I'll Be Your Tennessee Lamb

So last weekend I went to Nashville! This trip was one of the most spontaneous things I've ever done. I booked my plane ticket about a week before leaving and had no plans or expectations! In case you happened to read my last post before it was deleted, I met up with a friend of a friend who was traveling and stopping in Nashville. I was a little worried about spending so much time with someone I barely knew, but figured it couldn't be all that bad (I was right). For the purposes of the post, I'll continue to call him Bobby.

I booked a flight for super early on Saturday morning. Even though I booked the flight so late I was given priority access and was the first one on the plane! So weird. I had a quick stopover in Charlotte, NC, and then I was on my way to Nashville!

I arrived a bit before Bobby, so I grabbed a shuttle to the hotel. It was located right in midtown and had a nice little view of Centennial Park and the Parthenon. Did you know Nashville is called the "Athens of the South?" Me neither.

When Bobby arrived we headed downtown to grab some food and get the weekend going! First stop: Jack's Bar-B-Que. After much deliberating I ordered the beef brisket with mac n' cheese and potato salad. All the food came with cornbread and I had fun mixing about 10 different sauces to put on my brisket.

After lunch we walked around and then went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was pretty cool and the layout reminded me a lot of the Newseum in DC.

Elvis' car made of crushed diamonds!

Elvis' gold piano

After the museum it was time for some beer and music! Downtown Nashville is so cool. Every single bar has live music and there aren't any covers. I could spend days just going from bar to bar and watching the performances. So amazing!

Not sure what's up with my super awkward arm...

A few hours in and I was drunk and hungry. It was time for dinner! The airport shuttle driver told me we HAD to go to Hattie B's Hot Chicken, so we joined the line of 50+ people waiting outside and enjoyed the warm Nashville air and company. Everyone in Nashville was so friendly and loved to chat. I had such a great time meeting people from the area and all over the country!

After about an hour and a half we finally had our food. It was SO worth the wait. Hattie B's also had tons of local beer on tap. I had been drinking for hours already so I managed to only have one while we ate (in addition to a huge cup of sweet tea).

My plate: spicy chicken tenders, fries, cole slaw, and EXTRA PICKLES FOR 25 CENTS!

All of our fried food...I had to try his pimento bacon mac n' cheese (it was great..obviously)

Banana pudding for dessert. I had one bite and almost threw up at the table from being so full. Real attractive!

The next day we were up and somehow ready to eat again. I really wanted to go to Pancake Pantry but there was an enormous line and it was Mother's Day, so we went down the street to a little diner called J. Christophers. I was on a Southern food kick so I ordered eggs with bacon, cheese grits and a biscuit.

Next stop after breakfast was a tour of the famous Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry (a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, which has presented the biggest stars of the genre). The majority of the Johnny Cash show was filmed at the Ryman, which is pretty cool because I love him!

After the tour we headed back downtown for some more drinking and music listening (I drank A LOT of beer on this trip).

Boots lining the wall of a bar

My favorite live band!

On the plane over to Nashville I sat next to a girl my age who is from the area. We totally hit it off and talked the whole plane ride. She told me if Bobby didn't show up I was welcome to stay at her house for the weekend. Ha! We didn't get to meet up over the weekend but she did give me lots of recommendations. One must do was to go to the Bluebird Cafe. The Cafe is a 90-seat music club that opened in 1982 and is famous for intimate, acoustic shows. Some performers are established singer/songwriters, and others perform hit songs written by other artists. We couldn't buy tickets ahead of time so we went over about 45 minutes early and hoped for the best. We arrived to a super long line, but luckily we made it inside right before the cutoff!! There is no cover but there is a $7 food and drink minimum per person. I kept my beer drinking going and ordered this great beer from Georgia.

The space really was intimate! We were just a few rows back from the band, Two Story Road, a husband-wife duo with some amazing credentials. She has sung backup for Carrie Underwood for many years, and he toured with Gretchen Wilson, Hunter Hayes, Kenny Chesney, etc. Now they have started their own band and I have a feeling we'll be hearing them on the radio! They played a mixture of covers and original songs and were AMAZING. Their performance of the Civil Wars' "Poison & Wine" actually brought me to tears, and now I've been listening to the song nonstop.

The shows are only an hour at The Bluebird, but it is so worth the wait. If you are going to Nashville I would see if there's a show you can buy tickets for ahead of time (I think they release them 1 week in advance and they sell out almost immediately). Otherwise, get there about an hour before and be prepared to wait for a great show!

After the Bluebird we took a short drive down Music Row -- I was not impressed, but maybe would have been if I was in the music business? -- and then decided to spend the night out in Midtown. We did a little bar hopping, then settled at Two Bits. I wish this bar was in Boston!! Great food, tons of local beer options, outdoor seating, and lots of board games to play! I got my ass kicked a few times in Connect 4 but continue to be a Scrabble Master. Can't win 'em all.

No bitchin or whinin!

Adorable women's bathroom sign at Two Bits

I ended up devouring a burger at some point. This is what multiple IPAs does to you.

The next morning Bobby had to head out early so I had the day to myself. I skipped breakfast, took a walk around Centennial Park, and visited the Parthenon. So weird.

Am I in Greece or Nashville??

I walked by this little BBQ place that reminded me so much of Freddie's from House of Cards. I was tempted to stop in but I already had lunch plans I was firm on getting to.

I grabbed an Uber (Uber is HUGE in Nashville. Again, who knew?) and took it to the Peg Leg Porker for my last BBQ meal in Tennessee. I got pulled pork with french fries and mac n' cheese. So freakin' amazing.

Giant fry (Mr. Attitude)!

I was one of only two women in the whole place. Weird.

I spent the rest of the day exploring some other parts of Nashville, drinking beers, and listening to more live music. It was a great way to wrap up the weekend before heading to the airport for my flight home.

Taps on taps

Cumberland River

Keeping with tradition...a chipwich to finish off a vacation!

And that wraps up my spontaneous Nashville weekend! What a great little getaway.