🇺🇸 NASHVILLE

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I first discovered Country Music when I studied out West in Saskatchewan back in 2008. Since then, my love for the genre has grown exponentially! So when my friend suggested we should visit Nashville, Tennessee in May of 2019, I was automatically on board and it didn’t take long for us to book our trip!

FLIGHTS AND ACCOMMODATION

We booked our entire trip (flights/accommodation) through Expedia. It ended up costing $2 595.94 CAD for the two of us ($1 297.97 CAD/each). This included our two-way flights from Montreal (YUL) to Nashville (BNA) with Delta Airlines and Westjet. It also included 5 nights at The Capitol Hotel, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member. Our Hotel had a good location and a fair price. We were at a walking distance from Broadway and the main attractions.

Our flight itinerary was the following: 

To Nashville:

→ Montreal (YUL) – layover in Detroit (DTW) – Nashville (BNA) for a total travel time of 5h29

To Montreal:

→ Nashville (BNA) – layover in Toronto (YYZ) – Montreal (YUL) for a total travel time of 5h11

HOW TO GET AROUND

Downtown Nashville is not that big so we walked a lot to get where we wanted to go. Another fun option is to rent an electric scooter. They are located pretty much everywhere in the city and all you need is to download an app such as Lime or Spin, in order to use them. I’ve personally used scooter sharing in California, Nashville and Copenhagen and I’ve always had a lot of fun and found them very practical. We also hired Uber a fews times to get to some remote locations such as the Grand Ole Opry House.

ACTIVITIES

1 – Whiskey Tour at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery

This was one of my favourite activities! Tours are offered every half hour and include a guided tour giving you an intimate look at the process of making Whiskey. Tastings are included with your tour. The distillery is open Tuesday-Sunday and located in Marathon Village. You can book you tour online here for only $10 USD ($14 CAD) per person.

Fun fact: At it’s high-point in the late 1800’s, the Distillery was selling over 380 000 gallons of whiskey annually, making it the largest producer of Tennessee Whiskey in the world. More than a century after closing due to Prohibition, two descendants of  the distillery’s founder have resurrected the family’s world famous recipes.

2 – Marathon Village (Marathon Motor Works Automobile)

This area of town is not only filled with history but you will also find Antique Archaeology, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, Grinder’s Switch Winery, Retails Shops (this is where I got most of my souvenirs) and jewelry designers.

A brief history: In 1884, the Southern Engine and Boiler Works opened to business in Jackson, Tennessee. The company manufactured gasoline engines and boilers. In late 1910, the company relocated to larger facilities in Nashville.

Since then, the space has been converted into the Marathon Village, a four-block complex of distilleries, museum, antique shops, studios, offices and more.

3 – Pinewood Social

Pinewood Social is a unique experience! It’s a trendy restaurant and craft cocktail bar where you can also play Bowling! I highly recommend you reserve your bowling alley in advance as they are in high demand!

Pinewood Social is located in one of the trolley barns in Rolling Mill Hill at 33 Peabody St.

4 – Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium is a famous and historic live-performance venue in Nashville. It is best known as the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. After debuting in 1925, the local country music radio program known as the Grand Ole Opry became a Nashville institution. The Ryman is where notorious country artists such as Dolly parton and Patsy Cline made their debuts.

Did you know that the auditorium first opened as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892?

Self Guided Tours are $25 USD ($35.50 CAD) per person and they run daily from 09h00 to 16h00. We personally opted for the Essential Country Duo Package which allowed us to take a daytime backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry House and a self-guided tour of the Ryman Auditorium. The package was $49 USD ($70 CAD) each.

5 – Grand Ole Opry House Tour

Since 1974, the Grand Ole Opry Show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville. It’s a 15 mins drive from the downtown core to the Grand Ole Opry House. The easiest way we found to get there was to grab a Uber.

As I’ve previously mentioned, on March 16th, 1974, the Grand Ole Opry Show moved from the Ryman Auditorium to the Opry House. Fun fact: The opening night was attended by U.S. President Richard Nixon, who played a few songs on the piano. Our entrance ticket for our daytime backstage tour was included in the Essential Country Duo Package we had purchased to also tour the Ryman for  $49 USD ($70 CAD) each.

6 – Broadway

Broadway is an entertainment district renowned for honky tonks and live country music in the downtown area in Nashville. The street is also home to great shops and restaurants. Here’s a list of my favourite spots located in the Broadway District:

→ Acme Feed & Seed: Multilevel venue with great food, cocktails, live music and a rooftop patio. We had amazing sushis.

→ FGL House: Have you ever heard of the Country Band Florida Georgia Line? If you haven’t, you are definitely missing out! Like many other artists, they too opened their own Nashville Institution. FGL House is a multilevel bar with a rustic decor and patio seating for Southern-style pub fare and cocktails. We’ve had the best steak ever!

→ Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge: Great honky tonk with three stages that host live local bands each night. It is located behind the Ryman Auditorium.

→ Cowboy Boots: You will find many shops on Broadway to purchase 3 for 1 pairs of cowboy boots. It’s a bargain!

→ Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row: Restaurant and nightclub in a historic 3-story building with rooftop access.

→ Wildhorse Saloon: Get some free line dance lessons. We truly had an amazing night learning how to line dance!

You will also find the Johnny Cash Museum and great barbecue restaurants in this area.

7 – Bridgestone Arena

Get some tickets for a show or a Predators NHL Hockey Game. The Arena is located in the downtown core on Broadway. We got some last minute tickets for The New Kids on the Block for only $40 USD ($57 CAD) a piece. We had a great impromptu evening!

8 – Country Music Hall of Fame (RCA Studio B Tour & Hatch Show Print Tour)

The ticket we chose gave us access to the Museum and Rotunda (General Admission), a tour of the RCA Studio B and the Hatch Show Print tour. The Hall of Fame is open daily from 09h00 to 17h00. The Museum entrance fee alone is $26 USD each ($37 CAD). Get the combo for all three attractions for $95 CAD on Viator.

→ Studio B Experience

You will get a one-hour guided tour of Nashville’s most important recording studio where Elvis Presley recorded most of his albums. It was incredible to walk in his footsteps! If you want to do this tour separately, tickets are $46 USD ($65 CAD) per person.

→ Hatch Experience

The Hatch Show Print opened in 1879, and has been creating show posters for more than 140 years. We got a behind-the-scenes look at the process and printed our own poster. If you want to do this tour separately, tickets are $46 USD ($65 CAD) per person.

9 – Tennessee State Capitol

Built between 1845 and 1859, the Tennessee State Capitol is the seat of government for the state of Tennessee and the home of the General Assembly and the location of the governor’s office. The Capitol is open to the public from 08h00 to 16h00 Monday through Friday.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

On our last day we decided to buy tickets for the Old Town Trolley Tour which is a Hop on Hop off formula to see everything we could have missed. The tickets were $40 USD each ($57 CAD). The trolleys travel through Nashville on a continuous 12-mile loop with 15 stops. The stops include the Farmer’s market, Marathon Motor Works, Centennial Park, Belmont Mansion and The Gulch.

I recommend you visit the Gulch. It’s an upscale neighbourhood where you’ll find the famous Biscuit Love (316 11th Ave S) and the What Lifts You Wings Mural (230 11th Ave S).

From what I’ve seen and gathered during my time in Nashville is that it’s a great Bachelorette/Bachelor destination!

TOTAL BUDGET PER PERSON:

• Flights + Accommodation: $1 297.97 CAD
• Uber & Scooter Rentals: $30 CAD
• Whiskey Tour at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery: $14 CAD
• Grand Ole Opry House Tour & Ryman Auditorium Tour: $70 CAD
• Bridgestone Arena – New Kids on the Block Show: $57 CAD
• Country Music Hall of Fame (Museum, Studio B & Hatch Show) : $95 CAD
• Old Town Trolley Tour (1-Day): $57 CAD

GRAND TOTAL OF: $1 620.67 CAD plus our food, drinks and souvenirs. So it’s safe to say that if you want to do the same itinerary, you should be fine with a budget of $2 000 CAD to cover all your expenses.

Safe travels!

XX

Mlle Wanderlust

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