What to do in Nashville for a Weekend

Last month Nick and I visited Nashville for Fourth of July weekend to see our friends Ashley and Andrew. Let me give you a little context before I get into my guide to a weekend in Nashville.

I met Ashley through blogging (check out her blog With Love and Happiness) when she and her husband, Andrew, lived in Chicago. Ashley and Andrew are both from Atlanta, but decided to move to Chicago a few years ago to experience a new city.

Quick Background Story on Ash + Whit

Ashley and I met almost two years ago after she DMed me on Insta to meet for coffee. I know that probably sounds crazy to some of you, but it happens a lot on Instagram! Honestly, this whole IG/blogger world can be nuts, but I am so grateful for the friendships I’ve made through it.

When Ash and I met for coffee, we connected instantly. We were shocked that we were the exact same age and in very similar stages of life – both married for a couple of years, no babies, not quite ready for babies, and trying to figure out this world of blogging. We sat at the coffee shop for 2+ hours, chatting like we had known each other for years – it was amazing!

Fast forward almost two years later and Ashley and I have become great friends. We even forced our husbands to hang out with each other (they quickly became friends too), planned a trip to Cartagena for the four of us (read my Cartagena travel guide here), visited my lake house multiple times and went on numerous double dates that ended in dance parties until 3 am at one of our apartments LOL.

Fast Forward to Today…

Ashley and Andrew decided to move to Nashville this past March. I’m obviously sad that they moved, but so happy for them because they purchased a STUNNING, brand new home in East Nashville. And now Nick and I have a reason to visit Nashville!

We decided to plan a long weekend trip to visit Ashley and Andrew over the Fourth of July. The great thing about being in Chicago is that Nashville is pretty driveable from here. And what’s even better is that we were able to ride in style and comfort thanks to Lexus. Lexus loaned us a brand new NX 300 Hybrid for our road trip. So we packed our bags and drove down after work on the Wednesday before Fourth of July. We had a full three days in Nash, which was plenty of time to explore the city.

What to do in Nashville

Since it was Fourth of July weekend, the city was buzzing and there was plenty to do every night! Although it seems that even on non-holiday weekends, there is always something fun to do in Nashville.

Let’s start with the obvious first – live music – I mean, duh – it’s Nashville. You can’t go wrong with the bars on Broadway Street. Every bar has live music pretty much every night. But we wanted to branch out a little and experience the other parts of Nashville.

The Listening Room – Ashley and Andrew took us here on Saturday night and it was my favorite part of the trip! If you can only do one thing while in Nashville, this would be my top suggestion. The Listening Room is a music venue with a full restaurant. There is a small stage and restaurant seating where you can order food and drinks. We went to dinner at Geist (see below) before so we just had drinks at the Listening Room. 

The Listening Room is a venue where songwriters get to perform songs they’ve written for artists. The idea is that one songwriter is invited and that person then invites two friends to perform with him on stage. The cool thing is that the three people typically know each other and have maybe written a song together – so there’s good conversations and flow on stage. 

On the night we went, we unfortunately didn’t know many of the songs, but there are nights where you would recognize every song. The one song we did know was “Love Me Like You Mean It” by Kelsea Ballerini. The songwriters typically give a little context around the song – who they wrote it for, why they wrote it, how it happened, etc. It was super cool hearing more about the artists and why they wanted to write that song.

The best part of the night, though, was after the show ended. We went out to the foyer space to sit at the bar and have a drink. A few minutes later, the main songwriter came out and started chatting with us. He asked how we liked the show and if we had any questions. I, of course, had to know more about the Kelsea Ballerini song. He was so friendly and told us all about the night he wrote the song and even played demos from the recording studio! It was the coolest thing ever. 

Where to Eat in Nashville

Geist for dinner- this place was amazing! Ashley picked it because she saw that Kristin Cavallari loves it – so obvi we had to go.

Geist is located in Germantown, which isn’t too far from downtown. It’s a little more on the high end, but so worth it. We shared a few appetizers and then each ordered an entree – the food was amazing! The atmosphere is also super fun and a little bit swanky. 

Marché Artisan Foods for brunch. Ashley and I went here Saturday morning and it was packed. The super cool thing about Nashville is that you can join a restaurant’s wait list from Yelp. You can see how long the wait is, add your name to the list and then find out what time you should arrive to the restaurant for your table. That way you don’t have to stand around waiting at a crowded restaurant!

If you go to Marché, definitely get some of their bakery items. The biscuit with butter and homemade jam was delish! They also had a seasonal frittata – that was our favorite item!

Pepperfire – Nashville style hot chicken. Ok this stuff was spiiiiiicy! I’m pretty much a wimp when it comes to spice so even the mild chicken sandwich was a little much for me. But if you do like spicy, then you will love this chicken! Nashville is known for their hot chicken and this place has some of the best.

Five Daughters Bakery – CRONUTS. That’s all I need to say. I never tried a cronut before Five Daughters Bakery and now I know what I’ve been missing out on. I love croissants and I do love donuts, but I’m more of a savory person in the morning. But combine the two of them and you have a tasty little treat that isn’t too sweet. They are perfectly doughy and flaky, a must try!

Where to Drink in Nashville

Urban Cowboy – We stopped here for drinks on our way home Saturday night. The coolest outdoor space with a total hipster vibe, and I loved it. Urban Cowboy is a bed and breakfast with a restaurant/bar. We sat outside and had a couple of drinks while listening to music. Definitely recommend for drinks either before or after dinner. We didn’t eat so I can’t speak for the food here.

L.A. Jackson at the Thompson Hotel – Amazing views of downtown Nashville. This is the rooftop bar at the Thompson Hotel. There is a mix of indoor and outdoor space. It gets a little clubby at night, but it’s fun to stop by for a drink and take in the views.

Where to Shop in Nashville

12 South – This is the cutest little neighborhood. It’s basically a strip of boutiques, restaurants and bars. There is plenty of outdoor seating and lots of fun stores to pop into as you make your way up and down the street. There’s a mix of local boutiques and larger retailers.

You can shop the outfits in this blog post below: