Nashville Recap
What an incredible week! Over spring break, I crossed another thing off of my bucket list by spending a few days in Nashville. Although we only spent about 72 hours in Nash, it felt like we were there for an entire week because of how packed out days were.
In college, it seems like everyone heads to somewhere in Florida or the Caribbean. Not too many people head to Nashville, but it shouldn't be overlooked. The city is magical. It's fully of dream-chasers and excitement. You can hear a different live band from every street corner and the neon signs point you towards a new adventure.
If you're interested in visiting Nashville, make sure to keep reading!
First let's talk about the style. In Nashville, you wear your boots with pride. It was nice to see everybody else was rocking their fanciest cowboy boots along with me. There were men in trucker hats and cowboy hats and women in sweaters, and jeans. It's a casual place. Nobody was wearing dresses and skirts, just a comfortable outfit to spend the day walking around in.
If you're planning a trip to Nashville, check out my packing list here. That I found to simple outfits were great and then I dressed them up with nicer accessories. A double-buckle belt, a pair of hoops, or a hair scarf made any outfit look 10/10.
Let's talk about the shopping. Along Broadway, the main road with the bars and shops, is lined with incredible boot and hat stores. While in town, it's worth the money to buy a pair of cowboy boots. I wear mine all the time at school with leggings and a sweatshirt on chilly days. This time around, I picked up a pair of all white boots that will be perfect for this summer.
Many of the stores have incredible deals for boots as well. A few stores we stopped in had buy one, get two free sales, or buy one for 30% off and two for 40% off. Each boot has such a unique personality and there absolutely is a boot for you. While you're there, pick up a cowboy hat while you're at it! The image of the boots above is from the Boot Barn on Broadway!
If you want things to do in Nashville, start walking up and down Broadway. Take a peek into stores and bars. Stop in to listen to live music and grab a drink and an appetizer. When you get finish your drink or get bored, move on to the next stop. You cannot find a bad band on Broadway. We only found one and they ended up playing Year 3000 by the Jonas Brothers, so we let it slide. Luke Bryan's Bar I thought was really nice, but Tootsie's is iconic and has three floors of music and history.
The little stores are really sweet too. The second picture is from White's Mercantile at 12 South. It's a general store for the modern day task maker. The owner is Hank Williams Jr.'s daughter, Holly. This little store doesn't seem like much from the outside, but is full of sweet treasures for the home and life.
Wrap yourself in the history of the town by visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It's two floors and can be completed in about two hours. Admission was $25 a person, but make sure to show your student I.D. if you have one for a discount. The museum starts at the beginning of country music history and ends with the newest 2018 additions. You can see everything from the history of Willie Nelson to Taylor Swift's rhinestone guitar.
Truthfully, one of the biggest attractions are the bars the line the streets. Many of the bars won't let people under 21 in after a certain time (typically 6 p.m.), but even during the daytime it's fun to go sit, grab a bite to eat and listen to the live music. If you want to hear a specific song though, make sure you have cash to tip the band!
If you stray outside of the Broadway, head over to 12 South for lunch and some shopping. It's close to Vanderbilt and is about 5 blocks of shops and restaurants. We started Wednesday at BarTaco. It's a self-order taco restaurant that has every kind of taco you could ever want. From all the buzz BarTaco gets, I thought it was a little overrated. It's a good place to go to get a quick bite to eat for lunch, I wouldn't recommend it for dinner.
After lunch, stop by 5 Daughters Bakery for dessert! This nationally known bakery is just two blocks away from BarTaco and is the perfect photo spot. The donuts are to die for as well. They're more so Cro-nuts, but they have some pretty unique flavors. I'm a traditionalist and had The Purist, which was a classic donut enrobed in vanilla bean frosting.
While at 12 South, you have to go to Draper James, Reese Witherspoon's store. You can shop her adorable line here, but nothing beats going to the store and shopping the line in person. As soon as you walk in, an associate offers you a glass of sweet tea while shopping. The tea is in a signature Draper James gingham cup -- it's incredibly unique. I felt like I was walking around Reese's living room shopping because it was decorated with such southern comfort. Side note, but if you haven't, read Whiskey in a Teacup for a quick spring read.
Draper James is not only picture perfect in store, but out of store too! Just outside, the entire building is covered in blue and white stripes and has the perfect place to take a picture to document your travels. Adjacent to the store is the infamous "I believe in Nashville" wall, which again you must take a picture with!
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All in all, take in the city! Enjoy the music, boot and scoot in a new pair of shoes, and sing at the top of your lungs to a Shania Twain cover band.
