We’re heading down South! This weekend we booked our flights to head back stateside because I have the honour of being a bridesmaid for one of my best friends.
The wedding itself is in Beaufort, SC and we are SO excited to be heading back to the Lowcountry, we will be visiting some of our favourite places… Hilton Head Island, Savannah, Charleston are Columbia are all on the list but we are pretty much experts on that area now – I lived in SC for a year during college and Mark and I have visited the Lowcountry many times together.
The places we want to know more about are all in Tennessee, which is the idea behind this post! Get ready for some very old photos!
I’ll be sharing some of the experiences we’ve already done in The Smoky Mountains and Nashville as a reminder to myself on what we need to hit again. I’ll also make a list of what we are planning to do this time around, hopefully those of you reading this can help fill in the gaps! PLEASE drop any and all suggestions for food, experiences, photo spots and other amazing things to do in Music City, The Great Smoky Mountains and Chattanooga, we are all ears! You can leave a comment below or on Instagram.
Thing’s we’ve done in Nashville…
- The Grand Ole Opry – We were lucky enough to catch the Rascal Flatts at this iconic show back in 2014 but sadly did NOT appreciate it at the time as we weren’t big country fans back then. We will definitely be going back to The Grand Ole Opry and adding a backstage tour this time around!
- The Operyland Hotel – Again we made a fleeting visit to this incredible hotel, it really is like nothing else I’ve ever seen before – A huge glass roofed experience filled with plants and waterways. This time around are setting aside an afternoon to really explore and get over the Opry Mills mall while we are in the area.
- Johnny Cash Museum – This museum was amazing! We actually spent a pretty long time in there back in 2014 for people who weren’t big Cash fans. The museum is really comprehensive and gives a great insight into Johnny’s life. I don’t think we will make a return trip this time, but instead visit the Country Music Hall of Fame.
- The Parthenon is somewhere I’ve actually visited twice, once wayyy back in 2012 when I was travelling with friends after studying abroad at The University of South Carolina and once with Mark in 2014. We had a pretty good look around this incredible structure so may not visit again this year, although it is a pretty short walk away from all the action so we may nip back to enjoy some time in the park.
- Broadway – Clearly we’ve been to Broadway before but both times I feel like I’ve just stumbled around not really knowing where’s good so suggestions are welcome! When I was 21 with no fear some friends and I even did karaoke! (very very badly… we attempted Wagon Wheel before realising we didn’t know the words apart from the chorus and absolutely butchered the song, thankfully the locals were great and someone jumped in and saved us before letting us having another go singing ‘I love rock and roll’…) I’ve been to Honky Tonk Central but Mark and I are keen to know where the best places are for live music and good drinks so drop them below! Fun Fact: I got my first tattoo on Broadway!
- Boot Country – Again, a staple but this time I’m actually in the market for some boots – We will 100% be making a return visit!
- The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson – Mark and I visited the Hermitage in 2014 and it was great to see a piece of American History. It’s a good way outside of Nashville so you will need a car to visit!
- Vanderbilt University – My friends and I stumbled across the Vandy Campus back in 2012 just as commencement was setting up, it was fun to see another Southern college and compare it to the USC campus!
Food we’ve tried – Embarrassingly two of the places I’ve eaten in Nashville are The Hard Rock Café and Dick’s Last Resort! Clearly I’ve grown into being a foodie and my taste in my early 20’s was very poor… This must change! In fairness I did visit the Slow and Low BBQ food truck in 2012 (which is now closed according to Google) and we nearly made it to the Pancake Pantry in South Nashville just outside of the 12 South area – The line for pancakes was SO long we ended up giving up so Pancake Pantry is 100% on the list for this trip! Food recommendations are VERY welcome – Hattie B’s is already on the list!
Places we’ve stayed – In 2012 I stayed in probably one of the cheapest, dodgiest hotels in East Nashville but hey we were fearless 21 year olds ballin’ on a budget… In 2014 Mark and I stayed outside of Nashville in Brentwood in a gorgeous inn / bed and breakfast. This time we have decided to go down the air b and b route and are staying in 12 South!
Things already on our Nashville to do list…
- Country Music Hall of Fame
- Visit the wall murals in 12 South and the iconic ‘#WhatLiftsYou’ angel wings wall art
- Go to the Tennessee State Fair which happens to be on during our trip
- Eat at Hattie B’s Hot Fried Chicken
- Spend an evening on Broadway – Recommendations for food and bars welcome!
- Go back to The Grand Ole Opry and Opryland Hotel
….. More suggestions welcome in the comment section of this post or comment on Instagram!
Thing’s we’ve done in The Great Smoky Mountains…
- Goats on the Roof – It’s exactly how it sounds…. Goats that live on a roof! You can buy food to feed the goats, either from your hand for the ones down on the ground or by a ‘food lift’ which take the food up to the ones on the roof!
- Zipline through the Smoky Mountains – We took a zipline tour with Climb Works, it was an amazing and unique way to experience the natural landscape of the Smoky Mountains – We took the treetop tour which lasts around 2.5 hours with 9 zip lines. They now do a mountain top tour which goes even higher so we may check that one out when we head back!
- Stay in a log cabin– We stayed in ‘The Smoky Mountain Rose’ last time we visited The Smoky Mountains in 2014 – It was around a 10-15 minute drive (or a 2 hour + walk as we miserably discovered… it seemed like a good idea at the time) into the outskirts of Pigeon Forge. Our cabin had a hot tub, a fire and beautiful views of the Smoky Mountains – This time we want to be a bit closer to the action so are going to opt for a hotel, however a cabin is a really unique experience and I would highly recommend getting one if you’ve never been before.
Things already on our Smoky Mountains to do list
- Visit Dollywood – We missed it last time and really regret it!
- Take a scenic drive through the mountains – We did a lot of walking last time and didn’t get that far away from the cabin!
- Go on an alpine coaster
…. That’s about it! We are in dire need of suggestions for things to do and food options in this area so please leave a comment below or on Instagram!
We are also going to be briefly visiting Asheville, Lynchburg & Chattanooga as stops on our drive so suggestions for those places are more than welcome too!
We are the kind of people who like to go back to places we love to ensure we’ve done everything there is to do.. although we really need to start getting out of that habit and venture into pastures new! Is there a place you really love and keep going back to?
