About once a week, I get a message in my inbox from yet another friend coming to Nashville and asking me where to go. Don’t get me wrong – I want to help! But, my days of going out on the town have been replaced with soccer games and PTA meetings, so I always immediately freeze up when I’m asked this question. It’s not that I don’t know where to tell people to go, it’s just that my mind is somewhere completely else in this season of my life. So, I figured it was time to bite the bullet and sit down and really compile a great list of suggestions. Nashville has an incredible amount of food, fun and flair. Too much for any single blog post, that’s for sure! This list is for all my friends coming to Nashville, and all my other friends who live here and are always asked the question – “Where should I go while in Nashville?” Please feel free to send your friends this post and save some time!

By all means, please feel free to comment with additional suggestions. This is merely a starting point and I am well aware that I have probably left off your favorite place. Put it in the comments and I’ll update this list periodically!

Love you all, and welcome to our wonderful city!

(Photos by yours truly, Foxfoto)

Craving ethnic food? How about one of these…

Siam Cafe

Taj Indian Restaurant 

Athen’s  Great late night spot!

Samurai Sushi Bar

Have a cocktail with a beautiful view…

Rooftop Bar at Famous Saloon

George Jones Rooftop Bar 

L.A. Jackson (Thompson Hotel)

How about some great live music?

The Stage

Acme Feed and Seed (also has great rooftop bar)

Legends Corner 

Paradise Park Trailer Resort Go see a fun band and get a late night snack. That tater tots are the BEST!

Robert’s Western World  On Wed-Fri from 6-10, go see the Don Kelley Band- many say they are the Best Honky Tonk and best band on Broadway! Great Bar food too (Fried bologna sandwich and burgers are to die for… especially at 2am!)

Station Inn (You often catch stars sitting in with the band here!)

Tootsies Orchid Lounge  Enjoy the front and back bars and stage! You just gotta go. It’s a Nashville staple.

Blue Bird Café Shhhh… this is a place for listening to world class song-writers. No talking during performances! Better get your ticket fast. The shows sell out!

Grand Ole Opry World Famous Radio Show, but you watch it live on stage!

Ryman  The Mother Church of Country Music

Wild Horse Saloon

The Listening Room Great place to see local entertainment and songwriters. Great menu too!

Try out these hip little shops while you are in town…

Fanny’s House of Music Cool music shop. Taylor Swift says its her favorite.

White’s Mercantile Modern take on a general store.  Located in 12 South.

 

Love to check out trendy ‘hoods with restaurants and shops? Check these out…

Hillsboro Village, lots of shops and restaurants.

12 South – shops, restaurants Imogene + Willie – denim custom made jeans for you and check out Draper James Reese Witherspoon’s shop. Five Daughters Bakery and Jeni’s ice cream shop. The line is always long at night at Jeni’s but better during the day.

The Gulch

East Nashville
8th Avenue

Want to see all the goings on in Nashville during your stay? Look no further…

Nashville Events Calendar

I have been waiting for the right time to share my photos of my trip to New Orleans in August. Honestly, I just wanted to take some time to fully digest it before even posting about it. It was one of the best trips of my life, mainly because I got to share it with seven of the most important women in my life. I am the consummate planner and I read every review possible before I created a complete itinerary for my friends. When you are traveling with eight people, it is essential to be organized and intentional with the plans. If not, you will spend a lot of time waiting on someone to make a decision. My friends were quite impressed by planning and it paid off in the end. Everyone agreed that it was a complete success.

I took a ton of photos which I’ll share them over five posts so I can give a good overview of the trip without overwhelming everyone. Here is a recap of Day One:

My friends and I arrived together in New Orleans on Thursday afternoon and were greeted at the Country Inn and Suites French Quarter. We immediately cozied up to the bar with our new favorite bartender, Ricardo.

The rest of the evening was spent in a progressive dining experience. We started at Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone for drinks and appetizers. Although we didn’t get a seat at the spinning bar (see second photo below of the bar in motion), we found seats at the back bar and listened to the jazz band while enjoying gorgeous cocktails. The highlight appetizer was the Crawfish Beignets. Wow, was it good!

Next, it was on to Sylvain which was recommended as one of the best restaurants in the Quarter. It was very dark in there, but had a cool vibe! We were all pretty happy with our meals, but Crystal picked the winner when she ordered the Beef Cheeks. A couple of the ladies ordered the scallops (picture below) and thought it was an excellent dish as well.

After that, we headed to Sucré New Orleans (French Quarter location) for sweet treats. The place was very charming and full of delectable treats. The staff was very entertaining. The guy that was helping me dropped my dessert on the floor, so he gave me another choice for free. It was heavenly! After that, we were thoroughly stuffed and headed back to the hotel.

On the way back, we stopped by one of the touristy junk shops and modeled some freaky masks for each other! Much laughter ensured.

Once we hit the hotel, we visited Ricardo again at the bar and then we hit the hay to prepare for a very full Day Two.

Check out tomorrow’s post to see our Day Two adventures!