! So glad you liked it too! Hope to get back one day!

    • I agree 100%. It’s funny how many people just love Nashville. Who knew?? (Not us, that’s for sure…) Anyway, we’re super excited to be heading back in a couple months. So much to see and do!

  7. Loved Nashville! Neither of us are into country music but this was a surprising town for us. We only had a day here so we did the city tour. I enjoyed following your travel as you are taking me back of our time in the east.

    • We were definitely not expecting to enjoy it as much as we did, and now, the more we talk to other people, the more we realize that we were not alone in that feeling. It seems like most people go in with low expectations and come out completely impressed. I hope you guys make it back there at some point to spend some more time. There’s a lot to see!

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