If you listen closely while perusing the photos of downtown below you might just hear the blaring live country music oozing out of every venue on Broadway, an active street in downtown loved by all booze and music enthusiasts. It was so fun to sing along to the tunes spilling out of each bar we passed. While downtown was generally very quiet, Broadway was filled with folks looking to have a great time.
Architecturally, Nashville is reminiscent of NYC with tall, modern buildings entangled with late eighteen hundreds structures. The city does an excellent job of marking historic sites with large informative plaques that recall its' role in how cruelly blacks were treated in the late eighteen hundreds to the mid nineteen hundreds in the state. There were over two hundred lynchings in Tennessee alone during this period. To their credit, the city is doing a fantastic job taking responsibility for its' past rather than shying away from it.
You'll also find The Parthenon in Nashville. Yup. It's a full scale replica of the Greek original built for Tennessee's Centennial Exposition in 1897.
Boots, country music, rowdy drunks, beautiful architecture and southern charm. This is Nashville. We absolutely loved it! Ya'll have to check it out for a fun weekend getaway!
Downtown:
Dinner at Liberty Common
We unanimously enjoyed a delicious, southern inspired menu on an adorable outdoor patio overlooking the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. We couldn't resist the many wonderful options and once again settled on trying everything that caught our eyes: macaroni and cheese, crispy Brussels sprouts, fried pickles, buffalo cauliflower bites, oysters, watermelon and feta salads, a grilled local trout with cheese grits, waffles and chicken with maple syrup, and a chicken sandwich that my hubby claimed is the best he ever had. Each bite was gobbled up and savored.
The Hermitage Hotel
A glamorous and romantic hotel indeed. The lobby is grand and beautifully appointed. The rooms are immaculate, spacious and some of them offer beautiful views of the State Capitol. The staff was easily able to connect a double Queen room with roll away bed to a King room, making it an extremely comfortable stay for our group of five. The Hermitage also just celebrated a 100 years since women won the right to vote; this hotel was at the epicenter of The Women's Suffrage Movement. Great vibes, although there are some who say the hotel is haunted. Luckily, we were only haunted by luxury and positive energy lurking from the great historical moments that occurred here. This was a perfect choice for our one night stay in Nashville.
12 South
About a five minute drive from downtown lies this trendy little neighborhood bustling with stylish boutiques and fine dining restaurants. There was a young and vibrant crowd most likely comprised of the local college students. The main stretch, 12th Avenue South, is surrounded by a quiet neighborhood lined with cute bungalow style homes and felt very safe to explore at night. We passed an unattended/closed for the day farmer's market finding it remarkable that all the produce (squash and pumpkins) was left out overnight! A few steps down a college student was playing her violin on a street corner for those on their evening stroll. This neighborhood has a special charm and a distinct local town feel that will definitely appeal to most.
Overall, Nashville won us over. Our oldest son has added it to his dream cities for college locations. We certainly will look forward to visiting him in such a wonderful city and embarrass the heck out of him by riding past his dorm on the ubiquitous pedal pub tours!
Comments