For a girl who loves country music as much as I do, it should be no surprise that I love Nashville, Tennessee, Music City U.S.A.
I grew up watching Ralph Emery host Nashville Now, The Crook and Chase Show and rarely missed a country countdown on TNN (The Nashville Network) from age five on. There is nothing in this world like good country music and no place quite like Nashville.
For my birthday a couple weekends ago and our anniversary as well, Grunt Labor and I took a weekend trip to Nashville. As always, it didn’t disappoint. Here’s what we did while we were there and what I would highly recommend you doing if you are ever in the area…which you should make it a point to be in the area at some point in your life. That’s just my completely biased opinion though of course. 😉
A Weekend in Nashville
Disclosure: Visit Music City provided us with passes to some of the local attractions we visited, however all opinions are my own.
Our first stop wasn’t actually in Nashville, but in Lynchburg, Tennessee – the home of Jack Daniels.
Jack Daniels Distillery
Lynchburg was about a 45 minute detour on our way to Nashville, so we decided to head there first and visit the Jack Daniels distillery. We had planned on taking a tour, but we weren’t good planners and the next available tour was too late in the day for us. Nevertheless, we walked about the visitor center there, which was cool.
I had heard that if you go to Lynchburg, the place to eat there is Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House. I did make reservations for that and I am so glad I did.
Miss Mary Bobo’s
Y’all. It was so good.
You’re seated with other guests at a round table and the food is served on a lazy susan. The food is cooked with lard and real butter and Jack Daniels and it is just so damn good. While we were there, they served catfish, slaw, greens, ribs, okra, cornbread, rice casserole, and apples. Oh and there was pecan pie for dessert. I may or may not have had to unbutton my britches for the rest of the ride to Nashville.
We had tickets for the Eric Church concert both the Friday and Saturday nights that we were in town, so after checking into our hotel, The Gaylord Opryland, we headed downtown. We didn’t have much time for dinner, so we grabbed a quick bite at Paradise Park and also took in the music from their live band, then headed onto the concert.
Eric Church Concert
Yes, I had a shirt made that said Good Girls go to Church specifically for this concert. Big thanks to my friend, Ashley for whipping that one and another out for me for the following night’s concert!
The concert was absolutely amazing, ya’ll.
I don’t know if any of you listen to Eric Church, but if you like good country music, then I highly suggest him. He doesn’t have that new country sound like some new artists do that I’ll refrain from mentioning. He kind of has a southern rock sound, but with a dose of old school country. He killed it both Friday and Saturday night.
On Saturday, we hit up a couple of our usual stops and a new one..
The Johnny Cash Museum
This was our first visit to the Johnny Cash Museum and it did not disappoint. They have so many personal pieces of Johnny and June’s that it’s just amazing to behold. It’s incredibly informative and very personal.
This wall of his records was one of my favorite things in the museum. It’s astounding just how many records he made.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
I always love going to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. They have special exhibits throughout the year and while were were there, one of those was dedicated to the group Alabama.
Which as everyone knows, is the greatest country music band of all time. It was a great exhibit and I’m so glad we got to see it. Even with all the permanent exhibits they have, I still find something that I didn’t see the last time we were there.
And finally, it isn’t a trip to Nashville without stopping at the Ryman.
The Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman, the mother church of country music, is where the Grand Ole Opry first aired on the radio and put country music on the map. I love just walking around this place and soaking it all in. I’m quite sure that Minnie still walks the stage on occasion. 🙂
That was all we had time for this trip, but there’s a little girl who was super pumped to see all the pictures of Dolly from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, so I think we might have another trip to Nashville in our future. If you want more ideas for what to do in Nashville and where to eat, read this post too from one of our other trips there. You can also check out the Visit Music City website for more Nashville goodness.
Looking for more great weekend trips? Here’s a few more of our favorites…
The Must Do’s of New Orleans – Best. City. Ever.
Things to Do in Chattanooga, Tennessee – Pardon me, but is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
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