This weekend in Nashville was one for the scrapbooks! The trip was my first visit to the city, but we did a LOT during our three days there. This post is a review of the food, drinks, and activities – follow along for tips if you are planning a trip there soon!
THE FAVORITES
Food
One of my favorite eats of our weekend in Nashville was at Biscuit Love. Definitely worth waiting outside in the cold for!
Drinks
Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery was a big hit with our group! They offer a tasting, live music, bar, and food. See below for more details.
Activity
Slip on those cowboy boots and get ready to dance! We had an absolute blast at Wildhorse Saloon line dancing and two-stepping.
WEEKEND IN NASHVILLE: FOOD
Brunch: Biscuit Love, Husk
Hot Chicken: Prince’s
Other: Cook Out, BBQ
Biscuit Love
Pros: Super cute, yummy food, and awesome customer service. Once ordering, we were seated and food came super fast.
What we ordered (and enjoyed): East Nasty, The Princess, Bruleed Grapefruit
Cons: You may have to wait in a line outside. It was super cold, but even with a long line, the wait was quick and there was hot tea outside served to warm you up!
Husk
Pros: Adorable rustic and Southern restaurant. We were able to get last minute reservations for a big group, and LOVED our monkey bread appetizer. Overall high quality food and service.
What we ordered (favorites bolded): Monkey bread, yogurt, shrimp roll, breakfast plate (eggs, biscuit, hashbrown), cheesy grits, burger, and coffees
Cons: One of our more expensive meals on the trip. Brunch menu was more limited, with less breakfast/brunch items and more “lunch” items.
Prince’s Hot Chicken
Pros: One of Nashville’s famous fried chicken places! We went to the location in Assembly Hall which was super cute, large group friendly, and conveniently close to the bars on Broadway. There was also no wait.
What we ordered: Chicken tenders with fries
Cons: Menu in Assembly Hall was more limited than the standalone restaurant. Not as spicy as expected, and a little dry. The group recommended Hattie B’s (downstairs, but long wait) or the standalone restaurant for next time!
Other Nashville Food
We also tried Cook Out and Tennessee BBQ at Jack’s Barbeque by our hotel. Cook Out is famously known for their greasy fast food that Vanderbilt students especially love after a night out. It was… about what we expected. You can get a ton of food for cheap and it hit the spot!
Jack’s Barbeque by our hotel was pretty good. We are from Texas, but wanted to try BBQ in Tennessee. Food was solid, and the owner was super sweet, greeting all the tables. Gotta love southern hospitality!
WEEKEND IN NASHVILLE: DRINKS
Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery
Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery
Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery was so much fun! Outside on one side, there are food trucks and an outdoor area to hang. Inside, there is a bar, a taco restaurant, live music, a huge gift shop, and a moonshine tasting bar. There is an enormous wall in the gift shop area with fun and unique moonshine flavors.
I HIGHLY recommend the tasting. It is $10, and we tried 7 different moonshine flavors. We were given a beer of our choice for a chaser, and after, you get a $10 gift voucher to use on any purchase in the shop. (So your tasting kind of becomes free!)
Surprisingly, our group was a huge fan of the Moonshine Pickles. We did our tasting, bought some goodies, and hung out listening to live music and getting more drinks. Highly recommend trying their blackberry moonshine lemonade, and a must do for a weekend in Nashville!
Other Nashville Drinks
There are TONS of other drinking opportunities in Nashville. We swung by some trendy places including Garage Sale Vintage and the Red Phone Booth. We also stopped in some other random bars, and everyone was always super friendly!
WEEKEND IN NASHVILLE: ACTIVITIES
Dancing: Wildhorse Saloon
Cumberland Park + Pedestrian Bridge
Other: Exploring Gulch, Country Music Hall of Fame, Broadway, Printers Alley
Dancing: Wildhorse Saloon
Our group of Texas natives was so excited to bust out our cowboy boots for line dancing and two-stepping, and Wildhorse Saloon did not disappoint! We missed the formal lessons, but they are offered regularly for free. There is no cover, and a huge dance floor.
Even though we missed the lesson, it was easy to follow along. There are multiple bars which makes it easy to get drinks, and the live band was awesome and engaging.
They close at midnight, so I recommend starting your night here before walking over to Broadway which is conveniently right around the corner! There are lots of places for dancing, but this was the cheapest and most convenient for a quick weekend in Nashville – and ended up being one of our favorite moments of the trip!
Parthenon + Vanderbilt Campus
Apparently, Nashville was once known as the “Athens of the South.” We visited the Parthenon, which is inside a sprawling park next to Vanderbilt campus. We enjoyed our visit and got to see Athena inside. Tickets were $8, which I wouldn’t spend again, but I really enjoyed the fresh air and park area!
After, we walked around Vanderbilt campus and hopped around inside some restaurants/bars next door. It was a beautiful campus, and I was impressed by how much of the historical architecture they were able to maintain.
Cumberland Park + Pedestrian Bridge
The entrance to the Pedestrian bridge right by Broadway. I loved our walk across! The bridge had wide sidewalks and was more impressive while walking rather than from afar.
We walked across and wandered to Cumberland Park. It was more empty than expected, but super calm and peaceful. I highly recommend if you’re looking for some fresh air or an escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown!
Other Nashville Activities: Exploring Gulch, Country Music Hall of Fame, Broadway, Printers Alley
After eating at Biscuit Love, we wandered and explored Gulch. It is more residential, but was a cute and modern area.
We also walked later to the Country Music Hall of Fame. We weren’t HUGE country music fans, so we didn’t pay the $30+ ticket price to go inside, but I recommend stopping by! The building was in the heart of downtown with super cool architecture, a fun gift shop, and Hatch Show Print inside.
You also can’t go to Nashville without going out or exploring the bars and restaurants on Broadway. It will likely be very crowded – especially at iconic spots like Orchid Lounge, but have fun and go with the flow! All bars have live music and great vibes.
Close by is Printers Alley. Once the center of the printing industry, the alleyway is now known for bar, club, and speakeasy vibes. The history is super interesting, and you can’t miss it with the bright neon light sign. Our favorite stop was The Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar.
