A few weeks ago, I was able to drive to Nashville with my youngest sister, Maia. First real road trip with my new car (Mocha), and the long weekend (Friday morning-Sunday night) was a success! When I wasn’t jumping and dancing around at two fun-filled, energetic concerts (Soon!), we visited a few places in the Nashville area. My sister found a place to stay that was about 20 minutes away from downtown – perfect location. (Thanks to AirBnB!)
Day one of our trip was focused on traveling – we drove, taking the “scenic route” (MD, WV, KY, TN). We got to the city about 5:30pm (CST), and we had about an hour and a half to chill before getting back in the car and driving to the Ryman for the concert.
During my second day in town, I met with a friend at Barista Parlor. It was the cutest coffee place. A garage turned into an open space with strong coffee, and everyone looked hispter and trendy. I felt like a bum, but I tried!
I got the Stumptown coffee and a yummy, fluffy donut. Thanks, Ara!
Then, my sister and I traveled to the Vanderbilt section of the city and eat brunch at The Pancake Pantry. We knew that there would be a line, and there was one… But after twenty minutes, we were inside! The restaurant has a fascinating concept of getting people in and out. It was cool. Brunch was so yummy and filling! I had a big plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. The server gave me extra bacon, because she thought the pieces I had were hanging off of my plate and were “dirty”. I’ll take it!

Centennial Park was a delight. I really enjoyed the vibe there. Sunshine galore, a brisk breeze, and so many people happy to be there. Tourists, kids playing football, a big concert festival. It was great.

On Saturday night, we stopped by this pizza place near the house we were staying at. In addition to the yummy slices, they were playing Motown! (Music is favorite, y’all already know.)

Given our tight schedule, and just wanting to just chill between outings (including a mini-marathon of Law & Order: SVU), we didn’t have time to travel the main street near the Ryman. But it looked so nice and lively, especially at night. I assume there is rush hour traffic, but it wasn’t as crowded as DC. (That helps this driver, who is not a fan of congestion and stressful driving!)
Maybe I’m biased because of when we planned the trip, but fall is glorious down here. It made everything much better with the foliage and cooler temps. Plus, the culture is terrific, and everyone seemed to be nice. I will definitely want to visit Nashville again soon. 🙂
xo
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