Welcome to my Nashville Travel Guide!
After years of wanting to visit music city, we finally made the trip this past Thanksgiving and Nashville did not let us down! My only complaint is that I wish we could have stayed longer -lol. Whether you’re planning a bachelorette, couples trip, a romantic getway or family trip – you’ll find something for everyone on this guide!
Nashville Neighborhoods Breakdown
While Nashville is very easy to get around and is primarily close together, it’s made up of a ton of little different neighborhoods and areas. For this guide, I’m going to focus on three of the different neighborhoods where we spent the majority of our time!
Downtown/Broadway
Downtown is the area we chose to stay in and is the main area you’ll want to be in for all of the live music off-Broadway! Lots of great hotels and rooftop bars are in this area too.
The Gultch
A very trendy/industrial Nashville area that’s about a mile away from Broadway! Lots (& I mean lots) of amazing restaurants are over there, they have great shopping (like Kristin Cavallari’s Uncommon James!) and I loved that it was super walkable.
- Uncommon James
- Amelia’s Flower Truck
- Barista Parlor
- Biscuit Love
12th South
My favorite neighborhood of them all! 12th South is literally the cutest little spot in Nashville and is much more low key than the others. It’s where you’ll find Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James store and other famous spots like Jenni’s Ice Cream and Five Daughters Bakery.
- Drape James
- Five Daughters Bakery
- Jenni’s Ice Cream
- Frothy Monkey Coffee
Where To Stay
The Noelle Hotel
For our very first trip to Nashville, we decided to stay at the brand new, Noelle Hotel (located downtown) and it was truly such a gem of a spot! If you watch Very Cavalari, you might notice it’s where the Uncommon James Christmas party was actually held! I was truly blown away by its charm the entire time we were there. The building itself is an original Nashville building that has been completely renovated. While it is super modern and luxurious, I love that they kept some of the original features of the building, like the original mail slots by the elevators!
The coffee shop (Drug Store Coffee) downstairs is super cute as well and was our favorite spot for grabbing a quick coffee to go before heading out to explore. The rooms and bathrooms were incredibly chic, with lots of cool modern touches. White marble and gold chrome everywhere! I was genuinely surprised as to just how affordable it was because the whole hotel is so chic. The gym was everything as well (like super spacious, lots of equipment and even had peletons!) and we loved that it was so close to Broadway street! I think my absolute favorite part of the Noelle Hotel though was their incredible rooftop bar (Rarebird Roof Top) that overlooks the Titans Stadium and so much of Nashville. Needless to say, we spent a lot of our time there!
Coffee Spots
- The Frothy Monkey: We genuinely loved this spot located in 12th south! It reminded me so much of the local coffee shop in my college town. Very homey, lots of outdoor sitting and all-around a great place to hang out. The brunch there actually looks delicious too! (12th south)
- Drug Store Coffee: The Coffee at Noelle Hotel that I mentioned before! I highly recommend checking it out if you are staying downtown because it really is super cute! (downtown)
- Red Bicycle Coffee & Crepes: Joelle Fletchers Coffee Shop! (downtown)
Where To Eat & Drink
- Adeles (b/l/d): Super cute spot with a farm-to-table concept. We never made it here, but it came highly recommended by so many for both brunch, lunch, happy hour and dinner! If we had another day, we would have gone! (The Gultch)
- Barcelona Wine Bar: One of my best friends from home recommended this spot and it did not disappoint!! Great vibes, great wine, and great bites.
- Bar Taco: We loved this little street taco spot in 12th South! It was both super cute (beachy/surfer vibes) AND incredibly delicious! Super affordable, great little patio, everyone was SO nice and the craft cocktails were amazing. (12th South)
- Biscuit Love (b): This was the most recommended place by far! It’s a famous spot that always has a line (even on weekdays), so be sure to get there close to opening, although I heard the line moves pretty fast, We never made it here bc we ran out of days but it’s first on my list for the next time we return. (The Gultch)
- Hattie Bs’s (l): The best Hot Chicken in Nashville! Which we learned throughout our trip is an absolute Nashville necessity to try at least once. (The Gultch)
- Josephine (d): Such a romantic and cute dinner spot. We went there on our last night to celebrate “our anniversary” and I truly cannot recommend it enough. So much charm and the menu changes pretty much every night! (12th South)
- Mockingbird (l/d): I cannot recommend this spot enough! We went here for brunch and it was seriously so cute (like very trendy!) and the food was divine! This is where we had the “fruit punch bag drinks” that are featured above.
- Milk & Honey (b/l): We chose to go here on Sunday, after so many recommendations from the LtoL readers, making it the first meal of the trip! There was about a 75-minute wait, which wasn’t bad because we just spent the waiting time exploring The Gultch and doing a little shopping! I will say that the food was great and it’s a happening place but I’m not sure if it was worth the wait or if I would go again. (The Gultch)
- Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Beer Garden (l/d): A super fun spot! (split and burger and a side – huge portions). Highly recommended!
- Rare Bird Rooftop: The Rooftop Restaurant/Bar from the Noelle Hotel that I raved about above! I seriously cannot recommend it and its views enough. Great for groups with lots of seating options, views all around, large lounge couches/chairs/ fire pits and more!
- Restoration Hardware Cafe: Every bloggers favorite Nashville spot (but literally though lol) it’s super bougie, with a great rooftop photo opportunity.
Dessert
- Jenni’s Ice Cream (12th South)
- Five Daughters Bakery (12th South)
Where To Listen To Live Music
Anywhere off-Broadway
Seriously though, just walk down Broadway and you will be overwhelmed by the amount of music you’ll hear. My suggestion is to just walk up and down and pop into any honkytonk that strikes your fancy 😉 Every spot is a good time!
Bluebird Cafe: Famous spot and is actually where Taylor Swift was discovered! Monday night open mic night was super cool but expect a line and to plan to get there early.
More Honkey Tonks:
- Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row: Our favorite! They had the most lively band play downstairs during the day and there are great views from the rooftop.
- Tootsie’s: A classic Honky Tonk off-Broadway that is considered “a must”.
- The Wild Horse Saloon
- Robert’s Western World
Shopping In Nashville
Shopping in The Gulch
- Uncommon James
- Kittenish
- Vici Dolls
Shopping in 12th South
- Drape James: Reese Witherspoon’s Store
- Outdoor Voices
- Emerson Grace
- Hero Boutique
More Things To Do In Nashville
I first heard about this Winery on Kaitlyn Bristow’s podcast and it has been on my list of places to visit ever since! If you are planning a bachelorette or girls trip of any sort – I highly recommend checking it out!
Not your average spot – this probably one of the chicest bowling alleys you will ever go to! If you’re looking for a fun activity – I highly recommend!
xo,
Lauren
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