Nashville, lovingly referred to as “Nashvegas” or “Smashville,” is an astonishingly fun cit to visit! The energy, music, drinking, and good times are evident the moment you pull into town. 
There is a hotel shortage and a massive hotel building boom going on right now to try and meet the demand of this fast-growing city. The Hermitage has always been a classic favorite and the new Thompson is in a fun area and offers a superb rooftop bar. We opted to stay at the perfectly located and unique 21C Museum Hotel which is a boutique brand offering up an absolutely incredible collection of modern social and and political art.
The oooey-gooey welcome in our room was a delicious warm chocolate cookie that we dipped in iced milk! That went quickly!
First meal was lunch at the delicious Saint Anejo for Mexican food and margaritas
Honky Tonking is a real thing. Nashville has an overload of talented musicians who play for free hoping to get their start in the music business. They are good and there is no shortage of bars to pop in to and listen to act after act! The District is just one place to Honky Tonk but there are many other neighborhoods to uncover country, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll!
There is a whole lot of boot and hat shopping to be done in Nashville!
Another incredible meal – this one took the cake for sure! – ROLF AND DAUGHTERS
A wonderful way to explore Nashville neighborhoods is on a small group cycling tour – we went with Green Fleet and loved our guide!
After a hard morning of cycling and sightseeing, a boozy lunch was in order at Henrietta Red…..
Nashville is a great walking city meaning you can walk just about everywhere, but it mostly feels like you are walking someplace that is not really pedestrian friendly. It is hard to describe – it may be the gritty, industrial and edgy feel to some parts of the city that give you a sense of “Where in the heck are we?” But you are always somewhere cool and at any hour of the day or night, we felt perfectly safe.
We loved the quirky nature of the art, the billboards, and always a great find of art, history, culture along the way.
These were some particularly hilarious signs which made us realize we must be close the city jail!
A visit to the classic Hermitage Hotel…..
And the drinks on the roof top at the happening Thompson Hotel – what a view!
Dinner at the fantastic Indian Chauhan Ale and Masala House was another highlight to cap off a long day of carrying on! They don’t call it “Smashville” for nothing!
The 21C Museum Hotel is unique and comfortable but not at all conventional.
The room product is nice enough, but the restaurant is terrific with the best breakfast I have seen in a long time!
The art collection at 21C is world class and with three floors of it, take some time to soak it in!
We set up a private yoga class on our last morning at an attempt to detox a bit before the drive home. The hotel offers group classes a couple of times a week as well.
We could not leave town without one last meal which was a delicious brunch at the Butcher and Bee! The Nashville food scene is alive and growing! One to watch!
