How y’all doin’, friends? Last week, we packed our carry-on bags to near-bursting and flew down south to Nashville for a change of scenery, some good music, and some truly amazing food. This was our second visit to Music City, after going in December of 2022 and, this time around, we made it our mission to venture beyond the bright lights of downtown to experience some of the city’s beautiful, vibrant, and quirky surrounding neighborhoods.
East Nashville Food Crawl
The first day of our trip was a delicious adventure and my mouth is watering just remembering it. Temperatures in the eighties and abundant sunshine had us wanting to be outside, shaking off the frost that we’d accumulated, up north, this icy winter. Mike scoped out some recommended spots in the culinary wonderland that is East Nashville and we took a Lyft from our hotel in SoBo to our first stop for the day, Sho Pizza Bar.
Stop 1: Sho Pizza Bar
Sho Pizza Bar was a bright, airy, open kitchen-style, Michelin Bib Gourmand establishment. We arrived soon after opening and were seated at the bar, a perfect location to spectate as the chefs prepared the ingredients for the day’s orders. Scents of hickory, oak, precisely fermented dough, and simmering vegetable stock permeated the space as we perused the menu for what would be the most appropriate pizza for breakfast, taking into account that we planned to do a lot of eating for the rest of the day across the sprawling neighborhood.
We settled on the “Supermarg”, which was similar to a traditional Neopolitan-style margherita pizza, but with buffalo mozzarella, an ingredient that the restaurant flies in each week from Italy, according to their website. As we waited for our pizza to be ready, we watched the chefs behind the bar rolling out dough on the countertop and spreading it with fresh toppings before nestling the soon-to-be-deliciousness into the massive wood fired oven.
When our pizza was served, we were advised to use the provided shears to cut our own slices. We did as instructed and took our first bites. Somehow crispy and airy at once as well as both light and flavorful, this pizza was the perfect way to warm up our bellies for the day. We each paired our meal with a Peroni 0.0% and were soon off to our next stop, on foot.
Stop 2: Southern Grist Brewing Co.
Our walk from Sho Pizza Bar to Southern Grist Brewing Co. took us through some of the residential streets and main thoroughfares of East Nashville. On our journey, we noticed an abundance of new and in-progress construction, as well as homes that represented the former appearance of the neighborhoods. Many of the new homes appeared to be very recently built, residual dirt from construction still dusting the sidewalks and street that corresponded to each renewed property.
Warm from walking in the sunshine, we snagged a spot in the shade on Southern Grist’s front patio. We ordered some beers, a Handsome Devil (NZ Pilsner) and a Teal (NE IPA), to start, and enjoyed chatting, sipping, and planning our next move. Soon, a freight train rolled in on the nearby tracks and we noticed the traffic starting to accumulate at the crossing.
We learned later in the day, from our Lyft driver, that the freight trains that come through East Nashville are notorious for causing loooong traffic delays. He said that if you’re gonna get stuck at a train crossing, you might as well have packed a lunch. That being said, I took the below pictures thirty minutes apart.
We stayed at Southern Grist for one more brew to share, enjoying the warmth and pleasantness of the patio area, opting for a Toro y Oso (Mexican Lager). We adjusted our next stop plans based on the lack of movement from the train, opting to head in the direction of Five Points vs. McFerrin Park, not wanting to be trapped by the motionless freight train later on.
Stop 3: East Side Banh Mi
After our beers, Mike was feeling a banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich and I had never had one, so we took a little detour on our way to Five Points to give East Side Banh Mi a try.
A quick service-style spot, serving up brilliant Vietnamese flavor, we ordered a Pork Banh Mi to share. The sandwich came on a pillowy baguette and was packed with pork shoulder and crunchy vegetables, both pickled and fresh, and an ignorable hint of creamy shallot mayo. Let’s just say I won’t shy away from this food option next time it’s a contender in a list of lunch options.
Stop 4: Five Points Alley Shops
Ok guys, so this one isn’t a food stop, but our stomachs needed a little break from consumables for a little bit. Instead, we decided to feed our hunger for some Nashville culture and wandered into Five Points Alley Shops, a collective of tiny shops in small, hut structures, selling things like vintage clothing and accessories, used books, and creations by local artisans. I had fun perusing the racks of vintage clothing, pulling out things like a cropped and de-sleeved Destin, Florida tee and a pair of red an green tartan knee-length, high-waisted, culotte shorts which I turned to Mike and said “Christmas shorts?” and he replied, “I mean…”
Stop 5: Hunters Station, Everbowl
“I’m feeling like a smoothie,” I said to Mike as I came out of Defunct Books, coming up empty on my latest used bookstore search, a copy of Shakespeare’s MacBeth.
Mike did a little tappy-tap-tapping on his phone and found a place in Five Points called Everbowl that looked like it might be a decent option. As a side note, Everbowl looks to be a chain that is located all over the US, but there is not one in New Jersey and this was our first time trying it.
Everbowl was a located inside a vibey, food court-style setup called Hunters Station where the air conditioning was cool and necessary and many cozy corners and counter seats contained artsy-looking individuals staring intently at their laptop screens, their ears invisible beneath noise-cancelling headphones.
We surveyed the menu over the counter at the Everbowl stall and decided on a “Whatever Smoothie” with a mango base, frozen bananas and spinach, and peanut butter. Friends, have you ever been really craving a food or drink, but you can’t quite put your finger on exactly what it is that you want? And then you order something random and by the miracle of all the Gods in the Heavens, it hits your tastebuds in all the right spots and then some? Well that was this smoothie for me. Too much? I don’t care. Moving on!
Stop 6: Lockeland Table
The final stop on our East Nashville food crawl was a beautiful little spot situated in the Lockeland Springs neighborhood.
Lockeland Table advertises something called their “Community Hour” on their website, a trademarked coinage for their own spin on the traditional happy hour, only with a mission-based twist. This service is open to diners from 4-6pm Monday through Saturday, and unlike a regular happy hour, it has a purpose that stretches beyond the confines of the restaurant’s property and accounts. Some of the proceeds from Lockeland Table’s “Community Hour” go directly toward Parent Teacher Organizations for schools in Nashville and the surrounding areas. Who could resist a good deal on drinks and small plates, especially when it comes with a side of community enrichment.
We were seated on the patio out front by a friendly hostess and ordered the black eyed pea hummus to share and a couple of muddled old fashioneds off the “Community Hour” menu and then added some red Thai curry steamed PEI mussels off the main menu, for good measure.
The staff at Lockeland Table were so friendly and welcoming, making this a perfect last stop on our East Nashville food crawl for the day. We ordered a Lyft and made our way back to our hotel in SoBo, in Nashville proper to prepare for our planned evening activity.
NHL at Bridgestone Arena: Predators vs. Devils
We didn’t realize it was going to be pride night at Bridgestone Arena when we entered, but the sparkly, excited atmosphere made the game all the more enjoyable. The Bridgestone staff, the LGBTQ+ community, and the arena full of allies in attendance really made the night a celebration of love, community, and, of course, music, that was fun to witness. There was glitter. There were performers. There was a custom Pride night Predators logo designed by a local print artist, Tiffany Evans.
During each intermission, we got to experience the incredible talent of performer, Brady Riley, who looked fab in a pair of knee-high, heeled, silver boots, glittery makeup, and a long, custom Preds jersey. Brady’s versatile setlist included covers of songs by Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Ozzy Osbourne, all amazing.
We have been to away hockey games before where the home fans are less than kind to fans of the visiting team. This was not our experience in Nashville. The fans were, for the most part, respectful, and there to have a good time and support their team and not dole out animosity toward the other fans, aside from the normal hockey chants which you’ll sit through at any game.
In the end, the Devils won, serving as the cherry on top, for us, though the Predators fans would disagree. Still, afterwards, we saw lots of Preds fans out having a great time in the city, despite their team’s loss.
Day 2: 12 South, Centennial Park, The Ryman Auditorium
Virgin Hotels Nashville
We checked out of our first hotel of the trip, Holiday Inn & Suites in SoBo and headed to our second, Virgin Hotels Nashville, in Music Row.
We checked in early, having called ahead about storing our luggage, only to be told that our room was already ready. The check-in process was smooth, informative, and welcoming. The hotel also had a dedicated welcome ambassador who was present at check-in to offer us some witty remarks, welcome info, and heaps of character.
We dropped our bags off in our room and took in the details of our home away from home for the next two nights. We were not disappointed. Having booked this hotel through Chase Rewards, our stay also came with certain amenities like included breakfast at the Commons Club Restaurant in the lobby and a daily property credit that could be put towards experiences, dining, or drinks in the hotel. Part of our welcome package was a box of “GooGoo Clusters” which we tried immediately, our breakfast of champions, savoring the chocolate, caramel, nougat, nutty goodness before heading out to our next stop, in search of some real food.
12 South
If you find yourself wandering around downtown Nashville in the morning and are wondering where all the bachelorette party herds have gone to, I have the answer for you! They are dressed to the nines, parading, dining, and shopping their way through the cute, boutiquy, and culinary hub that is the 12 South neighborhood.
Our goal was to get a nice breakfast at The Buttermilk Ranch, a plan quickly thwarted by the lack of availability due to the visiting bachelorette party community that Nashville has become somewhat famous for.
No sweat, we thought, we’ll just try our back up option, which honestly looks pretty darn good too! We headed to The Frothy Monkey and put our names in for the 50 minute wait. We took to window shopping along 12th Ave South to pass some of the time, peeking into colorful shops like Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James before just having a seat on a bench and deciding to people watch instead. We wondered aloud to each other if the plethora of ladies in their cropped boho tops, short skirts, and cowboy boots were freezing, while we pulled the tabs of the zippers on our rain jackets a little higher.
The Frothy Monkey
We were seated in the interior side porch section at Frothy Monkey, a pleasant room just off the main restaurant. Outside the bright windows, it was growing increasingly gray and chilly and inside it smelled like roasted coffee beans and warm bread. I ordered a chai latte with almond milk, craving something warm and cozy (craving coffee to be really honest with you) and, influenced by the influencer-esque crowd all around us, a mimosa as well.
For breakfast, I ordered the Broadbent Omelette, fresh eggs with bacon, cheddar, onions and roasted peppers, which came with a side of fresh sourdough. Mike opted for the Shrimp and Grits, blackened shrimp with andouille sausage, tomatoes, peppers, and onions over smoked gouda grits. Mike’s meal ended up being among my favorites of the foods we tried on this trip. So, so good.
Five Daughters Bakery
After breakfast, we walked off a couple of bites by zigzagging the bungalow-lined residential streets of 12 South with the goal of making room in our bellies to share a doughnut from Five Daughters Bakery.
From the array of offerings, we opted for the chocolate chip sea salt and wouldn’t you know it, we seemed to have made just enough room to split it!
Full of breakfast and dessert, we thought we ought to walk to our next spot via a scenic route.
Belmont University & Vanderbilt University
Our ultimate destination was Centennial Park and we decided we’d walk through the scenic campuses of Belmont University and Vanderbilt University to get there. Belmont University had a quintessential, “collegiate” feel to it. The pretty campus had lots of Greco-Roman architecture on display, statues of gods and goddesses, as well as sprawling, lush, green lawns that would be an enticing draw for most prospective students, I’d imagine.
Vanderbilt’s campus was more sprawling, with picturesque pockets of courtyards, pathways, and bridges sprinkled amongst a satisfying mix of both traditional and modern architecture.
Centennial Park
On our previous visit to Nashville, one of my favorite experiences was going inside the replica of the Parthenon, built for Nashville’s Centennial Celebration in 1897, to see the 42-foot statue of the goddess, Athena, that the structure houses. Unfortunately, on this trip, the Parthenon was closed for HVAC refurbishment.
Because we could not go in to visit the beautiful, big lady this time around, I will add some photos from our previous visit, as Athena made such an empowering impression on me last time that I was so looking forward to seeing her again. This was a learning moment for me, friends. Even if there is an activity you think you’ll definitely do on your trip, so much so that you don’t even need to research more about it, just save yourself some day-of disappointment and check that it will be open.
We made it back to Virgin Hotels Nashville on tired legs and feet after spending most of the day walking. We decided to just kick off our shoes and rest a while before our next activity.
The Ryman Auditorium
We visited the Ryman on our previous trip for the tour of the venue and the Rock and Roll Museum that they have onsite. This time, around, we were there for the music.
If you’ve read my past travel posts, you’ve seen me mention a certain band a few times now, one of our favorites who we seem to have a tendency to follow around. Anyway, they are called Trampled by Turtles and they are an Americana band made up of wildly talented string musicians. Getting tickets to Trampled’s show at The Ryman was actually the catalyst to us planning this entire trip.
The Ryman Auditorium, also dubbed “The Mother Church”, is a stunning, historic music venue with stained glass windows, wooden pews, a wooden stage, and a wooden ceiling. Wood is excellent for amplifying acoustics and so, the sound in this venue is something else. What I didn’t consider when I got so excited about seeing our favorite band at the Ryman was that the atmosphere would be more akin to that of going to the symphony rather than a lively concert experience.
As the Ryman is located in a historic venue, in a super touristy area, you might get a mix of people who are fans of the band and people who just want to experience some music in a famous venue, they could care less what it is. For fans, this makes for a somewhat lackluster concert-going experience.
Despite the different-than-expected experience, we still had a good time, though, I’m sorry to say, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to see a favorite band perform at The Ryman again since I enjoy the community experience that comes from being in a crowd of like-minded fans that just want to stand up, sing along, and dance to their favorite music.
Day 3: Exploring Our Hotel & The Station Inn
Virgin Hotels Nashville Rooftop
We decided to give our tired legs and feet some more time to rest before heading back out to explore some of the city’s offerings. We grabbed a delicious brunch in the hotel lobby at Commons Club, then took a nice long nap before venturing up to the rooftop to grab some cocktails, views, and a bite to eat.
The Station Inn, The Gulch
We left our hotel late in the afternoon to catch a show at the legendary Station Inn, an iconic bluegrass venue in The Gulch, taking our turn being the spectators going to a show to experience the venue. Lucky for us, Station Inn is more of a sit and listen type of place on the regular.
On this visit, the Station Inn was taking part in hosting the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival and we got some tickets to see Marla Cannon-Goodman, Jaida Dreyer, Kylie Frey, and Stephanie Lambring. Each performer was incredibly talented and entertaining, their songs ranging from heartfelt to hilarious.
We also learned on this visit that one of the performers we got to experience at The Station Inn on our previous visit to Nashville, Ronnie Bowman, had passed away the week before due to a motorcycle, vehicular accident. It was evident amongst the performers and the people behind the bar that this loss was felt deeply amongst the Station Inn community and it was emotional to see the performers paying tribute to their late friend with songs they’d co-written or performed with him previously.
Germantown
We trekked from The Gulch, across Downtown, to Germantown. We were in pursuit of Bao, brews, and a big, hot pretzel.
The bao at Steam Boys in Germantown was up there among my favorite things we ate on this trip. I ordered the beef gua bao, which was packed with spice and warm flavor on a satisfyingly squishy bao bun. Mike opted for the chicken which he also said was excellent.
Next, we headed to Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen and grabbed a couple seats at the bar. I got the M.L. Rose Owl Lager, brewed in Asheville, NC and we ordered a Classic Bavarian Pretzel to share.
Day 4: Cheekwood Estate & Heading Back Home
On our last day in Nashville, we had some breakfast at our hotel, checked out of our room and had the concierge desk store our bags.
We ordered a Lyft to take us to the Cheekwood Estate, a historic home and botanical garden located about a twenty-five minute drive from Downtown Nashville. I recommend booking your tickets for this in advance, if this is an activity that you are interested in, as we had noticed tickets were sold out when we originally planned to go, the day before. The Cheekwood Estate staff encourages visitors to take ride shares to the property, as parking is somewhat limited. They even gives discounts if you can provide proof of your rideshare dropping you off at Cheekwood, so that is pretty nice!
We enjoyed exploring the grounds of the Estate which was blooming with tulips on our visit. We purchased the house and gardens ticket and went into the house to explore some of the estate’s beautiful, private rooms.
We returned to our hotel to pick up our bags and ordered an Uber to whisk us off to the airport. In the terminal at BNA, a musician was playing a live acoustic set, taking requests from the travelers in the vicinity, giving us one last reminder of what Music City’s all about before we boarded our flight to head back to reality, once more.
cozy does it 