My trip to Tennessee was amazing/disastrous at the same time. I got to do and see so many things that I am still in awe of; however, the night I landed I got sick and still remain sick today. Worst cold ever! Let's focus on the wonderful aspects though.
My great friend Stephanie recently moved to Nashville and welcomed me with open arms to experience her new city. And because Steph is the best, I got to take it all in first class style. Here's a breakdown of how the first two days of the trip went:
Thursday
Breakfast at
Arnold's - an unassuming Nashville staple featuring meat and 3. Great, country food.
After breakfast I headed to Franklin, a suburb, with one of Steph's best friends, Cassie. Franklin is the quintessential small town with a historic town square that we spent lots of time exploring antique shops. I even picked up a cute antique key charm that I plan on finding a necklace chain for.
Fun fact: Justin Bieber recently filmed a Christmas music video in Franklin.
Thursday night we headed to the Americana Music Awards at the famous
Ryman Auditorium. It was my first awards show and way cool to be in the presence of so many talented people - some of which included Robert Plant,
The Avett Brothers, and the Civil Wars. And at such a respected venue that's housed countless talented acts. To end the night we grabbed some food and drinks at a fun bar with friends.
Friday
I did more in this day than I have ever done in my entire life! Before anything I got myself some biscuits and gravy and savored every minute of the meal. First real stop of the day,
The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home and burial place. I have an American Studies degree so I eat this kind of stuff up. Next was
Belle Meade Plantation, an incredible estate that was home to the most successful horse breeding/racing family in American history. Every major race horse that you have ever heard of descends from the horses that were once at Belle Meade. There's even a winery on the estate so I indulged in some really tasty vino.
After the tourist events we cleaned up and prepared for the most exciting part of my trip - a night at the Grand Ole Opry. Because Stephanie is ahmaaaazing and has a kick ass job, she got us backstage passes so we got to take in the concerts on stage. Yup, we were those cool people. The reason we were there was to see
Josh Turner and he did not disappoint. He has a fantastic voice, is HOT, and super nice. After he performed we went to his dressing room and I got a picture with Josh.
No night in Nashville is complete without hitting up the
honky tonks on Lower Broadway. Door to door bars, live music, dancing, and a great time. Because I was so sick, we only hung out for a few hours and in that time I partook in my first whiskey shots (I'm more of a clear alcohol kinda gal) and managed to lose my driver's license. Nice way to end the night right? :(
Sorry for such a long recap, I actually tried keeping it short. And please excuse the pictures - I know i look like death.
Come back Thursday to hear about the rest of my trip!
