NASHVILLE: where to stay, what to do, where to eat!

Hey babes!

If you follow along on my IG or YouTube channel, you know that I recently went to Nashville for the very first time and to say I fell in love with the city is an understatement. I absolutely ADORE Nashville. The music, the buildings, the weather, the people –  I’m obsessed with absolutely every aspect of the city.

And, since I know Nashville is growing and becoming quite the destination for vacations, bachelorette parties, music festivals, etc., I decided to make this blog post sharing all of my recommendations. So here you have it! If you have any recommendations of your own, let me know in the comments and I’ll add it to the post! xx

Where to stay:

Throughout our trip, we actually stayed in two different hotels that ended up being very different

The first hotel we stayed at was Bode Nashville  and MAN DID WE LOVE IT. It’s located right on the edge of the city – only two blocks away from the infamous Broadway street where there’s live music playing all night long. It’s the perfect location where you’re in the city enough to walk to different restaurants, bars and things of that sort, but not right in the middle of the city where you’d have to deal with a little more traffic.

What we loved the most about Bode is that it’s more of an AIRB&B style hotel in the sense that our room had two full sized bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room! BUT, unlike an AIRB&B, Bode also has a lobby with daily happy hour prices on drinks and snacks, along with cleaners who freshen up your room, bring fresh towels, and things of that sort. You definitely don’t get that amenity with an AIRB&B!

Plus, we personally love having a full kitchen and living room when traveling because it allows us to cook our own meals, have extra space, and really just feel more “at home” when traveling somewhere new. They have spaces with up to 4 beds so if you’re traveling with a group, this would be a great option!

Another aspect that we loved about bode was their courtyard. They had a fireplace that was always running with chairs around for lounging, plus an entire area with games like corn hole, ping pong and swings. 

Lastly, we loved that Bode was a hotel with FREE PARKING! If you travel a lot, you know that hotels today hardly ever offer free parking for their guests. It’s either valet for $40+ a night or self parking for $20+ a night. But not with Bode! You can come and go as you please with no waiting, no hassle and no extra cost.

All of these things really made Bode such an amazing place to stay. We will definitely going back and staying there again soon!

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The second place we stayed was Noelle Nashville which also has an amazing location – only a few blocks from Broadway, just more towards the center of the city.

Unlike Bode, Noelle was definitely more of a traditional hotel with a full lobby, valet parking, a rooftop bar, a restaurant, and more. We stayed in a standard one bedroom room and were blown away with how beautiful it was. The entire bedroom looked like something I have ‘pinned’ to my house inspiration board on Pinterest with white walls, wood floors, gold accents, fun, velvet textures, vibrant artwork, and more.

Also, this might sound strange but the bathroom was the most aesthetically pleasing bathroom I’ve ever seen! With marble tile that flowed seamlessly from the floor to the walls, it was a modern, chic girls dream.

One of Caden’s favorite aspects of the hotel was that every morning you’re able to receive a complimentary cup of coffee from their ‘Drugstore Coffee Shop’ that is delivered in a trendy, freshly brewed drip coffee holder.

One of my favorite aspects was the rooftop bar & lounge called the “Rare Bird.” It was just as trendy and hip as the rest of the hotel with jaw-dropped views of the city skyline. We could see the Nissan Stadium light up during a game while sitting by a fire, sipping on a cocktail and I remember thinking to myself, “it doesn’t get any dreamier than this.”

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Where to eat/drink:

Okay, so one thing we did a lot of on this trip was EAT. I’m a sucker for some southern comfort so while this trip wasn’t the best for my waistline, my tastebuds were thriving.

I went ahead and listed our favorite places we ate at along with some places that were highly recommended but we didn’t have the time (or the room in our stomachs) to make it to.

• Henley: Super cute atmosphere with great food & cocktails!

• Southern Gist Brewery: Yummy beer on the east side of the city!
• Pharmacy Burger: Known as the best burger in Nashville!
• Patterson House: A craft beer house with a speakeasy vibe!
• Biscuit Love: Known as the best biscuits in Nashville – the line is almost always out the door so try and get there early or get a reservation!
• Puckett’s: Great BBQ!
• Five Daughters Bakery: Such a cute little shop in 12 South with delicious donuts!

• Arrington Vineyard: Some of Nashvilles best wine!
• Pinewood Social: A fun spot for brunch!
• Merchants: A 3 story bistro with a different menu per story!
• L.A. Jackson: A rooftop bar area with really pretty views!

• Attaboy: A super fun speakeasy style bar with craft cocktails and drinks!
• Peg Leg Porter: Super yummy Nashville BBQ!
• The Fox: A fun bar with a cocktail making class!
• Hattie B: A MUST! The best hot chicken sandwiches ever! Even if you don’t like spicy food, at least get the mild (not spicy at all) and you will LOVE IT!

• Flamingo: Such a fun coffee and cocktail bar!
• Goo Goo: Known as the “best desserts” in Nashville!
• Frothy Monkey: One of the most well known coffee shops in the city (it’s also known to be Ed Sheeran’s favorite coffee shop!)

What to do:

• Walk the Pedestrian Bridge at night! We parked at the Nissan Stadium (free parking at night when there’s no events going on!) and walked across the bridge to Broadway street. It’s SUCH a pretty view of the city!

• Go to The Gulch: this is a super trendy, cute place in the city where you can walk around for a few hours to browse through the shops, restaurants, etc.
• Go to Broadway: Broadway is the infamous street in Nashville filled with restaurants, rooftop bars, dance floors, and tons and tons of live music. If you can, you should go there every night your in Nashville to see all of the different bands!
• See the city from the Nissan Stadium: This is the prettiest view of the city! All you have to do is drive across the bridge, park on the street or at the stadium parking lot (free if there’s no game/event) and admire the view. It’d be fun to do a picnic meal while sitting on the grass!

• Visit 12th South: This is a super cute street with shops lining both sides. There’s tons of coffee shops, bakeries, boutiques and photo opps!
• Ride a bird around the city: One of the things we loved most about Nashville was how clean and safe it was! You can definitely rent a bird and ride around the streets without being afraid of turning on the wrong corner and enjoy the city!
• Visit the Grand Old Opry/Hotel: This was definitely like nothing we’d ever seen before! The hotel is HUGE and such a sight to see.
• Visit the Parthenon: We actually didn’t get to see this but I definitely want to the next time we go!
• Randor Lake State Park: This would be really fun if you want to do a hike, go fishing or rent a boat on your trip!
• See the murals! Here are some of my favorites:
  • Nashville What Lifts You Mural – 11th Avenue South
  • The Nashville Walls Project Mural – 11th Ave South and Laurel Street
  • Take Flight Mural – Charlotte Ave at 28th street
  • Import Flowers Nashville Mural- 3636 Murphy Rd.

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That’s all for this blog post! I hope you loved it. Let me know if you have any recommendations in the comments and I’ll be sure to insert them into the post!

Also, if you also want to see some of these places come to life, watch my Nashville Vlog down below. If you like these travel-style videos, be sure to subscribe and follow along! xx