Each time I visit Nashville (I’ve been 4 times so far) I honestly cannot wait to return. Undoubtedly a big part of that sentiment is wrapped up in the fact that my son now lives there (in Brentwood) but there’s something about the city that just speaks to me. The first time I went (2018) was on a girls’ trip, you can read about that here. In October 2020, I returned with my husband and son to apartment hunt. In January 2021 we moved our son there. This last trip was purely for fun!
First things first. For three of my four trips I flew into Nashville. It’s a quick and easy trip from Orlando. The Nashville airport is such a pleasure! It’s easy to navigate and not nearly as large as Orlando.
Since the purpose of our trip was to visit with our son we stayed in Brentwood. He was working during the day but allowed us to use his car. That worked well for us. Had we stayed in downtown Nashville we may have survived without a car and grabbed an Uber when necessary. Brentwood is literally a hop, skip, and jump from Nashville so we were able to enjoy the best of both worlds!
Here’s a day by day recap of what we did and where we ate. Let me start by saying that we are not party animals; while there are lots of bars and party trucks, etc. that’s not really our jam.
Saturday, June 19
We arrived around 12:30 and our son picked us up. I had heard a lot about Franklin, TN so we went straight there. Franklin is a charming little town. There was a street festival to celebrate Juneteenth so my guess is that it was a bit more crowded than usual. We had lunch at Puckett’s and it was delicious! They have great bbq and the atmosphere is fun without being loud and obnoxious. Forgive me for not taking a single photo!
After lunch we hit up the shops. Always up for shopping, I was so pleased to see mostly small, independently owned shops. There were a few antique shops as well which are always a hit for us. I cannot even recall how many times I told my husband it was a good thing we flew because if we had our car I would have done some major damage!
On the way back to Brentwood we made a pit stop at Sugar Drop – a bakery and party shop. One son had a milkshake, two of us had cuppy cakes )basically a small cake layered with buttercream frosting in a cup, and my husband had ice cream. This place is over the top – even the concrete floors have glitter mixed in them and the whole place screams party. They also have a party room attached – such a cool idea!
After checking into the hotel – we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Brentwood – we made our way back to our son’s apartment. Tired from traveling and full from a big lunch we opted to go to a place called the Corner Pub for dinner. It is literally around the corner from our son’s place so it is aptly named!
Sunday, June 20 – Father’s Day!
After sleeping in a bit we hit up the Parthenon. The gardens are beautiful and with the purchase of a ticket you can go inside and check out the museum. It was really lovely and we enjoyed it!
The boys wanted to stop by a thrift shop – Buffalo Exchange so we did. So many young people shop there – the place was crowded! In Nashville there’s always a cool mural and just outside the store I snapped these photos.
We made our way to Chopper, a cool tiki bar with fun and unique drinks. They have a food truck parked outside serving traditional Mexican food. Our son’s roommate works there so that was one of our reasons for visiting but it was a fun atmosphere.
We made our way back to Nolan’s apartment to watch a little tv and relax. He made dinner for us in honor of Father’s Day! It was delicious! He made delicious steaks, roasted potatoes, and salad. It was the perfect way to end the day!
Monday, June 21
Nolan had to work but let us use his car. We are big Johnny Cash fans so our first stop was the Johnny Cash Museum in downtown Nashville. I was so impressed and left an even bigger fan.
We had a drink and nachos at Lucky Bastard Saloon. What drew us in was the live music. Almost all the bars have live music and all you have to do is give a listen to decide where you want to end up.
The Musician’s Hall of Fame and Museum was next up on our to do list. I’ll be honest it was just okay…we made the best of it but I would have preferred a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame (next time!).
We had dinner at a family owned pizzeria (Sal’s) near Nolan’s apartment in Brentwood. Then we drove into Nashville and hit up Jeni’s Ice Cream. Little did we know they were offering up to 3 free scoops of ice cream to each person to celebrate the first day of summer! Yum!
Tuesday, June 22
We decided to divide and conquer on this day. I had wanted to see my friend Mary as well as Lisa. Our younger son, Collin and my husband hit up the zoo.
Mary is someone I’ve known for years! She moved to the Nashville area a few years ago and at 91 years young, any chance I can see her I will. She is so much fun! Lisa joined me for lunch with her. Afterwards Lisa and I stopped at a cute boutique and then Sonic. Can you believe I had never had a Sonic drink before?
Lisa dropped me off at the hotel and I joined my family for a trip downtown. We had dinner at Monell’s – a restaurant specializing in Southern food served family style. It was absolutely delicious and we were all stuffed! The restaurant is located within walking distance of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
The park was really beautiful! Once the sun started to set, the lightning bugs came out. It’s too hot in FL for the bugs so anytime we see them it’s exciting!
Wednesday, June 23
Another day of dividing and conquering, I spent the day with Lisa and the boys went sightseeing. They made their way to Belle Meade Plantation – they loved it! I hope to go some time but for me, spending time with my friend was one of the main reasons I was there!
Lisa and I had lunch at a salad place and stopped in a few shops. The day went by way too quickly and before I knew it, the day was over.
After picking up Nolan, we went to 5th & Broadway for dinner. They have a food court and shopping – something for everyone.
Afterwards we walked across the Pedestrian Bridge. The views were beautiful and the weather was wonderful! I was just tickled pink that we were not sweating – I love being outside!
Eventually we made our way to one of the roof top bars and just relaxed and chatted. Broadway is the main strip and there is no shortage of bars and opportunities for people watching. Since we aren’t really the type to sit in a crowded bar and scream at each other we opted to find a place a little closer to the waterfront. It was the perfect way to end the night and the trip!
Thursday, June 24
Our flight wasn’t until 12:30 so we didn’t have to rush to get to the airport. Lisa picked us up and dropped us off so I got to give her one last hug before departing.
Weather – the weather was so wonderful! While everyone kept joking with us about how hot it was we felt comfortable and enjoyed a reprieve from the FL heat. I understand it does get more humid but we were happy with what we packed. Shorts, dresses, comfortable shoes and lightweight jackets (me!).
I cannot wait to return to Nashville – hopefully this fall. Have you ever been?
