Yazy Journey

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24 hours in Nashville Tennessee

Yazy

PS: Just a heads up, this article is based on my trip in August 2021. a lot of the information should still be valid… Enjoy :)

In July 2021 and after a year of the Covid -19 pandemic, my husband and I decided to travel to The Great Smoky Mountains national park in Tennessee for 5 days to relax and to hike some beautiful trails. (let me know in the comment section if you would like a blog post about our experience in The Great Smokey Mountains)

After 5 days in the beautiful nature and bear sighting (Yup! we saw bears), we decided to drive to Nashville for 24 hours before heading home. Nashville is such a charming city and we fell in love with it.

Where is the Smokey Mountains and how far is it from Nashville?

To give you a perspective, The Smokey Mountains Tennessee side is in Gatlinburg which is on the east side of Tennessee. Nashville is located 223 miles west of Gatlinburg.

The drive would take approximately 4 hours with one-stop. The recommended route is I-40 from Gatlinburg all the way to Nashville. 

I read that the drive from The Smokys to Nashville is the most scenic route… It was okay in my opinion. Keep in mind I live close to New Hampshire which is known for it is beautiful nature; so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Google map route from Gatlinburg to Nashville

What to expect in 24 hours in Nashville or in any city?

Nashville has a lot to offer. If you want to enjoy the city, you shouldn't expect to see everything in 24 hours… and this is OKAY!

24 hours trip is really not enough for any place but also it can give you a very good idea about the place.

When you have limited time in any city, I always recommend:

  • When planning your day, choose places near each other and don’t spend the time commuting from one place to another.

  • Know what you like to see the most… museums, city experience, historic sites,…etc, and plan your day around that.

  • When you are in a big city, don’t waste your time walking… rent a bike or scooter.

Where to stay in Nashville?

  • East Nashville

    • This is where we stayed. We rented an Airbnb in East Nashville. The neighborhood is so cool and it is 10- 15 minutes away from Downtown. 

  • Broadway in downtown.

    • Book a hotel room in Broadway if crazy nightlife with loud music is your cup of tea.

  • The Gulch.

    • It is an upscale neighborhood that offers chic hotels and trendy restaurants.

Tip: Check the place you are staying at if they have parking, we parked at the rental place and Ubered to downtown for $10. It was way cheaper than paying for parking in Downtown Nashville.

What to do in Nashville?

Before going to Nashville, I heard two things about the city:

  • Music

  • Comfort Food (fried chicken mainly :D)

While this is true, Nashville has a lot more to offer

Nashville has such a good vibe. From cute cozy coffee shops to trendy restaurants, and unique adorable boutiques. I truly enjoyed my day there.

Nashville is also known for being the capital of country music. If you love country music, you shouldn’t miss “ The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum”. Also, many restaurants have live music.

Another lovely thing to do in Nashville is to find street murals. Nashville has amazing street art. You can find murals everywhere you go. I enjoyed finding them and I appreciated them so much. For a full list of the murals and where to find them, click here.

24 Hours Itinerary

While 24 hours is not enough in my opinion for this beautiful city, you still can enjoy the city and see a lot in this short period of time.

  • Plan to arrive in Nashville around 11 AM. Park your car and then have a brunch or lunch. We decided to park the rental car at our Airbnb. Our host recommended that as parking is not cheap in the city. We parked and then walked to a cute coffee shop nearby for brunch and some coffee (Ugly Mug coffee and tea coffee shop in East Nashville)

  • Once your stomach is happy and you are well caffeinated, head to the city. I would suggest starting your trip at “ The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum”. For the sake of time, we skipped the museum, we just went to the lobby and took some pictures from outside. Then headed to Broadway.

  • Broadway is a major street in downtown Nashville and it is filled with restaurants and live music. It is very enjoyable to walk and explore around. There is also “Assembly Food Hall” in Broadway which is a similar concept to Time out the market. You have many restaurants and cafes with many seating areas. There was a sign that the place has a rooftop with live music but the rooftop was closed; not sure if this is due to Covid.

    Tip: Assembly Food Hall has a public restroom and water fountain. We went there to cool off from the hot August weather and to fill our bottle of water.

    Food on Broadway, there are many options. We tried the famous “Hattie B’s hot chicken” near Assembly Food Hall. Frankly, the meal was delicious but nothing special and worth the wait in my opinion.

  • After exploring Broadway and taking some rest, head to “John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge” You can either walk or take a scooter. Even though scooters are a bit pricy, they are fun and a great way to see the city. The city of Nashville has both Lime and Bird electric scooters.

  • Next, head to the Gulch neighborhood for the famous “WhatLiftsYouWings” mural. It is 9 min biking from the bridge or 22 minutes walking. It is worth going there if you appreciate street art and murals.

WhatLitf YouWing in the Gulch

  • After the Gulch, and right before the sunset, head back to Broadway and I strongly recommend the “Acme Seed and Feed” rooftop. It is the best spot in the city to see the sunset with some light dinner and live music.

  • After 8 PM, head back to your rental.

  • The next morning, have a quick coffee and breakfast (we enjoyed the coffee at Barista Parlor) and then drive to the “I believe in Nashville” mural in North Nashville.

  • Now it is time to head to the airport.

    • Our airport was near the Smokeys in Knoxville, TN… about 3 hours drive east of the city

Other things to do in Nashville

  • Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

  • Ryman Auditorium

  • The Parthenon

  • First Art Museum

  • Nashville Hop-on Hop-off Trolley tour


Final Thoughts

When I visit any place, I ask myself whether I would love to live in it or not. This is how I rank any place. For Nashville, I enjoyed every bit of it and I see myself living it. The city has a lot to offer and it has many neighborhoods that are cute and unique.

If you have been to Nashville, comment below what is your favorite thing to do in this beautiful city.

Links to the mentioned places

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, I paid with my own money :)