OT - Visiting Nashville, TN
Happy Saturday.
My fam and I will be visiting Nashville in a week or so, and I'm hoping to find some good things to do that isn't of the tourist trap variety. Two youngsters (7 and 5) will be in tow. Restaurants and diversions that you can suggest are much appreciated!
Well, it's probably not kid-friendly but the Jack Daniels distillery tour is pretty cool. We went to Nashville on my bachelor party and had a great time. I just wish I remembered more of the weekend...
of Nashville.
My son is a manager at HattieB's - it is distinctly Nashville and they do have chicken with no spice that is also really good - expect lines (which I ABHOR, but have to acquiesce that it is worth it)
I also worked at one point at Opryland Hotel - it is worth seeing the atriums and facility - the Grand Ole Opry is on the same campus. (If you want to avoid paying an exorbitant fee for parking - park at Opry Mills mall adjacent to the hotel - it also has some cool stores, IMAX theater, Dave and Busters, Aquarium Restaurant, Rain Forest cafe).
The Ryman Auditorium (Mother Church of the Grand Ole Opry) still is downtown and that whole area on lower Broadway is absolutely worth going to. There are restaurants, honkey tonks, Country music hall of fame are all right there, the riverfront...
The Parthenon is located within Centenial Park. It is very cool to see, as is the park. There are many restarants in and around that area. To answer a question posed by someone in this thread, the history behind it being in Nashville is because of the number of academic institutions in the city - Vanderbilt is accros the street, Belmont University(almost beat Duke), Tennessee State University, Meharry medical college, among others, - Nashville was referred to as the "Athens of the South".
Someone also suggest the Sounds (AAA baseball) it is a very new facility that is fun and close to the field(be careful of foul balls) - kids can run the base path after the game, depending on date there fireworks after the game. The field is located in a cool growing area called Germantown, good restaurants, and near the Farmers Market.
The Lego Store.
that always talk about I dream of Weenie (NTTAWWT) having great hot dogs, and it seems like a cool place for kids.
But prefer The Dog more. One dog there will fill you up. Need two at IDOW. The Philly Cheese dog at The Dog is amazing. Combine it with their buffalo chips and you're winning.
Spent about a day there, and saw a semi truck hit a pole and bring down a traffic light and the whole thing crashed into the intersection and sent sparks flying everywhere. If you get a chance to see that I recommend it. Given that I was only there for about 18 hours it seems logical to deduce that it happens all the time there.
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It's even better when someone hits a utility pole and causes a rather substantial outage. As someone who has, in the past, designed the permanent fixes to problems people have caused, it's a real laugh, but only when you consider what the person who caused the acccident will be paying in insurance when we send their insurance company our bill for the repairs. Consider one run-of-the-mill (no operating equipment) pole is about $4,000 in labor and material, it can add up.
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the Nashville Skyline yet?
It's one of my very favorites!!
The Parthenon. Full scale replica of it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon_(Nashville)
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That was Ceasar.
Antebellum Southerners loved the Greeks because they were a highly advanced civilization that embraced slavery.
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There's the Adventure Science Center which is a multilevel museum with hands on exhibits and a planetarium.
Food wise, get Hot Chicken at Hattie B's. Unless you don't want to set your children's mouths on fire. But I think they offer no/low spice.
Also, get pizza at Desanos. Big Napoli style pies with bench seating. Very good.
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Admittedly, a lot of downtown is music/bar related so that may not be a kid friendly as you'd like (and it usually flooded with drunks and bachelorette parties). But it's worth going up and down Broadway at night just to see.
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Agree on the Adventure Science Center if you are looking to do something special for your kids. Link is here. http://www.adventuresci.org/
If you are willing to drive, there are several wonderful state parks within a few hours of Nashville. Fall Creek Falls is pretty special if you are willing to endure the two hour drive. Burgess falls is a little over an hour from Nashville and that is pretty cool as well.
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If you'd like a place for a romantic dinner and especially beverage, don't miss the Patterson House. The Vieux Carre there is one of the five best cocktails I've ever had. I had like nine of them over two days.
you are correct
Planning to go there next month for the Louis CK show, so I'm paying attention to these as well. I'm definitely heading to Prince's for their hot chicken, since that's a distinctly Nashville thing that I've heard about.
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Prince's and Hattie B's.
It's been a few years but I recall their children's science museum (Adventure Science Center) was pretty good and worth the trip.
Chattanooga really markets their Science Center but having been to both I think Nashville's is better.
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I was not a huge fan of Nashville when I went there, but I did see Of Montreal in a cool (well, very hot) venue there, so it wasn't all bad. It's cool to walk around, and there's a ghost tour downtown if your kids like a little bit of spookiness.
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just won James Beard award in May.
(& occasionally stop) in Nashville twice a year.
It is ALWAYS a traffic jam, doesn't matter if it's 3pm or 3am.
Just plan accordingly.
It's a beautiful city that has growth WAY TOO fast for it's infrastructure (& surounding areas) to handle.
That's interesting that you say that about traffic. Granted, I was there two years ago, so maybe things have changed a bit, but I thought traffic was very light for being a good-sized city. I'd rather drive around Nashville than Ann Arbor.
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In the "city/town of about 100K" weight class, I'd like to see a place more driver-unfriendly than Ann Arbor. I realize the river is a geographical challenge, but going from A to B can be very difficult (more than you'd expect for a place of that size).
going through Nashville also - that is part of the infrastructure problem
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Do whatever you can to find some of Professor Bailey's Spicey Pimento Cheese. Soooooo good!
Radnor Lake is a beautufil natural area with easy hikes and walks. Pancake Pantry for the best pancakes anywhere, ever. Vanderbilt's campus is pretty. The Parthenon and the park it's in are definitely cool. The Country Music hall of Fame is well done even if you're not into country music.