Let Me Take You to Nashville

Hello Friends happy Sunday,

I spent most of last week in Nashville.  It was a quick trip but I did have time to take in some things I had never done before.  I always love that.  I got home late Friday night and now I am headed to Bryson City, NC.  and Cherokee NC for most of the upcoming week.  Another tourism meeting and a lot of sight seeing.  I have barely had time to get home, do laundry love on the fur babies, and my hubs too of course, get groceries and pack up again.  More on the North Carolina trip later but for now Nashville.

First of all let me say that Nashville is an amazing city.  Until you actually go downtown and visit the historic buildings, art centers, and see the building art murals,The Gulch, and the bars, you haven’t seen Nashville.  It seems like I see something different every time I am there.

Mark and I come to Nashville three times a year for a check on the kidney but we are usually in too big of a hurry just to get here and back to spend any time doing anything.  I think we may have to rethink that next time.

Every year The Governor’s Conference on Tourism is held in a different city in Tennessee.  I usually attend and if I am not able to another of my co-workers, Annie, attends for me.  This year we were both able to attend and that makes it even better because we split up the educational seminars and get twice as much done.  But we also wanted to take advantage of this wonderful city and do some fun things with the little bit of free time that we had.

Nashville is about about 180 miles from my small town.  You can usually drive it in a little over three hours.  Also it is in the central time zone and you gain an hour going there. Of course you lose it back when you go back home. We started out early Wednesday morning and it was a beautiful day but hotter than H&ll  The high temp on Wednesday was about 96 degrees.

We stayed at The Sheraton Grand Nashville.  This hotel is across the street from the Capitol Building and is a little pricey. We did get a special rate through the conference but for a few nights stay without a group rate it would be pricey.  I have stayed just outside of the city and used Uber and it is also convenient and a lot less costly, even with the Uber cost.  The Sheraton has a free shuttle service that is very convenient and will take you within a certain radius of the hotel.

One of the things I wanted to do was eat at the Loveless Cafe.  It is a little bit out of Nashville.  So you actually drive through Nashville and then continue on about another 25 minutes. It is located just off of exit 192 on Hwy 100.  The history behind the Loveless Cafe is very interesting.  In 1951 Lon and Annie Loveless opened Loveless Cafe serving homemade southern dishes.  They also built a 14-room motel next to the restaurant.  I guess you could say their biscuits are what put them on the map.  And I can testify that THEY ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!  More than a half million visitors a year eat at the cafe.  There have also been many famous people who have eaten at the cafe.  There are autographed pictures throughout the restaurant.  You can even buy the biscuit mix and jams and jellies to take home with you and make your own delicious biscuits.

The small motel now has quaint shops to visit.  The Loveless Cafe is open 7 days a week and if you plan to eat there at lunch or dinner time you might want to make a reservation which you can easily do online.  Check out more on the Loveless Cafe here.

I hope you are not too hungry when you look at these photos.  I had the pulled pork barbecue.  We shared a banana pudding for dessert.  We went at lunch time and made reservations in case it was super busy.  The portions are huge and had we known we probably would have split something since taking a to-go box wasn’t an option.

Another thing I have wanted to do for a long time is visit The Gulch in Nashville.  The Gulch is a LEED certified community in the heart of Nashville it is just off of Interstate 40, Interstate 26, and Interstate 65.  There are so many trendy restaurants and bars in The Gulch.  We stopped at Bar Louie for a drink and appetizers.  They were delicious.  One thing The Gulch is famous for is all the murals on the buildings.  I wanted to see the Angel Wings by Kelsey Montague.  After we left Louie’s it was starting to get dark and we were trying to find the wings.  We had almost given up and started back when we turned around and there they were!!!  Of course we had to get some pics.  The mural is actually called, What Lifts You and It is beautiful!!! The mural is 20 feet high.  The wings are located at 302 11th Ave S in The Gulch but for much more information about The Gulch please visit http://www.explorethegulch.com.

  You know I had to get my picture here.  Usually there is a line of people waiting but only about five other people were there before us. 

As I said we didn’t have a lot of time outside of the conference but we did have some time to do a few other things.  We went to The Johnny Cash Museum.  I have always been a huge Johnny Cash fan.  The Museum is located at 119 3rd Ave S.  visit the website at http://www.johnnycashmuseum.com.

 

Another thing you must do when you are in Nashville is go Honky Tonkin.  This involves putting your boots on and going to your favorite bars on the strip.  Nashville is alive with country music.  Many musicians have found stardom by playing in the small bars along the strip in Nashville.  Anyone you see could be the next big name in country.  We were able to take in several bars while we were there and we listened to some fabulous bands.  One of my favorites was Tequila Cowboy. This bar features live music, a dance floor and some fabulous food and drink.  We saw Josh Keas perform and he was amazing I am sure he will be the next big name in country music. http://www.tequilacowboy.com

The Nashville nightlife is crazy fun!!

 

Nashville is such a beautiful city and with only a little free time in a couple of days I think we got to see a lot of new things.  I do want to return and add to my list so I will keep you posted on that.   A few things that were on my list to see and experience were:
The Legendairy Milkshake Bar  Just try not to drool when you look at these pictures.
Draper James.   This shop, founded by Reese Witherspoon, is true southern charm.
Ryman Auditorium   There is so much history here.  I have been but would love to go back.
Frist Art Museum.  Another place I have been but the exhibits change frequently and there is always something new to see.

So now I am off to North Carolina.  I will share that with you very soon.  But in the meantime remember to:

Love your day your way