Nashville, I think I love you. No, but, REALLY! Who would’ve thought this city girl would fall so hard for this country music loving city? This city totally exceeded my expectations with the food, scenery, and the nightlife. This trip was on business however, I can definitely see myself and some girlfriends coming for a quick weekend getaway!
The Hotel: Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
This resort is so grand and beautiful that pictures can’t justify the magnitude. As soon as you walk in you’re taken into this horticulture oasis that instantly reminds you of a rainforest. You almost forget this is a hotel…seriously. This place is massive. With almost 3,000 rooms, 15 restaurants, and a RIVER inside the hotel, you will most certainly get turned around a couple times. As a matter of fact, the very moment you toss your resort map to the side thinking you have a handle on navigation, you WILL get lost. Trust me on this. The good thing is that you will be in good company, many others are lost as well. As far as the hotel room itself… It was ok. Beds were comfortable, the room was clean, maintenance was always attentive, the Mr. and I were satisfied. Tourist Trap Grub: Haddie B’s Hot Chicken
FIRST. OF. ALL. This is the best chicken I’ve ever had in my entire life! We went into Hattie B’s a little leery because it’s the place where most tourists come when visiting Nashville. That usually means over-priced, long lines, and subpar food. Well let me tell you, we didn’t experience any of this. Our wait to order our food was an easy 15-minute wait, which is not too bad in my book. Prices were fair in my opinion.We ordered their ‘Sunday Special’ which was chicken and waffles with a side of pimento mac and cheese. We also had banana pudding for dessert. The chicken is what fried chicken dreams are made of. We opted for the ‘hot’ level of spice. It was perfectly seasoned with spices that gave it flavor and a bit of burn, but not too much. It was fried to a perfect golden crisp on the outside and so juicy and flavorful on the inside, which says a lot for chicken breast. The waffles and other items were really good however, I was visiting for the chicken…everything else was a bonus. This is one tourist trap you don’t want to miss if you’re in Nashville.
The Locals Grub: Slim & Huskys
A Nashville local recommended this spot so, I knew we definitely had to see what the hype was all about. After giving it the obligatory Instagram and Yelp search we knew the place was legit, and we had already chosen which pizza we wanted to get; the ‘Smokin Herb’ with salmon. Walked into the place and instantly was met with cool vibes, smiling faces, and 90’s hip-hop and r&b music playing at respectable levels. We ordered our pizza and sat at the cafeteria-style community table and our pizza was out pretty quickly. We wasted no time and dug right into our piping hot pie. Not sure of what custom cheese blend they use but it’s ridiculously good! The pizza was balanced with red onion, spinach, smoked salmon and spices. Absolutely delish!
Nightlife was pretty neat, it’s literally about 101 bars in downtown Nashville. We had to stop by the historic Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and experienced our first live country band. It actually wasn’t bad at all, country music has kind of merged with pop music so the style is a little different from the traditional genre I remember hearing as a child. Next, we hopped over to a karaoke bar and thoroughly embarrassed ourselves on stage. After that, we walked the strip and did some serious people watching…pure entertainment. No pictures because we don’t need any evidence lingering around. 🙂
Overall, Nashville was pretty neat! We also visited the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum and last, but not least RCA Studio B where I met the sweetest angel of a tour guide. I may forget her name, however, I will never forget how she made me feel.
Until next time Nashville!
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