“I’ve been living on the wrong side of Memphis / I’m really breaking away this time / A full tank of gas and a ‘69 Tempest / Taking me to that Nashville sign.”
I’ve definitely been living on the wrong side of town.
This is a city like no other I’ve been to. From the hospitality to the food to the music.
After moving out of Leesburg, VA, we stopped in Roanoke, VA for the night. From there it’s only an easy 6 hour drive to Nashville. We wanted to relax for a couple days after such an emotional week. Nashville was almost our halfway point and we wanted to check it out.
Here’s some few tips. If you have dogs, plan ahead. Make sure to call the hotel prior to booking and find out if it’s dog friendly, if there’s a pet fee, weight requirements, how many dogs can stay, if it’s close to a park for dog walks, etc. We even checked out a couple doggy daycare/overnight boarding as well. Make sure you plan ahead to see if require an interview before boarding. Most places here require that to ensure good behavior. Our dogs go to daycare all the time so they passed after 15 minutes. We set them up to stay the night so we could enjoy a night out.
We arrived at the Bobby Hotel not expecting such a welcoming experience. I mean, they were the kindest, laidback, down to earth people I’ve ever come across staying at a hotel. Now, it’s a nice hotel and it had just opened in April 2018. It’s very dog friendly stocked with the cutest dog towel for your pups and treats in their fridge along with alcohol and water for your human companions. Dogs were spoiled in the least.
Our first stop: Hattie B’s
This is the place to go to whenever you’re in Nashville. Their hot chicken is the bomb. If you can’t handle a ton of heat, get mild like me. It was still hot for me but not enough to not enjoy it. Get my flow? Medium was just right for Justin. They have a ton of flavor and it’s so damn good! Make sure you wash it down with their local Nashville beer.
Grab a cupcake at Gigi’s next door. Lots of options and flavor, even gluten-free ones!
Finally, go check out Lower Broadway for the Honky Tonks. We couldn’t make it to all the bars. There’s so many! Hashtag Nashvegas for sure. Tootsie’s was our first stop and there’s definitely a ton of history there. All the bands at every bar we went to were so good! We might have seen the next country music star. This is a sophomore in High School and could potentially be the next Brad Paisley. Not that we need another Brad.
Guys, make sure you end the night with pizza at Mellow Mushrooms. Just trust me. Your body will thank you in the morning.
If you want to feel better about your hangover shakes, do eat some amazing biscuits at Biscuit Love in the Gulch District. Legit to die for. Not gluten-free at all but damn. So flaky and buttery! You got to start off with their Bonuts. Like biscuit and donuts in one. Please see picture and do yourself a favor. Go there yourself and try it!
Country Music Hall of Fame museum is pretty decent. If you’re a big country music fan, do the Studio B tour. It was great until our tour guide made us sing along and I kinda wanted to kill myself. Singing out loud for all to hear is not my mojo.
Do sit on piano played by Elvis Presley and other famous artists before our time.
Grab some local coffee and take a walk to enjoy the murals around town. It’s so cool. The hard work they put into creating art around the city.
With not enough time in the day and the wish to stay another night, we will be back to check out the rest of Music City, enjoy more good food especially eating at Hattie B’s again, and tour Old Opry backstage one day.
What have you done in Nashville?
That Deaf RDH Foundation 