3 Days In Nashville!

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We have had the good fortune to have another chance to visit Nashville.

We first visited here several years ago for a long weekend over Independence Day and had such a fantastic time that we have been wanting to come back ever since.

There is so much to see and do here, from historical venues, great food and drink choices and of course, the Music! Nashville is jam-packed with so many choices that you could easily spend a week here and not get bored.

Broadway is the main drag for the local bars and honky-tonks. You can spend all day or several days, just walking from place to place and enjoying the sounds of local up and coming artists and bands. If you are lucky enough you can also have the opportunity to get a drop in appearance by established artists as well. Most of the venues have regular sets throughout the day so you rarely walk into a bar and not get great entertainment.

One of the great things we love about Nashville is, of course, the music. Many of the bars, especially the newer ones are multiple floors and they have all done a great job at soundproofing. You can walk from one floor to the next and not hear the band above or below you. The music is also very diverse. You will, of course, hear country music everywhere, some old, some new and some original to the artist that is singing at the time. But you will also find many bars playing classic rock and Blues as well, so don’t worry if you aren’t a huge Country fan there is something for everyone. We also just love the atmosphere here. We will head into a bar and grab a seat, have a drink and then after a few songs, we just move on and do the same thing at the next place. People are friendly and the city is cleaner than what you would think for a town full of bars.

For some of our top favorite Nashville hangouts, click here.

If the day or two long bar scene is not your thing, there is plenty of other things to do in the area. There are great restaurants, (BBQ anyone?) and many Museums, The Country Music Hall of Fame, The Tennessee State Museum, The General Jackson RiverBoat Cruise and if you are willing to drive a little way, you can visit and tour the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg! There is even the largest shopping mall in the state, named Opry Mills, located just outside of town next to the Grand Ole Opry.

And speaking of the Opry, your visit would not be complete without adding this destination to your list of stops, along with the incredible Ryman Auditorium “The Mother Church of Country Music”.

To see our favorite non-bar scene stops check out our post here.

Make sure to download your favorite ride share app before you go, it’s a great way to get around. The hotels in town can be a bit on the pricey side as are most hotels in the heart of a city. However, for a short drive, you can stay 15 minutes outside of town either near the airport, to the west of the city or in nearby Franklin and save yourself a bundle. Park your car there and catch a ride in for the day. There are so many ride shares we never waited more than 3-4 minutes and for a ride from downtown all the way out to OpryLand, it cost us anywhere from $13-17 on average, depending on if you share a ride and time of day, etc.

As always we recommend doing the hop on hop off bus tours. Old Towne Trolley Tours is right along the Cumberland River at the end of Broadway. We used this company when we were in Boston also and they were great. This is THE best way to see all the hot spots in town and give yourself some time to decide which ones you want to go back to and spend more time. And here’s a hint, the folks on these tours are locals! Who better to recommend great spots for food, drinks, and music. Sometimes the best places to visit are where the locals go. The tour takes you on a 12-mile ride with 15 stops! Get off where you want and then just “hop on” the next bus that comes by. Plus you get coupons for entry in a few venues, so that is a big saving! Great way to see a new city!

I can’t end this post without making sure you check out my post on where we stayed this time; The Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Conference Center. My brain went into overload at the place. It is massive, with 27 acres under roof and 2888 guest rooms along with conference facilities, shopping, restaurants, and a brand new indoor/outdoor waterpark! Click through the link here to get a taste of this gorgeous hotel, but be sure not to drool on your laptop, the pictures really do not do it justice.

So if you are looking for great food, great music and an all around fun and relaxing time then add Nashville to your list!