Nashville TN (May 2022)

 

We planned our whole trip to Nashville with visitmusiccity.com, a great resource.  They have a page with neighborhoods to explore - too bad we didn't have enough time to visit all of them.  Next time...

We stayed at the Hotel Noelle (4th & Church) which is a great historic venue, central to everything. 

Sites

Broadway between 2nd and 6th is fun but gets to be a bit much after a while, so we explored neighborhoods like The Gulch and Germantown.  

Ryman Auditorium is definitely worth the visit.  So much history, iconic venue. 

Lunch Counter Sit-In: visit the Woolworth Theatre at 223 Rep. John Lewis Way N (5th St.) and look for a small window display commemorating this event.  Two weeks after the 1960 Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins, John Lewis and other students from Fisk University (and other local colleges) organized sit-ins at several Nashville stores.  This location of the former Woolworth's is definitely worth visiting.  

Walk through Music Row, Midtown and Vanderbilt University campus, and the West End and Centennial Park and the Parthenon.  

A great place to explore with lots of great restaurants is East Nashville.  The walk from downtown to East Nashville wasn't great, and I would recommend you take public transportation.  

Parthenon - Centennial Park

Ryaman Auditorium

Restaurants & Bars

We made obligatory visits to a couple of the country music star bars: Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, Jason Aldean’s Kitchen and Rooftop Bar.  

Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge is a great music venue

Had a great meal at Henrietta Red in Germantown, after stopping at Sonny’s Patio Bar for a drink.  Next time we will try Rolf and Daughters, which was recommended by several friends. 

Great brunch at Milk & Honey in the Gulch

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, 4th Avenue is good BBQ in a casual atmosphere 

Prince’s Hot Chicken, I got the XXX Hot which was a good sandwich and tolerable heat (warning: I love insanely hot food!).

Skulls’ Rainbow Room has a great atmosphere.  We only had drinks, so can’t comment on the food.  

Union Station in Nashville Yards is a beautifully restored station, now a hotel with a nice bar.  It’s a good place to stop for a drink on the way to Music Row or Midtown.  Once in Midtown, The Stillery is worth a stop for a drink (didn’t try the food).  

Not far from Union Station, Chauhan Ale and Masala House is an interesting mix of Indian and Southern cuisines.  Tammy and I see Maneet Chauhan on Food Network constantly, so we had to try her restaurant - we were not disappointed. 

Dinner at the 404 Kitchen in the Gulch was very good.  

Butcher & Bee had a great brunch in East Nashville

Although the atmosphere is nothing special, the Southern Cuisine at Midtown Cafe was great.