Hi everyone! Like I mentioned on the Little Bleu Studio Facebook, I am very sorry for my absence this week! Finally feeling a bit better after a rough week of pneumonia, so this week I wanted to talk about one of my favorite cities in the South – Nashville, TN!

Planning a trip to the beautiful city of Nashville soon & wanting to stay downtown? Check out these quick guides if you need ideas!  I tried to make them work with any budget!

BUDGET: $

Eat/Drink: (from Southern Living) one of the best places to eat in Nashville on a dime! Paradise Park Trailer Resort! They have 24 different types of beer(on tap & bottled),  burgers, and good music! Pick up some sweet treats from the Goo Goo Cluster Store! 

See: (Free!) The Music City Walk of Fame! You could also walk around Broadway, especially in the evening, the bars and restaurants usually have open doors/windows so there's always lots of good music to listen to! Its such a fun atmosphere, definitely something to experience while you're there!

Sleep: The Holiday Inn is a great location, and located right across from the Frist center(about half a mile from the Music City Hall of Fame) you could stay here and walk (or über!) down to the busier end of Broadway, and if you didn't want to pay these rates the whole trip, you could stay outside of town for a few nights too.

Staying downtown is pricey, its cheaper on weekdays than weekends. In any case: plan early and use sites like TripAdvisor, Booking,com, or kayak to find the best deals.

BUDGET: $$

Eat/Drink:  Demos' Restaurant - great italian food! Not far from Broadway/downtown!

See: Music Hall of Fame Museum tickets start at $25. You can pay an extra $5 for an audio tour, or, the "Gold Level Tours" are $35, and include the RCA Studio on Music Row. Self Guided Tour at the Ryman is $20 for adults, $15 for children aged 4-11. Take a Carriage tour of the Area, or a ghost tour (like I talk about later in the post!)

Sleep:  Marriott Renaissance Nashville Hotel, Hilton Downtown Nashville

BUDGET: $$$

Eat/Drink: Capital Grille – if you're going for a treat yo' self trip to Music City, definitely check out the Capital Grille at the Hermitage Hotel. 

See: Catch a show at the iconic Ryman Auditorium (prices vary) or see the Opry at the Ryman. The Nashville Pedal Tours - $35 a person, 21 and up, takes two hours, and is BYOB. 

Sleep: Hermitage Hotel, Omni Nashville, 

Part Two: A few of my favorite places in Nashville!

Nashville has a lot of different neighborhoods, and I definitely haven't had time to explore them all. Midtown, Downtown, and Sobro are the areas I've been to most often, so I wanted to post a few of my favorites from each part. 

MIDTOWN:

One of my favorite spots in Nashville is the midtown area. It's located near the Vanderbilt Campus, as well as Centennial Park. 

Fido - My most favorite coffee shop, and also restaurant, located in the Midtown/Vanderbilt area. I love being able to go in and drink "pretty coffees" out of an actual coffee cup. 

Belcourt Theatre - This two cinema theater shows films ranging from classic to Indie. The theater is nearly 90 years old!

The Parthenon at Centennial Park Located at the center of Centennial Park, the Parthenon replica is a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens. 

DOWNTOWN/BROADWAY

Broadway Street:

• Lots of Restaurants, honky-tonks, and shops. One of my favorite restaurants is the Rock Bottom Brewery. If you're wanting to check out the nightlife, the Honky-Tonk, Tootsies, and the Wild Horse Saloon are fun places to visit! The 417 Union is a fun local place, the downstairs dining area celebrates the men and women of the WWII era, while the upstairs remembers the Civil War (especially the battles in Nashville and Franklin)

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts

• From July 29th to November 6th 2016, the Frist Center has an exhibition on Women, Art, and Social Change, which looks really interesting! Hoping to be able to get up there and check it out.  On Thursday & Friday nights from 5-9, college students get in free! 

Escape Game (downtown one)  

• This location of the escape game is technically in "The Gulch" but I'm including it in my downtown section. Really fun way to spend an afternoon, especially if you like puzzles and challenging your brain! 

SOBRO

The iconic "Batman Building" that is really a staple of the nashville skyline

The area south of broadway, "Sobro" is filled with lots of fun things to check out, from the Music City Center, and the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, to Bridgestone Arena.  It's an area of Nashville that has something for everyone! Really hoping to catch a hockey game sometime this season1

The Hatch Store Print Shop is located in the lobby of the Music City Hall of Fame! Definitely worth stopping in.

GREEN HILLS

The Bluebird Café -

• The Bluebird Cafe is THE place to go for live performances by singers and songwriters alike. Artists such as Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, LeAnn Rimes, and John Prine have graced the venue – as has my aunt!(songwriter, Donna Brooks!)

Green Hills Mall- 

• The Green Hills Mall is a fun place to go look around, it has lot of high end stores, and the atmosphere is really light and airy! 

TOURS

When I visit a new city, I really like to take some sort of tour that helps me get the lay of the land, sometimes this is a bus tour, or hop on/hop off bus, other times it's pedal tours or walking tours. These are two of my favorite tours I've done in the Music City. Nashville also has carriage tours that stop and pick up customers usually along Broadway.

Pedal Tavern - If you and your group are over the age of 21, the Pedal Tavern tours could be a really fun option! They have 4 different routes and make for a great way to see the different parts of the city! The tours are BYOB and take about 2 hours, they also include stops along the way where you can pop into local spots that partner with the company to give you discounts! 

Ghost Tour - One of the things I think is fun in older cities is to take a "ghost tour" in the evenings. I like getting a tour of the city, and hearing some of the local folklore.The one we did in Nashville took us through to lots of fun places in town, especially  Printers Alley which is another spot downtown to check out! 

Is there a spot in town you think I should add? Let me know in the comments!

xo, Lauren