<p>I’m visiting Nashville in a few weeks to tour Vanderbilt, but I will have the whole weekend to explore the city. I’ve been told to see a concert in the Grand Ole Opry House, but other than that I’m not sure what to do. I would love suggestions of where to eat (I’m a little bit of a foodie haha) and which parts of the city to tour. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I just sent a link from today’s Wall Street a Journal to a relative who will be visiting there this month! There is a 3 page story on Nashville. Some of their restaurant descriptions made me drool!</p>
<p>I’d recommend going to the Belle Meade plantation if you are at all into history. They also have a winery on site (and wine tasting is included in your admission).</p>
<p>I don’t normally go for this sort of thing, but I really liked The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson home). Excellent tour. Country Music Hall of Fame was over my head, since I don’t know much about country music. I liked the Frist Center. The Art Deco architecture alone is worth a visit to the Frist.</p>
<p>Regarding food, we ate at The Mad Platter one night and really enjoyed it. A top place is Catbird Seat but needs advance reservations.</p>
<p>Send a PM to momofwildchild. She will have lots of suggestions.</p>
<p>My friend and her two college age students enjoyed the Bluebird Café.</p>
<p>Read the WSJ article today. Lots of good suggestions. Pancake Pantry is a must. The Gulch and 12 South districts have great restaurants and cafés. Percy Warner Park is great for hiking or running. Very hilly.
The Ryman is great. Walk around the honky tonks on lower Broadway. The Country Music Hall of Fame is worth it even for a non country music fan. If you are looking at Vandy, liking country music makes Nashville more fun, although it isn’t essential. </p>
<p>^^I also recommend the Bluebird Cafe! And make reservations soon.</p>
<p>From their website: “The Bluebird Café is one of the world’s preeminent listening rooms…”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bluebirdcafe.com/”>http://www.bluebirdcafe.com/</a></p>
<p>The NashTrash tour is a must, you ride a pink bus and are introduced to the city by hilarious tour guides, it’s a hoot. The tours get booked up way in advance so go online immediately: <a href=“http://www.nashtrash.com/”>http://www.nashtrash.com/</a></p>
<p>Love these suggestions! My son will be attending MTSU so we’ll be making some trips to Nashville. I’m definitely checking out the Pancake Pantry when we go down for orientation! The NashTrash tour looks great also. My personal recommendations are the Parthenon in Centennial park and Hog Heaven BBQ which is nearby, and the Dukes of Hazard Museum for great 70’s nostalgia.</p>
<p>If you do the Country Music Hall of Fame, opt in for the Studio B tour. You have to pay extra and take a short bus ride to get there, but it is wonderful. In all of my years going to Nashville, I only did this last year and I’m still talking about it to people. Lots of Elvis stories from the guide as he recorded there often. Current artists still record there if they meet certain criteria. I won’t be a spoiler on the various stories told, but they really do a good presentation and pull on your emotions.</p>
<p>Agree about Pancake Pantry - definitely worth the wait. Best French toast I’ve ever eaten. Lots of other good places to eat near campus. Cabana (behind Pancake Pantry) is a personal favorite, but lately D has been taking me to more places in the Gulch and on 12 South. Even farther away from campus, we had a delicious meal at Germantown Cafe in March. We had a delicious dinner to celebrate S & DIL’s law school graduation at Marche in East Nashville and D has taken me to East Nashville for some good casual meals in the last year. In particular, The Pharmacy is a delicious burger and beer joint. </p>
<p>NashTrash tour is still on my “to do” list. D has raved about it, but since I go there without much lead time, it’s always booked when we try to fit it in. </p>
<p>Check the Frist website to see what will be there. They don’t have a permanent collection, so it depends on what’s featured as to whether it’s worth your time.</p>
<p>Bellemeade Plantation is interesting, but I wouldn’t prioritize it for a first visit. Definitely worth the time if your student ends up in Nashville though.</p>
<p>I love these posts reminding me of what a great city Nashville is. (I’ll have to go back to check off some of these great destinations that we didn’t get to when our daughter was at Vandy.) I did especially enjoy the Hermitage, the Frist, Pancake Pantry (worth the wait), and the Parthenon/Centennial Park. But my very favorite place to explore in the city is the Bi-Centennial Mall State Park, a short drive from Vandy. It’s a beautifully executed city park that details the history of Tennessee in a fascinating and imaginative way.</p>
<p>We toured the Opryland Hotel before the floods that devastated that area in 2010. It was fun to explore then (indoor boat ride, lots of themed areas and restaurants), and I understand that the refurbishment has restored it well. Next to the Grand Old Opry, so maybe worth a visit if your travels bring you there. Have fun!</p>
<p>If I could only have one meal, it would be Hattie B’s hot chicken. It’s near Vandy- Broadway and 19th I think. We take all our out of town guests there and they get addicted. It’s a Nashville tradition (hot chicken). NOT a fancy place, but seems ritzy compared to competitor Bolton’s and Prince’s.</p>
<p>The Family Wash is real Nashville with entertainment daily. If there on a Wed take in the Music City Roots live radio show at the Loveless Cafe Barn. Usually a very good show and only $10.</p>
<p>@ksm @CloseToTheEdge @LBowie @jym626 @PackMom @MomofWildChild @Panhandlegal @bopambo @jeannemar @2VU0609 @frazzled1 @bigred76 Thank you all so much for your wonderful suggestions! I’m very excited to try some of them out on my trip (:</p>
<p>Popular evening dining/live music venues among locals include such places as Wildhorse Saloon, the Bluebird Cafe, and Tootsie’s.</p>
<p>Broadway is known for its nightlife, as is 21st Ave near Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>And take five minutes to drive through Music Row. Belmont University is on the other side of Wedgewood.</p>
<p>Finally, make sure you see the Parthenon in Centennial Park.</p>
<p>@prezbucky Thank you for the suggestions!</p>
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We’re going to a wedding there in the fall so I’ll be sure to reference this thread before we go.</p>
<p>Avogadro, no problem. There’s definitely some neat things to do in the “Athens of the South”. </p>
<p>We enjoyed the trolley tour. It allows you to enjoy several stops along the way. We had some delicious beignets at the farmers market. </p>