Welcome to another post of helping a reader travel!
This weekly post is to help readers get a slew of travel advice from thousand of Deals We Like blog readers. Thus far, we’ve been able to help other readers travel to a slew of domestic and international destinations. Check out recent destinations and comment on suggestions here.
So this weeks travel destination includes Nashville, Tennessee. Here is an email from reader Jessica:
“My friends and I are looking for a fun weekend and decided on Nashville. We are looking for hotel recommendations in a fun part of town. Ideally walking distance to restaurants and bars. A few of us our consultants so we have hotel points we are looking to use. Any recommendations for restaurants and places to go out at night? Recommendations for things to do during a day? Is a car needed? Thank you!”
If you’ve ever been to Nashville and have any recommendations, let’s help out reader Jessica by commenting below.
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Jessica,
32 yr old born-and-raised Nashvillian here.
Your best bet to be within walking distance from restaurants and bars is to stay downtown. Broadway is the main drag where all the honky tonks and bars are. You’ll want to stay within walking distance from 500 Broadway, Nashville which is the epicenter of the action.
Hotels:
Hampton Inn, Hyatt Place, Downtown Courtyard, Doubletree, Sheraton, Renaissance, and Indigo are all decent options on points within walking distance downtown. Not sure what points currencies you and your friends have. Our $650 million brand new convention center opened recently so hotel occupancy and cash prices are high.
Airport/Ground Transportation:
Nashville is a mini-Southwest hub so they usually have the best flight options. Not sure where you’re coming from. Downtown is 5 miles from the airport so a one-way taxi is around $20. If you get a rental car, check out Arrington Vineyards (30 min south) live music on weekends, wine tastings, and Fontanel Mansion (30 min north) beautiful farm, outdoor amphitheater, great concerts, etc.
Downtown Restaurants:
cheap: Demos, Pucketts Grocery
Mid-range: Merchants
Splurge: Southern Steak and Oyster
If you don’t stay or can’t find anything downtown, check out the Gulch, East Nashville, and Germantown. These are urban areas that have been revitalized with eclectic local restaurants and shops.
Things to Do:
Nashville is music city so you can’t go wrong with catching a concert. Schedule here–http://www.nashville.com/calendarofevents.html
TN has the best state park system in the country. If you are the outdoor, adventurous type and have a rental car, make a day trip to Cummins, Burgess, or Fall Creek Falls
http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/cummins-falls
Enjoy your trip, and welcome to Nashville.
Homewood Suites Nashville Downtown is another option if you have Hilton points. Food, beer, and wine are free on weekdays which is a big plus. It might be a little further from Broadway than other options, but we walked everywhere without a problem.
I’m also a native Nashvillian and second most of baxterboy12’s recommendations. For the essential Nashville honkytonk experience, downtown is the place to be.
If you do venture out though, I would suggest a visit to the midtown area, probably around 15 blocks from where you might stay downtown. There is the Patterson House for great handcrafted cocktails in a speakeasy themed environment. They don’t have much food, but the sliders are excellent.
For the opposite experience grab beers at the original Broadway Brewhouse, featuring lots of taps and the Mojo Grill. Across from BB is Hattie B’s serving their take on Nashville’s famous and delicious hot chicken. Across West End Avenue is one of Nashville’s brewpubs, Blackstone for great local beer and good pub food.
The Catholic cathedral, next to Vanderbilt’s campus, while not a big tourist stop, is beautiful and worth a visit.
And you really can’t miss Centennial Park, with the full-scale replica of the Parthenon. I’ve been to the real one. Ours is nicer.
Have fun!
I live in Nashville as well and believe the best food and bars aren’t downtown. Downtown is extremely pricey and touristy (about 90% of the people you meet on Broadway are tourists). That said, it’s still definitely a place to visit (but my friends who come visit say one night is enough).
Hotel-wise, if you don’t mind splurging on points then I’d recommend downtown. If you want to get some more bang for your buck, stay at hotels outside of downtown (the Hyatt Place at the airport is only a category 1 and a great value). Since Nashville is relatively small, you can get anywhere within 15-20 min.
If you are looking for a more authentic Nashville experience, I’d recommend checking out the restaurants and bars in Midtown, Germantown, and East Nashville as well. Here are some of my favorites:
Restaurants:
Rolf and Daughters
Eastland Cafe
Lockeland Table
Monells
Princes Hot Chicken
Pancake Pantry
Jeni’s Ice Cream
Las Paletas (awesome gourmet popsicles)
You should also try and catch one night at the Bluebird, which is in Green Hills. It’s where many top acts have been discovered and is an awesome place to hear great music. Bluebirdcafe.com.
Hope this helps!
These all sound like great ideas!
Nashville! What a great choice for a fun vacation. Downtown is a great
place to stay but be prepared for higher hotel rates. Your points will
definitely help so check to see where hotels are located that you have
points for. As for entertainment, all of the downtown attractions, honky
tonks, Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman auditorium etc. are in walking
distance and it’s hard to find a bad restaurant. Stop by the visitors
center on the corner of Broadway and 5th at Bridgestone Arena for
information on local attractions. No car is needed for downtown but you will
need transportation or take a cab to the Grand Ole Opry and Opry Mills area.
If you want to make your life easier and not have to spend your time
figuring out what to do and chasing down tickets let me plan your trip for
you. I will put together a complete itinerary including attractions,
restaurants the whole package so you make the most of your visit and your
vacation dollars. You can reach me at kathy@letsgotravelin.com
If you come Aug 23, 10K Starwood points will get you a private concert and cocktail reception with Kellie Pickler. Not an artist I’m dying to see, but free beer is free beer.
http://auction.starwoodhotels.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=25602996&prmenbr=67280009&aunbr=25602996