Nashville Getaway
This past weekend, Kat and I were able to dust off our cowboy boots and get away with great friends to music city. NASHVILLE! It’s one of our absolute favorite southern cities to spend a long weekend with girlfriends. Is there anything better than eating great food, listening to good music, and dancing all night with your girls?! Check out our weekend full of southern food and country music!
[ what we DID ]
Y’all already know my love of the Zac Brown Band knows no bounds. I could follow them anywhere! (And sometimes it seems like I do. But I promise I don’t!) When we found out ZBB was starting their brand spanking new tour in Nashville, over our good friend Holly’s birthday weekend, we just knew it wasn’t an option. We had to go. ZBB pulled out all the stops for their first show including special guests Kid Rock and Jewel! Bridgestone Arena has an awesome location right in downtown Nashville. If you’re on a concert high when it’s over, simply walk outside and stroll down Broadway. You’ll find dozens of famous bars and saloons like Tootsies right across the street!
We drove out to the legendary Bluebird Cafe on Saturday. We were too late to snag one of the coveted tables for the night, but that didn’t stop us from having a photo shoot outside! All four of us are Nashville (the TV show) lovers so we were fangirling at the location of many Rayna James and Deacon Claybourne duets! (Yes, I know it’s legendary for ACTUAL songwriters and music too.) The doors open at 5:30pm so if you don’t have a reservation, I’d recommend arriving no later than 5pm to get in line.
[ where to EAT ]
HUSK | We’ve dined at HUSK in Charleston and it didn’t disappoint. When we saw a location in Nashville, we knew we couldn’t go wrong here! Their motto is “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door.” ORDER: HUSK Cheeseburger and the HUSK Fried Chicken with secret spices. My mouth didn’t recover for a few hours but it was totally worth it! They also have a great brunch on the weekends.
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken | Any true Nashvillian can tell you that hot chicken is ALL THE RAGE there and this is one of the best places to get it. It’s basically fried chicken that has been covered in a paste or sauce usually containing cayenne pepper. The heat levels at Hattie B’s range from Southern (no heat), Mild, Medium, Hot, Damn Hot, and Shut the Cluck Up. (Go ahead and check out #shutthecluckup on Instagram!) It’s a quick service restaurant so it’s perfect for grabbing a bite before a concert. ORDER (besides hot chicken): Pimento Mac & Cheese and Banana Pudding.
The Southern Steak & Oyster | When researching Nashville restaurants, The Southern popped up on every list so we made reservations ASAP. The name says it all. They offer a “southern adventure with a twist.” Honestly, it didn’t seem like you could go wrong with any of the meals here. ORDER: Devil of an Egg, The Belle (8 oz. filet), Braised Beef Brisket, and Chicken Fried Chicken. If you’re going at night, I would definitely recommend making a reservation.
The Farm House | The Farm House is from the same chef and entrepreneur that brought us Cantina Laredo and Capitol Grille. Much like all of our other picks, the focus here was southern food of course, but with a modern spin on it. For example, Pimento Cheese Beignets and Pork Belly Poptarts. (Yeah, I said Poptarts.) The best looking dishes on the menu were small plates so the four of us split 5 different small plates. It was plenty of food and all of them were incredible! ORDER: Sangria, Pimento Cheese Beignet, Cornbread, Twice Baked Potatoes, Pork Belly Poptarts, and Broccoli. Another restaurant that I would recommend making a reservation at.
The Loveless Cafe | The famous Loveless Cafe has been around for more than 60 years and there is nothing fancy or frou frou about it – just good southern comfort food! You really feel like you’re going back in time while you’re here. It’s about a 20 minute drive outside of Nashville but completely worth it. I’ve been to Loveless twice now with my girlfriends and the first thing we do is walk to the “Hams and Jams” store to buy a glass bottle Coke! The wait is almost ALWAYS 2+ hours so we usually walk around the grounds, take some pics, and play a round of cornhole. ORDER: Bloody Mary, Country Fried Steak, Fried Chicken, Homemade Cream Corn, Mac & Cheese, and Fried Okra. You’ll get a plate of hot biscuits at your table with several of their homemade jams and preserves…omg.
[ where to STAY ]
As a tourist, it just depends on what you’re planning on doing while in town as far as your best location. Almost everything we wanted to do was in the heart of downtown so we stayed at the Renaissance Nashville. Location was EVERYTHING for us. It’s literally right across the street from Bridgestone Arena and around the block from Broadway nightlife. Other landmarks within walking distance include the famous Ryman Auditorium, B.B. King’s Blues Club, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. All of the rooms have been recently renovated and we loved the view of downtown Nashville from our 18th floor room. The Starbucks in the lobby was the icing on the cake!
We had such a good time we may or may not have made a pact to come back once a year. Happy Birthday Holly! Thanks for picking such an awesome city to celebrate!