Nashville, Tennessee is home to so many things. It is probably most commonly known for being the home of country music, but there are so many other things to see and do there. The city has grown tremendously in the past 5 years so hopefully, this Nashville City Guide will help you navigate it.
Where to Stay in Nashville:
Nashville is broken up into different neighborhood areas such as Downtown, Gulch, Sobro, East Nashville, Germantown, etc. Where you should stay definitely depends on what you are wanting to get out of Nashville. Downtown Nashville is where the majority of your nightlife lives, while some of the other areas are a little more relaxed. A website called Nashville Gurus is such a big help in showing the locations of the different areas and what each area has to offer. It even shows which neighborhoods are home to which murals.
The Thompson Hotel in the Gulch
For the first part of our trip, we stayed in The Gulch at The Thompson Hotel. The Gulch is located just outside of the downtown area. You are still close enough to get all the downtown feel. The area does have a lot of tourism so we found that the wait time at a lot of the restaurants and murals was pretty long. We woke up early the last morning we were in the area and we were able to beat all the crowds. The Thompson was awesome! They have thought of all the details. It was so beautiful and had top-notch service. They offer valet parking and have a rooftop bar. Killebrew coffee and a restaurant are attached to the lobby. You are within walking distance of so many shops and restaurants so it makes everything extremely convenient.
VanDyke’s in East Nashville
After we left The Thompson, we headed to East Nashville. East Nashville has tons of cute craftsmen homes and is known for all its Air BnBs. We actually stayed at VanDyke Bed and Beverage. It is a non-traditional bed and breakfast so it doesn’t include breakfast and the concierge staff is limited. There is a bar located downstairs and they do serve food at different hours. Each room is themed after a different beverage and decorated without any details left out. And they have the cutest courtyard area that makes for a great photo op. I will say since the staff is limited we didn’t feel that we got the best service. We had an email explaining stuff and then we were kind of on our own. We did enjoy the freedom but I could also see where it may be a problem for others.
Where to Eat in Nashville:
5 Daughters Bakery
This is an absolute MUST! Y’all we cannot even look at a picture of these doughnuts without our mouths watering. They are essentially a cronut and take 3 days to make. It is made up of 100 layers of croissant dough, rolled in sugar, filled with cream or jelly, and frosted. They also have paleo and vegan options and they make a delicious egg and cheese croissant sandwich. It was by far our favorite place we ate at. They have a few locations around Nashville so you have no excuse! 😉
Milk & Honey
Get there early!! It is located in the Gulch area and is definitely one of the restaurants I recommend getting there early for. We got there around 10 and had about an hour wait. It was indeed worth it though. I got the chicken and waffles and it was amazing! Some of the best chicken and waffles I have ever had.
Biscuit Love
We tried to go here the morning after we got to Nashville, but could see the huge line from the window of The Thompson. The next morning we decided to wake up early and get there when they opened. We didn’t regret it at all, by the time we ate and were leaving, there was already a line. We tried the bonuts, the Lily, and the biscuits and gravy. All three were fantastic, but the bonuts were our favorite. They are a cross between a doughnut and a biscuit.
Gracie’s
Gracie’s is a milkshake bar that serves up some of the largest and most unique milkshakes I have ever seen. It also helps that they are delicious! It is located in L & L Marketplace which is where the blogger/ influencer Mary Lee Lawless of Happily Grey just opened up a storefront and announced her headquarters. This is also home to one of Amelia’s flower shops and a Five Daughters Bakery location. Pretty much, if you go here, you hit the motherload!
The Mockingbird
This place is the CUTEST diner I have ever seen. It has a very modern retro vibe and the food was amazing. The tatchos are phenomenal! They are like a classy chili cheese tater tot. By the end of the meal we wished we had only ordered a couple of plates of those because they were that good. They also serve adult Capri-suns! They have a seasonal punch they make and it is served with or without alcohol, your choice. It comes in a little bag with a fun colorful straw. The staff was also very sweet which added to the overall vibe of the place.
Killebrew
Killebrew is attached to the Thompson lobby and had the best coffee we had while we were there. I tried a caramel oat milk latte and fell in love. They also have a brown sugar pop tart that is definitely worth a try. Chris and I grabbed one not really expecting much and it blew us away. It was so delicious!
What To See and Do:
Nashville Murals
Part of the fun of Nashville and another thing that it is known for is the murals and taking photos with them. Nashville is so full of music, art, and food and they are not scared to showcase it. On a lot of the buildings, artists have painted murals that are related to Nashville. Some of the murals are so popular that there are instructions painted on the sidewalk indicating where the line starts. One of the most popular ones is the black and white wings that are located in the Gulch. I highly recommend getting there early if not the line will be insane.
Pinewood Social
This place was so much fun! It is a restaurant/ vintage bowling alley/hang-out place. I mean it is super cool!! They have an outdoor area with games and a pool. Then on the inside, they have the restaurant and the bowling alley. The vintage bowling alley has 6 lanes so you HAVE to make reservations for it. The only time available when we went was 11 p.m. and we ended up bowling beside Miley Cyrus. I was so star-struck I couldn’t even look at her or acknowledge her. I just kept thinking “Play it cool Kim, play it cool.” And then I played it entirely too cool and missed out on my opportunity to get a photo with her.
Pins Mechanical Company
This is another really cool, fun-looking place. We never made it over to it, which I’m kind of bummed about now because it looked like a blast! It is similar to Pinewood but with a lot more to do. They literally have a never-ending list of games to play.
Shopping in Nashville
There are a ton of places to shop while you are there. The mall is HUGE! We didn’t even see the whole thing and got lost trying to get out of Dillards. If you decide to stay in the Gulch, Uncommon James, Kittenish, and Urban Outfitters are all right there within walking distance. Vici is also pretty close by in North Gulch.
There is so much to see and do in Nashville that it can almost be overwhelming. Hopefully, this can help narrow it down for you. We were there for about 4 days which is definitely plenty of time even though there is still so much that we missed and would love to go back and see.
Looking for more city guides? Check out my Austin, Texas city guide here.
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