Planning a girls weekend getaway? Head to Nashville, Tennessee for great food and countless nightlife spots to choose from!
So, last weekend I went on another girls’ trip (finally), and we decided to drive down to Nashville for the weekend! The sole purpose of the trip was to have a brief respite from our day-to-day mundanity, but also to experience as much as we could within two days. So, without further ado, here are some highlights from the places we chose to go!
*Disclaimer: We stayed in a pretty tourist-centric area, so these unfortunately are not off-the-beaten-path gems. But, they’re still worth checking out!*
Stay
Cambria Hotel Nashville: Cambria Hotel is located just 5 minutes walking-distance from Broadway Street; 10-15 minutes from The Gulch; and as an added bonus, it has an outdoor pool! One of our preferences for the weekend was to lay out in the sun and also be super-close to the main strip. So, this hotel ended up being the perfect match. It’s also got a very cute vibe in general, with live music on the weekends. I highly recommend it!
Eat
Trattoria Il Mulino: This yummy Italian restaurant was situated right off of Broadway Street, and it housed a menu full of freshly made pastas and unique dishes. They also had a complimentary selection of 4 different types of bread to go with our meal. I guess they know how important carbs are for a night out! I ordered the arugula and goat cheese ravioli, and swapped out the pink vodka cream sauce for a lemon and olive oil-based one. It was delicious, and I would definitely try it again!
Athens Family Restaurant: Although we didn’t actually visit Athens Restaurant, we ended up ordering food from there while we were getting ready for a day at the pool. I ordered the Greek omelette with extra Feta and a side of toast, and everything came promptly and correctly. It was the perfect fuel for the rest of our day!
Milk & Honey Restaurant: On our last day in Nashville (Sunday), we knew that we had to go out to brunch. After perusing some choices online, we settled on Milk & Honey due to their interesting and relatively healthy selection. I got the Mushroom Ricotta toast, and we all shared their bread platter. Guys…that bread platter was spectacular. It came with so many different cheeses and jams to pair with each type, and none of us could get enough of it – until we were full, of course!
I Love Juice Bar: Before we got a table at Milk & Honey – since it was nearly an hour-long wait – we stopped at a juice place that I fell in love with during my first trip to Nashville last year. I Love Juice Bar is a place that smells tropical as soon as you walk in. Seriously, the entire place smelled like fresh, delicious fruit, and none of us could resist getting something. I have a minor obsession with smoothie bowls, so I decided to order the Go Go Green Bowl. It has apple juice, spinach, avocado, mango, lemon, plant-based protein powder; and it’s topped with granola, fresh banana, strawberries, almond butter, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and local honey. Basically, I was in heaven.
Drink + Dance
Tootsie’s: Both of our nights out happened to start at Tootsie’s! As a multi-level bar (as many of the bars on Broadway are), there were different atmospheres to choose from depending on whether we went upstairs or downstairs. All of the music was live, so Tootsie’s was a place that we would have a few drinks, enjoy live singers, and then head out to the next bars.
The Stage: This bar is also one that places an emphasis on live music (hey, it’s Nashville!), but when we went there I somehow got involved in a line dance for which I had never seen the steps – so it gets some bonus points for spontaneity. I’m happy to say that I did not step on anyone’s foot while learning the dance. Woo!
Tequila Cowboy: Although we did not make it to Tequila Cowboy (or Honky Tonk Central, below) during this trip, it gets honorable mention because I went last year. And man, I had a BLAST when I went here! Although there is presumably a band that usually plays on their stage, by the time my friend and I had ventured into TC last year, that stage was purely for dancing. Since dancing is my number one priority when going out (seriously), I was one happy camper.
Honky Tonk Central: As I said above, we did not make it to HTC during this trip but it was still a fun experience when I went; so it makes the list! HTC boasts 3 stories of music and potential debauchery (example: while we stood in line outside, some dude decided to try to spit/vomit over the balcony – yikes) and it was a blur of fun and craziness. Plus, their board that listed drink specials had a Dory cartoon drawn on it. What more could you ask for?
FGL House: Okay, so FGL House was by far my favorite! Although it gets quite rowdy, it is so worth it in my opinion. There are three floors, with varying music on each level. The first floor (where you walk in) looks like a nightclub and plays Top-40 style music, the second level is a bit chill with a more “Nashville-esque” style, and the top floor is a mix of dance-floor/stage/patio with everything from Top 40s to Shania Twain throwbacks! As you can probably tell, this one had wonderful dancing opportunities.
Ms. Kelli’s: Ms. Kelli’s also gets an honorable mention because two of our foursome (including yours truly) ended up there at the end of both nights, and had a great time. Ms. Kelli’s is a small karaoke bar that’s a few blocks off of Broadway, and the vibe is much more relaxed and “down-home”. We got the impression that this was the last stop for a lot of people before they headed home…at least, it was for us. Anyway, if you’re looking for a place that’s less crowded and a bit more quiet, Ms. Kelli’s might be worth checking out!
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Overall, our Nashville weekend was super fun but also quite “touristy”. It’s worth noting that there is tons more to see, taste, and drink in this city; we just had a pretty singular purpose for our time there. If you have the opportunity to go to the city for more than 2 days, I definitely recommend expanding your horizons and venturing away from the main strip!
Sidenote: I have been craving a smoothie bowl ever since visiting I Love Juice, and I just discovered that there is a place about five minutes from my apartment. Stay tuned to find out what percent smoothie-bowl my body becomes…