Hello Nashville!

Hello Nashville! Hello cowboy hats and cowboy boots. Hello live music, and HELLO tequila!  Not so much a family friendly weekend, but a GREAT girls weekend.  Seems like some other girls got the memo too because Nashville in fact was loaded with women (all dressed adorably so bring your A game)! Who knew it is the Vegas of the South for bachelorette parties. (Single guys may want to heed this advice).  Now were not in our 20's anymore, so we were more sophisticated.  There was some shopping and sightseeing (we walked a couple of blocks), plenty of eating and an extraordinary amount of drinking.

DO

You will do this! This is the first thing we saw in Nashville.  You need to bring your own beer and make a reservation online @ Pedal Tavern.  Groups of people can be seen drinking in the sights (literally) while pedaling down the street.  I'm not sure why this seems so enticing, but trust me you will want to hop on when you see it.

STAY

Just to be clear we did not have the privilege of staying here, but you should. The Hermitage Hotel on Sixth Avenue is a 100 year old institution.  It is such a beautifully done small hotel with amazing historic charm.  A few people recommended the Capitol Grille (not the chain) and Oak Bar so we picked Saturday brunch to visit.

 The Capitol Grille is not only gorgeously decorated, but has an amazing farm to table menu.  All ingredients are locally sourced and organic. They offer Saturday and Sunday brunches.  Grab a Champagne Cocktail or a perfectly done Bloody Mary (tested and amazing) and have a PROPER ladies lunch (don't lay down on the soft leather couches!).  Several times the girls and I were saying this is the best we have ever had.

Now you will need to work off lunch!  Take a walk back down to Broadway and take in some of the awesome boutiques, or maybe a carriage ride

Goorin Hatmakers

Or do none of those things and hit the bars!!!

 Which one will you choose? Start at Tootsies.....go early to avoid the night time lines.  No bars have a cover so you can pop into as many as you like and not feel obligated if one does not have the right feel.  Now trust me upon entering Tootsies you WILL want to leave immediately.  Unless you like SUPER cramped, SUPER loud bars where people are well OVER served to say the least.  Go to the back and up the stairs and you will have some reprieve. You are there to sit in history, have a beer and listen to some live country music.

Tootsies is literally covered in music history.  The walls talk with everyone who has played. Which is all safely displayed behind plexiglass!  Bring your dollars because you must throw a few to the bands.  There was even kids preforming which blew all of us away.

Now my girls and I are by no means Country music fans.  So the occasional Johnny Cash was a blessing as was this place...

EAT

If you do one thing in Nashville, go here! Merchants on Broadway. We actually went there twice. The food and drinks are that spectacular.  First, the staff is absolutely adorable. Think suspenders, bow ties and caps. Very throwback, especially some of the drinks from Sazeracs to Sidecars, Manhattans to Tom Collins this place has it all.

The next best thing to the cute staff is the heavenly little tin of popcorn you get when you sit down. Happiness in a pot!  

You could technically drink and keep eating these, but then you would miss out on these....

Do you hear the singing choir???? Fried Green Tomatoes baby with a spicy red pepper jam and freaking HOUSE MADE PIMENTO CHEESE! I could live in pimento cheese to begin with, but these amazing tomatoes are great vessels for the cheese too.  There were many other southern inspired entrees too that we ate, but let's be honest after a couple of champagne cocktails (I know thirsty right?) it all tasted amazing!

Sometimes Sunday sadly does come and you need to finish your weekend and go home to your fam., but first stop on by Puckett's Grocer and Restaurant.

Puckett's is located on 5th & Church Street and is your home to southern biscuits any way you like 'em. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have options for all tastes. (Yes, they serve drinks too).

So grab your boots (seriously EVERYONE wears them) and maybe a hat and get your girls together. You are going to have an amazing weekend!

Oh and I did find one picture of me and my girls!

Love and Tulips,

Nicole from Alpharetta

P.S.- I may have an apology or two..... sorry to the man who chased me out of his store because I innocently didn't see all the signs that read "No Pictures", as I was taking many!  Also, sorry to that man who really looked like Ab Lincoln that I made my friend take a picture with, he seemed perturbed. Oh and sorry to the waitress in Merchants who had to deal with some really loud 30 somethings, and that really cute baby who my friend was over oogling WAY too much! 

Love ya Nashville.