This past weekend a couple girl friends and I took a ladies trip to Nashville, TN. What a surprise this city turned out to be! After spending months in what feels like the arctic tundra in the north east, I welcomed with opened arms the vast sunshine and warm temps that Nashville had to offer.

The three of us stayed at the Hutton Hotel.  The accommodations were great and staff very friendly and helpful for recommendations. We had comfortable beds and a very clean bathroom. The hotel is a drive to downtown but there’s a hotel car to take you wherever you want to go. We never utilized this because there was a wait but a $7 cab ride to pretty much anywhere was convenient and sufficient.

Where to eat

It is worth noting that Hattie B’s Hot Chicken is just across the street from the Hutton Hotel.  A trip to Nashville without some southern fried food is a trip wasted!  Here’s a tip, this is really a chicken and waffles kind of joint but they don’t advertise their waffles on the menu. Be sure to ask for them! Also, don’t overlook dessert….the banana pudding was my favorite part!  This was the perfect brunch spot!

OK, so you can’t do fried all day every day? Try Fido!  Their Huevos Cubanos were to DIE for and their mimosas were quite substantial! This is a healthier alternative that is quite delicious!

We ate dinner at Rolf & Daughters for dinner one night.  We all really enjoyed our meal and appetizer selections. The food is farm to table fresh with a great value. The menu is small but sufficient. The ambience was eclectic and warm. We were dressed up but others were more casual and both seemed to be fitting for the restaurant. The service was great and even though we were last to leave the restaurant (due to a late reservation), we didn’t feel like we were being pushed. We were left alone to enjoy our wine while the employees went about their business. Highly recommend.

The second night we went to Flyte. We each ordered different appetizers and entrées and shared a dessert and everyone really loved what they ordered. I especially loved my rainbow trout with spaghetti squash. The ambience is great with good lighting and spaced tables and the noise level was quite low, probably due to the high ceilings. Worth every penny!

Things to do

EMBRACE the honky tonks on Broadway but get pre drinks where the locals hang out!  We liked  the unique cocktails at The Tavern.  This is where live music THRIVES! As you can imagine great singers are a dime a dozen in this town so you really can’t go wrong strolling down the street and popping into a bar where a fun song is playing and the crowd is invested!

Honky Tonks

We came on a mission to buy boots! They.are.everywhere! We found Cowboy Blue to be most helpful at Trail West on Broadway but most of the stores carried the same products.

We skipped the traditional touristy things like visiting the Grand Ole Opry and visiting the Country Music museums and instead we took a tour and did a tasting at a local whiskey/spirits distillery.  Our choice was Corsair. It’s a rather new distillery that is not at capacity with production so the tours are small and personal.  We found it interesting, informative and not too long. Their equipment even dates back pre-prohibition and is still being used today!   Be warned, the tasting is intense if your ‘buds aren’t used to tasting whiskey/spirits straight!

Other recommendations for us from those born and raised in Nashville: