One of our favorite things to do is travel. We love to see new places and experience new things. Between the two of us, we’ve done a fair amount of travel both domestic and abroad, having touched down in 46 of our 50 states as well as much of Europe, the Caribbean, and Mexico. One place we have never been is Nashville, Tennessee. In 2021, that changed with a family trip to Nashville for the week between Christmas and New Years. There were a total of 10 of us on this trip, ranging in ages from 1 to 67, and everyone had a great time. There are so many fun activities, great places to eat, and towns to explore. Let’s dive into our Nashville Travel Recap:
Accommodations:
Nashville has a wide range of lodging options, from five star hotels to rental houses and everything in between. For this trip, we stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Opryland is about 15 minutes outside of downtown Nashville and a 10 minute drive from the airport. We opted to stay here because there were lots of activities for the kids, parents, and grandparents, and it made navigating to the surrounding areas a breeze. Opryland (part of the Gaylord Hotels group; run by Marriott) is a sprawling hotel with nearly 3,000 rooms. Within the hotel, there are four different atriums (Cascades, Garden, Magnolia, and Delta), each with a mixture of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. Each room has a balcony that overlooks the entire atrium. While the atrium can be quite loud during the day, between the buzzing of guests and live music from the restaurants, the rooms are very quiet at night.
If a hotel isn’t your ideal lodging situation, there are hundreds of options around Nashville through sites such as Airbnb and VRBO.
Transportation:
The Nashville airport has nearly every major rental car company as well as smaller regional rental agencies. If you do not have an allegiance to one particular brand, check sites like Kayak or Costco Travel (must have Costco membership) to compare multiple rental options in one spot. If you’re staying downtown and/or don’t want to deal with the hassle of driving in a new city, ride hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft operate throughout the city as well.
Activities:
Christmas At Opryland:
From mid-November through the New Year, Opryland hosts “Christmas at Opryland”, a collection of Christmas themed activities for all ages. These activities include ice skating, tubing, bumper cars on ice, and a train ride, among other things. Additionally, the hotel has year-round activities such as the Delta Riverboat cruise, which they decorate for Christmas as part of the Christmas at Opryland celebration.
Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour:
Tennessee and the surrounding states are the birthplace of American Whiskey. An hour and a half drive South of Nashville is the town of Lynchburg, which is the home of Jack Daniel’s Distillery. The town of Lynchburg consists of a town square with shops and restaurants, as well as the distillery. The distillery offers multiple tour and tasting options, including a “Dry County” tour for those under 21. A stand-alone tasting option is available as well.
Explore Franklin:
25 minutes south of Nashville is the town of Franklin. Franklin has an historic downtown core surrounded by stately homes. Main Street has a wide range of shopping from toy stores, to boutiques, to high end brands such as Anthropologie. There are also numerous cafes, restaurants, and coffee shops to grab a drink or bite of food after a day of shopping. On the way back to Nashville, don’t forget to swing by The Factory at Franklin for a Five Daughters 100 layer donut or an artisanal soda from Urban Sips.
A Night at the Opry (or the Ryamn):
Nashville is home to two iconic music venues, the Grand Ole Opry House and the Ryman Auditorium. The Grand Ole Opry is located on the grounds of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and the Ryman Auditorium is located just off Lower Broadway in Downtown Nashville. Both are intimate concert venues (The Ryman seats 2,400 and The Opry seats 4,000) and attract some of the biggest names in Country Music. Behind the scenes tours are offered at both venues.
Shopping:
New Boots:
No trip to Nashville is complete without a new set of boots. Up and down Lower Broadway, and throughout the town, there are numerous places to find great boots. One of our favorites is Tecovas. Located just off Broadway, Tecovas sells a wide range of cowboy, ranch, and fashion footwear and accessories. All of their boots are handcrafted and come in a wide range of leather options for every style and budget.
Dining:
Nashville and the surrounding towns have dining options to suit any budget and even the pickiest diners taste buds. Here are some of the places we stopped along the trip:
Hattie B’s:
Hattie B’s is a Nashville institution if you’re looking for Nashville Hot Chicken. They offer chicken by the piece or in a sandwich. They also offer multiple side and dessert options. There are six levels of “Nashville Hot” to add to your chicken, ranging from “Southern” (no heat) to “Shut the Cluck Up” (the hottest). Hattie B’s has multiple locations around Nashville.
The Southern Steak and Oyster:
The Southern is a great spot for a date night or going out with a group. The main dining room offers tables, booths, and bar seating. The bar maintains an extensive whiskey and bourbon list that appeals to even the most discerning of palates. The menu offers traditional steakhouse favorites as well as local and regional specialties. While it sounds silly, the bread basket (full of homemade drop biscuits), is not to be missed.
Barrelhouse BBQ:
An unassuming storefront in Lynchburg, Barrelhouse serves delicious barbecue. The focus here is on pork and chicken. They offer pulled pork, ribs, sausages, and smoked chicken plates. You can also have the pulled pork or chicken added to a grilled cheese sandwich or nachos. The homemade sauces add just the right kick to your food. No stop at Barrelhouse would be complete without a slice of bundt cake. Barrelhouse is a great place to stop before or after a tour at Jack Daniel’s, which is just down the road.
Mojo’s Tacos:
Inside the Factory at Franklin, Mojo’s Tacos is serving up delicious traditional and puffy tacos to the masses. With traditional flavors such as carnitas and adobo chicken, as well as off the wall options Korean cauliflower and Nashville hot chicken, there are tacos for nearly everyone. In addition to a traditional tortilla, Mojo’s offers any of their tacos “puffy”, which means they fry the tortilla prior to plating so it puffs up. All of the sides accompany any taco order, with options such as street corn, rice and beans, and chipotle slaw.
Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen:
Located at Opry Mills Mall, Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, as the name would suggest, is a restaurant from celebrity chef Paula Deen. The menu is filled with Southern staples like fried chicken, catfish, collard greens, black eyed peas, and candied yams. Meals are ordered family style with unlimited refills. There are three tiers that determine how many entree choices your party gets. The dessert menu includes Paula Deen’s family gooey butter cake, and each diner gets their own dessert selection.
Merchants:
In the heart of Lower Broadway is Merchants, a three-floor restaurant and bar. Merchants has been around for over 30 years, however the building dates back to the 1890’s. The first floor operates as a bistro and bar, serving diners all day. The second floor comes alive as a steakhouse in the evening. Ask for a window seat for great views of all the Broadway action. The third floor at Merchants is available for private dining or as an event space. With it’s central location and quality food, Merchants is a great option before catching a show at The Ryman or before a night out on the town.
Hotel Dining:
While we spent most of our trip out and about, we did eat a few meals at the hotel. Here are a few of the spots we ate at while in the hotel:
Delta Marketplace: Full coffee bar with hot and cold breakfast options as well as pastries. Great place to grab snacks throughout the day
Paisano’s Pizzeria & Vino: Quick service pizza restaurant. They offer three pizzas (cheese, pepperoni, and combination) on the menu, or you can build your own. Salads are available as well. This is a good option to grab a table and eat in the atrium or take back to your room.
Old Hickory Steakhouse: The menu here is filled with traditional steakhouse fare. A decent wine list and good bar selection for cocktails. The restaurant is very popular with hotel guests, so call ahead for a reservation if you plan to eat here.
Nightlife:
If you’re looking to hit a few bars and have a fun night out, look no further than Lower Broadway. This part of town is filled with honkey tonks and bars. Several prominent country musicians, such as Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Dirks Bently, and Miranda Lambert have bars located on Lower Broadway. Each bar has live music most nights, and some have rooftop balconies that look out over all of Nashville. No matter which bar you pop into you’re bound to hear some great music and have a fun time.