Nashville

[zoebartlett]

Has anyone been to Nashville? What sights would you recommend seeing? What restaurants are worth checking out?

My husband is going in the fall for a few days, and depending on whether or not I'm working, I might go with him. He'll be at a conference during the day so I'll be on my own, but we'll be together at night. I'm not sure if we'll have a car or not. I'm assuming we'll stay downtown at a preferred hotel through my husband's company, but this may not be the case.

Thanks!

 

[April20]

Zoe, I grew up in Nashville. (disclaimer, I haven't lived there since 2000).

I'm not totally up on the restaurant scene, but I will ask my family and friends in the area. What I can tell you, however, if that you should go get a grilled cheeseburger at Rotier's. It's freaking amazing. It's family owned and was a dive last time I was there. But don't be scared off! It's so good! http://www.rotiersrestaurant.com I would also try to hit Bongo Java in west Nashville as well http://www.bongojava.com/


For sights- I would consider the following

*The Hermitage (home of President Andrew Jackson)
*Cheekwood- lovely home with a botanical garden and art museum www.cheekwood.org
*The Frist Center for the Arts (this is downtown, off Broadway, near all the tourist stuff)
*The Parthenon and Centennial Park. This is a copy of the one in Athens. I used to LOVE going there as a kid and it's cool as an adult too. if I remember correctly, Rotier's isn't too far from here.
*Nashville Farmers Market (this is near the capital sort of)
*You really have to at least walk 2nd Avenue and Broadway at night. The people watching is amazing. The closer to the weekend, the better. I wouldn't eat down there though. Better food elsewhere. Most of the restaurants there are pretty touristy and not that special.

Okay, I don't know when you're going to be there, but if it happens to be around Oct 11-13, this is the most amazing thing ever for a reader. http://www.humanitiestennessee.org/programs/southern-festival-books-celebration-written-word If you're there any time near this date, I would figure out a way to go! I've been a couple times and I'd give my eye teeth to go back!

I will see what else I can think of for you.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks April! My husband's conference is in the beginning of October, and there's no way we could extend the trip to the dates you suggested. I wish there was! My husband's checking on the time frame, but he thinks it looks like this:

Day 1: Travel there in the morning. Conference begins in the afternoon.
Day 2: Conference all day.
Day 3: Conference in the morning. Travel home in the afternoon.

We could probably extend our trip by a day on either end, but I don't think we'd do more than that. Given that it's such a short trip, we won't get a chance to see much, but I'd like to try if I tag along. My husband's been there before and he'll be in work mode for the majority of the trip anyway. If I go, I'll have one full day to see what I can, unless we fly out a day early or late. It's not ideal.

 

[April20]

Ah! That's a quick in and out. Well, the Farmer's Market and The Frist Center for the Arts are both downtown and can be done on the same day.

There's also the Country Music Hall of Fame if you're into that kind of thing at all. I've never been (ssshhh, don't tell anyone). It's not too far from downtown. I don't know if I'd bother. What I would bother doing, however, is a tour of the Ryman Auditorium of they're still offering them. It's off Broadway, not too far from the Frist. The acoustics are amazing- I've been to a few shows there over the years and it's an interesting building.

If you were there longer, I'd tell you to drive a couple hours south and tour the Jack Daniel's Distillery. It's in a beautiful area and the tour is rather interesting!

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks again, April. Even if we extend it by a day, that's still not much time to sight-see. I'll post again here if I find out more info. about the length of the conference.