Do’s and Don’ts of Nashville, TN

When one of my best friends Kelly told me that she was heading to Nashville on a girls trip the first thing my blogger self thought was “oh great you can write a post about it!” Below she’s written what I find to be a fabulous guide to a weekend in Nashville. I can’t wait until I get to go and try the things she tried, minus the tattoo!

 

A few of my girlfriends from Pennsylvania had invited me on a girls trip to Nashville, TN. As a lover of country music, cowboy boots, country bars, and beer, it was an easy decision. The majority of our trip was spent at the various bars taking in the live music on Broadway Street with a group of Canadians we met. Here are some do’s and don’ts that I learned from my trip to Nashville.

Do get a hotel on Broadway Street or as close to Broadway as possible. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Broadway and it was perfect. The bars were walking distance away and they had a complimentary breakfast every morning. However, if you are unable to get a hotel within walking distance, there are a lot of taxis.

Don’t forget your cowboy boots. Honestly, who can go to the home of country music without a pair of cowboy boots? If you don’t happen to own a pair, there are a few cute boot shops on Broadway.

Do take advantage of the live music at nearly every bar on Broadway Street. My favorite part of Nashville is that there is live music all day, every day. It wasn’t just one or two bars that had live music either, nearly every bar and restaurant have a continuous flow of live music.

Don’t stick to your own group of friends. Meet new people. I can’t even count how many great new people we met. We met folks from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Canada. We actually met a lot of Canadians. I didn’t realize how popular a vacation spot Nashville was for Canadians. Also, don’t stick to one place. There are so many different style bars to check out; have a little fun bar hopping. The main places we checked out were: Honky Tonk Central, Tootsies Orchid Lounge, Tequila Cowboys and Wanna B’s, Coyote Ugly, Rippy’s Smokin Bar and Grill, The Stage on Broadway, and Whiskey Bent Saloon.

Do try the BBQ at Rippy’s Smokin Bar and Grill. I personally got the BBQ pulled chicken sandwich and it was delicious!

Don’t venture into Coyote Ugly. I was more excited for Coyote Ugly than any other bar in hopes that it was like Coyote Ugly from the movie. Boy was I wrong, it is not the same… at all! We couldn’t get out of there faster. It was incredibly raunchy and after seeing the people there, the last thing I wanted to do was get up on that bar and dance. If you’re feeling adventurous, Do get a tattoo! Yeah, tattoos are not for everyone but if you do like tattoos there is a great tattoo parlor on 2^nd Ave called Pride and Glory. The artists were great. Out of our group, 7 of us got tattoos and each came out perfect!

Don’t forget to check out Arrington Vineyards. It was about a 45 minute drive from Broadway Street to the Vineyards but it was totally worth the drive. The tasting room sits up on a quaint hill with a large picnic area. They were very busy and from what the hostess told us, they stayed relatively busy. We had to be put on a waiting list for the tasting when we arrived. The tasting consisted of 6 samples. The servers were very knowledgeable about their wines. As a wine lover, I was very satisfied with the different wines. My personal favorites were the Gewurztraminer 2012 and the White Chambourcin 2012.  After the tasting, we each purchased a bottle of our favorite to enjoy with our picnic. Don’t forget to bring your own picnic food… We stopped at Publix (yay Publix!!) on our way to the Vineyards, since there is not a restaurant on sight. There is a deck, courtyard, and vineyard picnic tables to enjoy your wine purchase. The weather was lovely, so we grabbed a picnic table; we also laid out a blanket since there were 7 of us.

Do be sure to try the apple pie moonshine at either Tootsies Orchid Lounge or Honky Tonk Central. Honky Tonk Central had my favorite atmosphere of any of the bars we went to. The band was great, there were people dancing, and there were people conversing at the bar and at the tables. I didn’t feel awkward in the least. And the apple pie moonshine was delicious.

Lastly, don’t let petty drama get in the way of having a good vacation. On a trip that included 6 girls and 1 hotel room, there was bound to be some fighting. Let the fight happen and get over it quickly. Don’t let the little things ruin a fun trip with your girls.

Ever been to Nashville?! What do you think of Kelly’s visit? Let me know 🙂

xx- Ashley