Weekend Getaway to Nashville

Steven and I had so much fun spending 3 days in Music City. Have you ever been to Nashville?

This is a sponsored post with Naot Footwear. However, my opinion and fashion style are purely my own.

You don’t have to be a big country music fan to enjoy Nashville.  Even though Nashville is known for all things country music and the Grand Ole Opry there’s so much to see that’s not country music-related. I haven’t been to Nashville since I had layovers there when I was a flight attendant back in the ’80s and it’s growing with so much new construction! Construction cranes are on every block of downtown.

Nashville is only a 5-hour drive from Atlanta and we love to take quick trips to cities around Atlanta.

Where We Stayed

So many wonderful hotels are in downtown Nashville. We only stay at Marriott properties when we travel as our preferred hotel company and the latest one to open that was completely booked was the JW Marriott. We stayed at the Union Station Hotel which is a national historical hotel and part of the Autograph Collection.

Originally built in the year 1900, Union Station served the city of Nashville as a major local train station and epicenter for travel. The imposing Gothic design—complete with turrets and towers—made Union Station an architectural marvel in its day, delighting travelers with its beautiful detailing, including ornate wood carvings, sparkling stained glass, beautiful Italian marble, and soaring ceilings.

When you walk through the door your jaw drops as you step back in time. I wonder if Union Station was this clean when it opened, but it’s hard to imagine a public building remaining as immaculate as it is now.

I love the stained glass barreled ceiling which is the original stained glass and the gold leaf medallions.

Art is everywhere in this hotel and the sculptures in the hotel lobby were wonderful. The Autograph Collection Hotels are always filled with interesting art or sculptures representing the cities they are in.

To continue our legacy and celebrate the creativity of Music City, we commissioned a variety of local artists to create original works to be featured in our Nashville hotel. Each piece captures the spirit of the vibrant music scene, unique lifestyle, and electric pulse of the city. – Union Station Hotel

This head was behind the check-in desk in the lobby was my favorite. I wonder who the artist was thinking about when creating this head?

I love the cowhide headboards in the suites! Modern and fun style awaits you in the rooms.

Is the Union Station a Haunted Hotel?

Rumor has it that the hotel is haunted by a woman named Abigail who stayed in room 711.

The story of Abigail had her saying goodbye to her soldier there on the train platform, before he ships off to France in World War II. When she arrives at that same spot to greet him on his return, she’s instead met with word that he was killed in action. Distraught, she throws herself in front of a passing locomotive far below. The spirit of her departed love returns, looking for her in the last place he saw her. Two ghosts still separated after all these years.

Funny how their top signature drinks are The Abigail and The Soldier……

What to Do in Nashville

Downtown Nashville is very walkable with all the main attractions located in downtown Nashville. The night scene is a mob of people going from one bar to another to listen to music.

Bus or Hop-on Hop-off Trolley Tour

Taking a bus or trolley tour is the best way to learn about a city and hear about the history and trivial facts just like we did in Vancouver and when I went to Savannah. I highly recommend you take a bus tour or the hop on hop off trolley tour first thing in the morning to see all the tour then stay on it and hop off at places you want to explore.

The bus is open-air (during summer at least) so not air-conditioned and it got hot on our 90+ degree day. The lower deck was airconditioned but many of the photos you see in this blog post are taken from our bus. We took a one-hour bus tour the first day in Nashville and learned so much!

What we learned from our bus/tour guide about Nashville:

• Minnie Pearl (Comedian whose real name was Sarah Ophelia Cannon) was a very wealthy and philanthropic woman. Even though her folksy fashion style with a price tag hanging from her straw hat was part of her southern charm she was a very smart businesswoman. After battling breast cancer through aggressive treatments, including a double mastectomy and radiation therapy, she became a spokeswoman for the medical center in Nashville where she had been treated. She took on this role as herself, Sarah Ophelia Cannon, not Minnie Pearl, although a nonprofit group, the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation, was founded in her memory to help fund cancer research. The center where she was treated was later named the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center and has been expanded to several other hospitals in Middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky and Richmond, Virginia. Her name has also been lent to the affiliated Sarah Cannon Research Institute.
• Theodore Roosevelt coined the phrase, “Good to the last drop” after drinking a cup of locally produced coffee in Nashville at the Maxwell House Hotel.
• Nashville is the second city (after Vegas) for a bachelorette party. Who would have thought that?
• The AT&T Tower downtown is nicknamed the ‘Batman Building’ due to its resembles of bat ears.
• In 1928, Morris Frank investigated the possibility of using seeing-eye dogs. The visually impaired Vanderbilt University student brought the first service dog back to the U.S. and founded The Seeing Eye, Inc. in Nashville.
• Elvis Presley recorded more than 200 songs in the historic RCA Studio B. While recording a Christmas album in July one year, “The King” had a difficult time getting into the holiday spirit. To lift his mood, the sound crew put up a string of blue, green and red-colored lights that are still hanging in the recording booth.
• Oprah Winfrey got her start in television as the first African-American female news anchor at Nashville’s WLAC-TV while she was still a student at Tennessee State University.
• Originally called WSM Barn Dance in honor of a similar radio program that aired in Chicago, Nashville’s famous weekly country music show was renamed Grand Ole Opry by George Hay on December 10, 1927. It is the world’s longest-running live music radio show.
• Healthcare is the largest industry in Nashville, not tourism, which I was surprised to learn.
• Johnny Cash met future wife June Carter for the first time backstage at the Ryman.

Above is the AT&T building dubbed “Batman building”.

Ryman Auditorium

The auditorium opened as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892. Though the building was designed to be a house of worship – a purpose it continued to serve throughout most of its early existence – it was often leased to promoters for nonreligious events in an effort to pay off its debts and remain open. In 1904, Lula C. Naff, a widow, and mother who was working as a stenographer began to book and promote speaking engagements, concerts, boxing matches, and other attractions at the Ryman in her free time.

The first event to sell out the Ryman was a lecture by Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy in 1913. The Grand Ole Opry was first broadcast from the Ryman on June 5, 1943, and originated there every week for nearly 31 years thereafter. Every show sold out, and hundreds of fans were often turned away.

Grand Ole Opry House

What began as a simple radio broadcast in 1925 is today a live-entertainment phenomenon. Dedicated to honoring country music’s rich history and dynamic present, the Grand Ole Opry showcases a mix of country legends and the contemporary chart-toppers who have followed in their footsteps. The Opry – an American icon and Nashville, Tennessee’s number-one attraction – is world-famous for creating one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences for audiences of all ages.

Musicians Hall of Fame

Visit one of the city’s most popular attractions with all-day admission to this premier museum, featuring instruments used to record music legends such as Elvis, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Frank Sinatra, The Supremes, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Chicago and more! Make sure to also stop by and see the original stage where a young Jimi Hendrix played.

Parthenon

Standing as a focal point in Centennial Park is a  full-size replica of the Parthenon of Athens, Greece.  The Parthenon is also home to an impressive collection of artwork inside the art museum.

It’s a popular place for weddings, proposals, and filming for movies and television. Since it is located near the Vanderbilt campus, a tour is perfect to pair with visiting some of the school grounds and architecture.

Belmont Mansion

Belmont Mansion is a must-see for anyone interested in Tennessee history, the Civil War, architecture, art, and decorative arts.​ (We saw the Belmont Mansion on our trolley ride and didn’t stop to take a tour.)

Adelicia and Joseph Acklen, who were once among Nashville’s wealthiest citizens, built the Italian Villa house in 1853. Belmont was part of a large country estate created as a summer getaway from the family’s Louisiana plantations. Despite the Acklen’s wealth and status, they were not immune to the troubles of war. In December of 1864, the 4th Corps of the Union Army occupied the house and grounds before the Battle of Nashville.

This mansion is a very popular wedding and events venue in Nashville.

Next to the hotel is the Frist Art Museum which is a perfect place to escape the hot weather. This art deco style museum was once Nashville’s former main post office building. The city’s treasured art deco building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Great Frida Kahlo Exhibition and Mexican Modernism.

Our Nashville Night Scene

Our first night was spent in The Listening Room Cafe listening to a wonderful all-female group of songwriters, the Song Suffragettes. We actually had lunch in the cafe and went back at night for the show. The tickets for the show are $5.00 but they have a food & drink minimum of $15 per person per show.  We went to the early show and ordered an appetizer with cocktails.

After the show as we walked back to the hotel, we stopped at Bakersfield’s for a late dinner of tacos and margaritas.

The night scene in downtown Nashville is where it’s really happening. Every bar has a band and you can walk in or stand outside the bar to listen to music. Unbelievable to see so much musical talent going on every day in one city! I didn’t take pictures but I should have!

The second night we ate at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse which is an excellent steakhouse with white jacket service. I dressed up which is what we like to do at nicer restaurants but so many men were wearing baseball caps and jeans in the restaurant. I made a comment to our waiter and he said so many people who are tourists dine with them and still look like they are at a honky-tonk bar. I wonder what happened to dressing up for dinner even when you are traveling. America has gotten too casual and a high-end restaurant should be a little more of an effort on the wardrobe department. Enough of my rant ………

What to wear in Nashville when it’s 90+ degrees

Sundresses and more sundresses because you ruin them with sweating! I packed for our 3-day trip, one sundress, shorts, tops, and boho chic to go with my Naot sandals. These are the second pair of Naot sandals I own because I was introduced to Naot at a shoe store 3 years ago when I was looking for a comfortable walking shoe for my trip on the Rhine River cruise.

The Kayla is a three-strap sandal with a hook & loop strap at the instep and a backstrap for added stability and support. Naot’s anatomic cork & latex footbed is wrapped in suede and molds to the shape of the foot with wear. So unbelievably comfortable walking 6 hours a day in them.

Most of the tourist we encountered wore jean shorts, tee shirts, and cowboy hats in Nashville. I prefer sundresses in hot weather.

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The dress from Peach has been getting a lot of use on my trips this summer. It’s a perfect dress for Nashville and doesn’t wrinkle! I wore it in Newport Beach with a white denim jacket.

Last year I was gifted half tees that are perfect coverups for my deep v neck dresses and shirts. I love wearing this crossbody halftee under my top.

My boho chic style is on repeat as this turquoise tunic and gauze skirt are perfect for traveling. I wore this out for dinner at Jeff Ruby’s. Elegant and so flowy!

Thank you Naot Footwear for this wonderful opportunity to work together!

Thank you all for stopping by today!

I hope you put Nashville on your Bucket List!

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