Destination Guide for Nashville, TN
The city of Nashville has an overwhelming number of places to discover. We have been fortunate to travel there during both the summer and the winter seasons. In 2015, we attended music city for the CMA Fest. Recently, we stopped in Nashville for a few days on our way back home from the Smoky Mountains. Our destination guide includes history, music, shopping, food/drinks, and other small towns nearby.
Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
There are many historical places in the Nashville area. The Hermitage was the home of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States. The mansion, garden and grounds, as well as Andrew Jackson’s tomb are all a part of the hermitage. Guests can purchase tickets to one of several tours that the historic museum offers. Each tour comes with a discounted wine tasting at the Natchez Hills Winery located onsite at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. Guests can also enjoy sitting at a picnic table on the grounds, or walking the trail around the hermitage. Prior to our scheduled tour, we enjoyed wine and local beer tasting in the tasting room as well as a visit to the gift shop on site. Experiencing the hermitage, which has been preserved since 1889, was an educating experience we won’t forget.
Belmont Mansion
Located on the Belmont University campus is the Belmont Mansion. The home belonged to Joseph and Adelicia Acklen. You can tour the 1850’s era home and learn about it’s history and how the Belmont University began.
Caffe Nonna
If you want a hidden gem in Nashville, then you must eat at Caffe Nonna. This cozy restaurant is the oldest italian restaurant in Nashville. Not only has it been featured on DDD, but Caffe Nonna has also won the Best Italian in Nashville multiple times! Make sure you get reservations in advance. We enjoyed our New Years Eve dinner here. The wine, fresh baked bread, ceasar salad, and pasta entrees were all delightful!
Fable Lounge
On New Years Eve, the Fable Lounge has a masquerade soiree. We enjoyed drinks here after our italian dinner. Everyone was very friendly, and we were able to chat with other guests who were seated in our area. Another couple recommended several places we might like to visit the next time we’re in Nashville!
Biscuit Love
For New Years Day brunch, we headed over to the town of Franklin. Biscuit Love is the place to go! Have you ever heard of bonuts? Well they are a cross between a biscuit and donut and boy are they yummy! Speaking of yummy, their Chronic Bacon is a customer favorite for a reason. Mmmmm!
Franklin, TN
The downtown blocks of Franklin have a variety of neat shops along with the Franklin Theater. There’s also a monument right in the center of the downtown area that explains the Battle of Franklin in the Civil War. And a few blocks away is the Carter House, where guests can take a guided tour of the home and grounds.
Also in Franklin, Tennessee is the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge. The double-arch bridge that spans Birdsong Hollow, was built in 1994. As a national landmark, with it’s interesting architecture, the bridge is 155 feet above the valley below.
Leiper’s Fork
Just a 10 minute drive outside of Franklin is the quaint little town of Leiper’s Fork. The town has the original Puckett’s and the 1892 restaurant along with a few shops and Leiper’s Fork Distillery.
Five Daughters Bakery
On our way out of Nashville, we stopped in this adorable little bakery to pick up some treats. Their donuts are amazing! And Five Daughters Bakery has several locations in the Nashville area.
Grand Ole Opry
On our previous visit to Nashville, we did a daytime backstage tour of the Opry house. The guided tour highlighted the behind the scenes action of the Grand Ole Opry. On the tour we were able to step inside the wooden circle, where country music stars and legends make history.
Broadway
We were able to experience Lower Broadway on our visit to music city in 2015. There are many new places to discover now, but the world-famous honky-tonk Tootsie’s remains one of the most popular.
In closing, when we make it back to the Nashville area we want to visit the Belle Meade Plantation, Marathon Village, the Patterson House, Attaboy, return to Broadway, and revisit the downtown Franklin area.
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