NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

OVERVIEW

• When: 6 September – 8 September, 2025
• Where (accommodations): W Nashville
• Transportation: JetBlue flight from Boston (BOS) to Nashville, TN (BNA)
• Sights/attractions: Grace’s Alley, The Parthenon, Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, Grand Ole Opry, Bicentennial Park, Walk of Fame Park, Cheekwood, John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, Ryman Auditorium, Germantown, Nashville’s Farmers Market, What Lifts You wings mural, shopping: 12th Street Boutiques (Lucchese Bootmaker, Draper James, Bullets and Pearls, Serendipity, Made in TN, etc), Lower Broadway -Honky Tonk Highway, Adventure Science Center, Printers Alley, Boot Barn, Bits & Pieces Antique Boutique
• Food/drinks: Ravello Restaurant in Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Frothy Monkey, Milk & Honey Gulch, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Bourbon Sky, W rooftop, 1 Kitchen Nashville, The Cupcake Collection, Steadfast Coffee, The Iberian Pig

Usually I am an international kind of destination traveler but there are a few cities in America that I still want to visit- Nashville being one of them. I’ve heard so much about the ‘Music City’ that it’s been on my mind while periodically searching for flights. JetBlue had amazing long weekend deal from Boston to Nashville and we thought it’s on the Labor Day long weekend 🙂 . Well, apparently it was one week later (whoops!). However, the flights were so reasonably priced (we used miles, so it ended up not costing us anything) that we couldn’t pass it up. Also, two of my former colleagues live in Tennessee (from two different jobs). Sean’s colleague and friend also lives in Nashville- this was a weekend of (super fun) reunions!

We arrived Saturday morning (10am) and left at 7.30pm on Monday. I feel like it was a perfect amount of time for Nashville. We had enough time to hangout with our friends, sightsee, shop, eat and experience a bit of a nightlife.

ACCOMMODATIONS

W Nashville

There are plenty of hotel options in Nashville. This city is now basically a bachelorette hub, so you will not have issues finding a place to stay. We wanted to be as centrally located as possible and to have an outdoor pool. W Nashville ticked off the short list of our requirements, and overall we had a good stay. The check-in experience however had some room for improvement.

We arrived at 10am (after an early morning flight) and were told that we could have a room on the fourth floor or wait a couple of hours and have one on the 9th. We always prefer higher floor so waiting a few hours was not a big inconvenience. After some shopping and grabbing lunch, we got a text that room is ready. But when we returned to the hotel, we were told that the 9th floor room guest decided to extend their stay, and therefore we would be getting the 4th floor that we could’ve had when we arrived. I know, petty problem, but also- we are now tired and annoyed. We talk to the manager who after some back and forth promised to upgrade us to a better room, 7th floor, but NO EARLIER than 4pm. That is a pretty late check-in if you ask me. We also have early dinner plans with friends followed by a show. So I asked as polite as I could- are we sure we will be getting this room right at 4pm? And the manager (who is fully in charge of the reservations) tells me in the condescending tone “I am not a fortune teller, I can’t predict the future!” I mean- maybe this would be funny in some other scenario. But he was not joking. If the previous room extended their stay, it is a pretty valid concern to ask if we can be assured this won’t happen again.

Long story short, we got the upgraded room, not a minute earlier than 4pm (maybe it was 3.59). It was a very nice, spacious room and we are grateful for it. Would I say that the staff at this W was pleasant? Definitely not.

Also, the prices. This espresso martini was 27 USD. We live in Boston, one of the most expensive cities in the USA, but even here we do not pay nearly 30 dollars for one drink. Alcohol taxes are very high in Nashville (around 25%), so be warned so you don’t get a sticker shock (like I did).

We liked the pool and enjoyed it to the fullest on our last day in Nashville.

Also, we ran into Alice Cooper in the hotel lobby! He was very friendly and Sean was super excited to take a picture together!

There is also a rooftop bar/terrace, a restaurant (we didn’t eat there), so all in all W was a good place to stay. Gulch is a nice neighborhood, and we always felt safe, even late in the evening. Besides the somewhat condescending staff, this was a great hotel for the two nights in Nashville.

SHOP, SIGHTSEE, EAT, REPEAT

Nashville Shopping

I will start with that, because it’s literally the first thing that we did. The room was not ready, light rain drizzled, and Kristina was trying on her new cowboy boots.

Lucchese Boot Company is 3 min walk from the W and we passed Grace’s Alley along the way (I am sure it looks a lot nicer when it’s not a raining out). We also stopped at the What Lifts You wing mural and at the Milk & Honey for a quick snack.

But back to the boots. I did a bit of research about the brands, quality, and price before shopping. There are many boot companies (several on Broadway, such as Boot Barn), but I loved the quality of Lucchese the most. They are not cheap, but also it’s real leather and they are hand made. The ones I got I wore most of the weekend and came back with zero blisters! That is pretty unheard of with the new boots and in a warm weather!

There are quite a few stores in Gulch and Broadway for shopping (not only boots), but I think my favorite area was 12th Street. Cute boutiques, some pricier than others, but overall very good selection. We checked out Draper James – Reese Witherspoon’s flagship store (I got a couple of cute dresses), went to Serendipity (for some cowboy boot earrings and a Nashville T-shirt), a little necklace at the Bullets & Pearls, and had lunch at The Frothy Monkey.

I would say this was a very successful first afternoon in Nashville!

On our last morning, we also checked out Nashville Farmer’s Market. Not so much for the actual produce, but there is a cute indoor market with the various vendors, Made in TN store, etc. It is not very big, but worth a stop while sightseeing the area.

Finally, if you are in Germantown (one of the oldest neighborhoods in Nashville), there are some boutiques there too. The one we liked was Bits & Pieces– vintage mixed with new.

Do not worry- I assure you, Nashville has plenty of places for spending money!

Sights of Interest

Nashville is not a huge city, but it has several points of interest that should not be missed.

The Parthenon

We took an Uber to The Parthenon after our little shopping spree on the first day. A full-scale replica built for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, this is as close to the original Greek temple that you will get without traveling to Athens.

Currently an art museum, The Parthenon contains a 42-foot re-creation of the original Athena statue and plaster casts of the Parthenon Marbles.

To get tickets bring cash. They charge 2.3% “convenience” fee for credit or debit card transactions. I found that pretty unusual for a museum. Also, the ticket lady practically yelled at us to leave the water bottle in the locker (not explaining where the said locker is). You’ll need a quarter for the locker (we didn’t have that either:) ) . All in all- fun to visit. This will do until we go to Greece to see the real deal : ) .

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum

This is a great museum, and anyone with a love for music would enjoy it.

First, you will watch a short video explaining the layout of the museum, mentioning the most famous artists that you will see, and then you are free to explore.

There are studio set ups and instruments that belonged to hundreds of musicians. You don’t need to be an expert to have a great time here. It’s also interactive, though we didn’t have much time to play longer.

We didn’t visit Country Music Hall of Fame because we are not into country music, but I heard that it’s a great place to check out. If you do go to the Country Music Hall of Fame, do not miss the Walk of Fame Park located right across the street.

Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium

You can’t come to Nashville and not visit at least one of these music venues for a live performance. I believe more shows are at the Grand Ole Opry and that’s where we went for a Saturday evening show with my former colleague Frank, his family, and his friends.

Started as a radio show in 1925, now this is a stage where every Country music star aspires to perform. The famous wooden circle has seen world famous country stars and every Opry show has eight or more artists. Since we are not Country music fans we loved seeing various performers instead of just one. Some we liked more, some less, but it was very entertaining!

Ryman Auditorium is an historic venue Downtown Nashville that was opened in 1892. We didn’t get to visit inside, but had to see it from the outside at least.

Honky Tonk Highway

As we are on the topic of music- there is another way to listen to live performers for free. Multiple bars (honky-tonks) in the Lower Broadway play music from late morning to very late at night, and you can simply go from one to the next and enjoy!

Since we already went to a show at Grand Ole Opry, we only strolled around Broadway for a bit in the evening. Lots of people, lots of lights, and lots of music everywhere- I see where the ‘City of Music’ name came from!

Printers Alley

As you explore Downtown Nashville, make sure not to miss this famous street. The name comes from the numerous printing houses that were located there in the early 1900s.

John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge

I would not say that this bridge is a ‘must’ in Nashville, but it’s right downtown, so if you happen to be near by, check it out.

It’s no Brooklyn Bridge (my favorite), but still has a pretty nice skyline view of Nashville!

Adventure Science Center

Normally this probably would not have made it into our itinerary but we met up with my other former colleague Sam and her lovely family. They drove almost three hours each way to see us. Sam’s boys are 4 and 6 years old, so we wanted to do something fun for the entire family.

There are a ton of interactive exhibits and in some cases adults had more fun than the kids I think 🙂 . We danced, we explored, boys played paleontologists, and we watched a movie about the planets- it was a super fun afternoon! I am so glad they were able to make it to hangout with us!

Bicentenial Capitol Mall State Park

We came to check this park out on our last day in Nashville and combined it with the Nashville Farmer’s Market followed by Germantown neighborhood.

It’s a nice park with several sculptures, but not life changing in my opinion. Ok to check out for a quick walk.

Germantown

Bicentennial Park is technically in Germantown neighborhood, but to actually get the feel of it you need to walk around the historic streets. Established by German immigrants in the 1840s and 1850s, Germantown is Nashville’s first historic neighborhood. 

We even came across a cute cupcake shop (The Cupcake Collection) that bakes amazing GF red velvet cupcake, and a great coffee shop (Steadfast) that Sean’s friend recommended. Because all this walking requires caffeine and sugar of course!

Quiet, quaint neighborhood. Very different vibe from the Broadway party scene, bars and music.

Cheekwood

This beautiful 55 acre historic estate and botanical gardens is located about 20 min drive from Gulch neighborhood where our W hotel is. Initially we debated if it’s worth leaving downtown to go there, but I am glad we visited!

Originally built as the home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek in 1929, now it’s a museum of art and botanical gardens.

You can buy the ticket to only visit the gardens, but we absolutely loved the house. From the gorgeous rooms to the art gallery on the top floor- this was one of the best tourist attractions in Nashville (in my opinion).

Frank and family (as well as their friends) joined us for this morning visit, so we had a fun time exploring the gardens together with 11yr old Nate!

My favorite was Japanese Garden, and the least favorite a creepy rabbit sculpture : ) .

If you have doubts- don’t hesitate to visit. It was great to escape the city for a bit and immerse into art and nature.

Nashville Food

We are very much a foodie family, but I can’t claim that we did a great job exploring Nashville’s restaurant scene. With only two nights in the city, we only had reservations on the first evening at the Italian restaurant Ravello in Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Frank recommended the place and it was super close to Grand Ole Opry where we had tickets for the show, so it worked out great!

I actually really liked the resort grounds- it felt like a park/botanical gardens but all surrounded by the hotel.

Food was good, but of course the best was the company!

For a snack and for one of the breakfasts we ate at the Milk & Honey– a few steps from the W hotel. Excellent service and delicious food. It gets very busy mid day though.

We just finished our food when the crowd arrived so we just beat the rush by getting there at 8.30am.

Another great breakfast place was 1 Kitchen. We met up with Sean’s friend and colleague there and had amazing experience. Arguably best gluten free pancakes I’ve ever had!

Sean had GF fried chicken and waffles! Say whaaat?!

Of course we had to try Nashville’s famous Hattie B’s Hot Chicken. We were exploring the city and had all intentions to go have a proper dinner. But I was starving, this place was right there, and we ended up eating here against any better judgement.

I thought it will be a quick snack, but it was a lot of food, so we were full after and no other dinner was needed. You have to specify your spice level when ordering. I got medium, Sean chickened out (literally) with mild.

Probably our favorite meal was right before going to the airport at The Iberian Pig. Short walk from the W where we relaxed by the pool all afternoon, it was a perfect way to end our Nashville adventure.

Plenty of GF options, delicious food and super pleasant service!

Nashville has no lack of rooftops and rooftop bars. Proof at the W is one of them, but I think Bourbon Sky at the JW Marriott has a slightly better view.

We chatted with a cool bartender and I had a $27 Negroni before we called it a night!

CONCLUSION

It was a nice long weekend trip. What made it best was not the city. It was seeing our friends, meeting their families, and appreciating the fact that they drove a long way to spend a few hours with us. We did not leave a piece of our hearts in Nashville though. It’s a fun city to visit for a couple of days (especially if you love music). We found people here a bit condescending (more than once) and somewhat ‘fake nice’. I guess perhaps I pictured ‘southern hospitality’ a bit differently. Also, prices for sure shocked us too. So to put it in a nutshell – we glad we came, we glad we saw it, but we were just as glad to be going home after the three days here!