Music City USA | Nashville, Tennessee

Since my sister, Laura, turned 30 at the end of August, we naturally had to come up with a big celebration! Aside from the surprise party of family, friends, and pizza, a trip was in order. We went to Vegas for my 21st, so it was only fair :)

She decided on Nashville, and our other sister, Erin, her friend Nikki, and I had no complaints. Erin flew in from Phoenix while the rest of us girls road tripped in Stella (Laura's white Jeep Liberty) from Midland, MI. It was an easy drive and Nikki was a champ at being our captain. Laura didn't even get car sick, so I consider it a success. Though we arrived in the rain, we were greeted by a real cute boy and our Airbnb rental in the West End was so cozy. Our hosts were great and we loved our first Airbnb stay. Moving in to the second floor apartment was a bit of a struggle, but we made it! Nikki even survived the Uber ride to dinner, though she remained skeptical of the concept all weekend. Her plan was to sit behind the driver and interrogate him to ensure our safety while leaving me in the passenger seat. I'm not sure how a taxi driver seems any less likely to take in his or her next murder victim, but we lived through both.

Instead of a long, chronological recap of the crazy fun weekend, which would be challenging to put together anyway, here are what we called our "group activities" from the trip. (Is it obvious that we work with kids...?)

• The Music City Rollin' Jamboree: This. Was. Hilarious. I stumbled upon it on Groupon and it ended up being a favorite of all of ours. It was a bus tour led by comedians, singers, and song-writers. We were a little confused and brought a cooler full of drinks that was larger than allowed, but luckily it wasn't a full tour so we just got a lot of crap from the tour guides (but could still enjoy the BYOB 21+ part of the ride). Laura, aka Dirty 30, was put in the hot seat and karaoked for us. The only bad part was that it was sort of hard to see out the windows, but they were so entertaining with their antics and anecdotes I hardly even looked outside. 

• Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum: Luke Bryan's Dirt Road Diary was on display and that's all I needed to see to make me happy. The rest of it was super cool, too, as it explored the history and transformation of country music over the years. A Nashville essential. 

• Centennial Park & The Pantheon: Just a few minute walk from our Airbnb was an gorgeous park with a replica of the Pantheon. It was such a gorgeous little piece of nature and art in one.

• Belle Meade Plantation: We needed a little taste of history so we headed to the edge of the city. We got a tour of the mansion and then explored the grounds after our complimentary wine tasting! The blackberry one was amaaaaazing. 

• Nashville Flea Market: On Sunday before we dropped Erin off at the airport and headed back to the mitten in Stella, we made a pit stop at the flea market. It was craziness and packed with stands full of antique, junk, crafts, etc. I cashed in and found a great tin mug and an old whitewashed window frame. It'll soon hang on my wall as a picture frame and yet another relic of my travels. I love surrounding my room with trinkets from around the world. 

Walking around downtown Nashville, I finally understood some Big & Rich lyrics. The main drag with the famous bars, live music, and fun nightlife is called Broadway, so it finally makes sense that he is "riding up and down Broadway on my old stud Leroy, singing save a horse, ride a cowboy". We had SO much fun walking up and down and in and out of the bars on Broadway. Just to name a few, there was:

• Tootsies Orchid Lounge: I . Loved. Tootsies. It was three floors (which was the norm) and had a gorgeous rooftop overlooking the city. We met Scott, who was with a bachelor party and became our friend for the weekend, danced, drank, and met some fun new people. It's backdoor is also close to a music hall, so lots of stars used to sneak over there, too!
• Tin Roof: This wasn't our favorite and it was really crowded, but there were signs and Christmas lights all over the inside which made it feel really cozy and unique. They even had a Detroit Tigers pennant!
• Tequila Cowboy: Apparently the lady working in the bathroom had a whistle to keep order, but I only heard from Erin and Laura. I'm a little disappointed I didn't go in, but I enjoyed the big dance floor! Strangely enough for the title, they played a lot of electronic music. I secretly love dancing to it, but it's not exactly typical for Nashville.
• Honky Tonk Central: This was Laura's absolute favorite, and definitely one of mine. So many funny things happened here, including a "code 4" (aka bar fight).

• Broadway Brewhouse: This is more of a restaurant (and we did have some pretty yummy food there), but we went for a drink called a "Bushwacker". It's described as an alcoholic frosty and raved about, but we weren't too impressed. It was reallllly strong, and it definitely tasted that way! Also, an alcoholic frosty on a full stomach doesn't always bode well for a night of dancing, but we recovered and made the best of it anyway. 
• George Jones Rooftop Bar:  We took the elevator up there at Ken (our Uber driver)'s recommendation. It wasn't very busy or lively up there, but it definitely had an amazing view over the city. I imagine it to be a romantic spot on a summer night.

And those who know me know that eating is always an important activity, especially when I'm traveling, so here's the scoop on all the delicious places we found:

• Taco Mamacita: Nikki, Laura, and I decided that this was probably our favorite place we ate (sorry that you weren't here yet, Erin). We took our first Uber ride of the weekend over there since it was in a neighborhood we never would have discovered! Everything was good - the peach salsa appetizer + homemade chips, margaritas + sangria, Mexican street corn (deep fried goodness on the cob drizzled with a creamy chipotle sauce), and all the tacos you can imagine! It was a perfect southern welcome for our first night in Music City. 
• Wild Horse Saloon: This was SO much fun. Laura found a glass boot with the Wild Horse logo engraved on it in the Airbnb kitchen so it became our mission to find. Once we did, we went for a "light lunch". Instead we ended up having fried pickles, pork nachos, cole slaw, and wings. It was a great decision, though. We also all got our own souvenir boots with our drinks, of course! I had a tasty moonshine Arnold Palmer. I think all Arnold Palmers should be made that way :) There was a huge stage and dance floor, too, and our adorable waiter with a Eastern European accent told us to come back at night. We did the next day for a line dancing lesson, and it ended up being one of our favorite "evening activities"! 

• Whiskey Kitchen: This was in "The Gulch" area which is known to be the more hipster neighborhood. The whole menu looked delish and I loved my veggie wrap. It would be a really cool place at night! They had a fun craft cocktail menu, too, but we didn't try any when we were there for lunch.

• Frothy Monkey: Located in a trendy little area, this was a bustling spot for coffee & brunch. I came hope happily with a new coffee mug and a belly full of avocado + egg on toast with homemade salsa - some of my favorite things.
• Soulshine Pizza Factory: Sooooo yummy! We got 2 pizzas and split each in half so we could try 4 different topping creations. They were all amazing and of course there was live music on the rooftop patio. I could get used to that.  

With such a fun vibe, casual atmosphere, safe feeling, and great memories Nashville is definitely now one of my favorite cities. Cheers to 30 years, Laura! Thanks for the excuse to party in Music City.