It might seem odd that three friends who do not like country music would choose Nashville for a Girls Trip, but we had a blast. All visitors will discover that Nashville is much more than country music and hot chicken (we didn’t try that either). The city has major historical significance, beautiful museums and architecture, abundant food choices, and diverse entertainment. Most folks that we met were trying to get discovered but paying the bills by working in restaurants or driving for Uber. When asked why they chose Nashville over LA, most said it was much cheaper to live in Nashville.
The History Nashville was an important city during the civil rights movement. Nashville Public Library’s civil rights room is worth visiting with films, photographs, books, and a timeline of the movement.
In high school, most of us learned about the sit-in movement. The plaque below summarizes that event during February of 1960 when 124 black students sat down at lunch counters around the city and asked to be served. Their non-violent protest was disturbed by white resisters who physically attacked them. Ironically, the black students were arrested. To take a principled stand, they refused to pay bail and spent time in jail.
If you have time to take a 25 minute ride outside of Nashville, do visit Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. You’ll absorb so much by walking the mansion and grounds, hearing about the love of his life, visiting his tomb, and learning how his slaves were the source of his wealth.
The Museums Of the many museums, the two we chose to see were Frist Art Museum and The Ryman Auditorium. Frist is located in a former post office from the art deco era. That alone is worth the trip. Without its own permanent collection, each visit to the museum can vary. We saw Paris 1900: City of Entertainment which had art and posters of that time including my favorite poster, Le Chat Noir.
Ryman Auditorium is a live performance venue that was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. Nowadays, it hosts entertainers and musicians from all genres. Unable to take a backstage tour as a band was setting up, we did the self-guided tour and saw a short film that explained the history of the building. One of the highlights was learning that the most important convention ever held there was the 1914 National Woman’s Suffrage Association Convention. In 1916, an intriguing woman named Lula Naff took a second mortgage on her house to bring a world famous opera singer to the Ryman. For over fifty years, Ryman thrived under her management as she booked all types of talent. She came to be known as America’s First Lady of theater management.
Architecture Nashville is a city that surprises with beautiful old churches, lovely parks, cool new buildings, and a bridge that everyone takes their picture on. I loved looking up to see the AT&T building dubbed “The Batman Building.” It’s resemblance to Batman’s mask has made it a huge hit.
“Youth” is the name of the statue standing in the courtyard of the War Memorial Auditorium. Belle Kinney Scholz was the sculptor of this monument dedicated to those who died in the Great War. If you look close you can see Nike in the hero’s open left palm, symbolizing victory in the war.
Restaurants We tried several famous places: Acme Feed & Seed, Merchants, and Husk and others with fun names like Smiling Elephant and Frothy Monkey. Acme is an eclectic building with several floors offering different menus. We stayed on the first floor and shared appetizers. Merchants ended up being one of our favorite places. We ate at the more casual bistro and loved it because they did not play country music, the service was outstanding and the menu offered a great mix of southern comfort food. Husk did not live up to its reputation for two out of three of us. The building, a former mayor’s home, is charming. The disconnect began with the fussy and limited menu and ended with a disappointing meal.
Smiling Elephant was an unexpected hit, and we all agreed it was the best authentic healthy Thai food we’ve ever had. Frothy Monkey looks like a coffee shop from the outside, but inside we had a terrific brunch.
Entertainment In downtown Nashville on Broadway you’ll find Honky Tonk Central. I can’t say which establishment is better than the other since it all sounded and looked the same to me. But, we did make it to the roof of one of them and enjoyed a drink and the view with a crowd of folks. A walk or short drive from Broadway is where we enjoyed The Listening Room, Pinewood Social, and Santa’s Pub.
The Listening Room was a unique experience where singer-songwriters talk to the audience about new talent and then, you get to hear that new talent sing all while enjoying good food and drinks. Reservations must be made in advance. We lucked out arriving late and getting a no-show table.
Pinewood Social is another cool spot. We started with drinks and appetizers in the beautiful bar area while waiting for an opening in the bowling section. You pay by the minute to bowl, so heed this warning: Keep track of your actual bowling time so that it is not added to your waiting time. The staff did correct their mistake.
Santa’s Pub is a karaoke dive bar. Think double wide trailer, indoor smoking, cheap beer, cash only, and a guy who looks like Santa. Then add to that ambiance that you cannot sing worse than anyone else there and you’ll have a great time. Both my friends sang and it was wonderful. Despite the friendly atmosphere and talent level, I’m still a karaoke virgin (I blame it on the smoke damage to my voice).
Last minute tip: hotels in Nashville are extremely expensive. We opted for an Airbnb with a central location and rooftop pool which made it easy to walk or ride share cheaply to almost anywhere we wanted to go.
