Nashville!

So Nashville, TN has a special place in my heart as I lived here for three years right out of grad school and it's where I met my husband. When my husband found out he had a conference there I knew the boys and I had to tag along for a couple days! Nashville has changed so much in the past ten years but I was really excited to show the boys the city and really be true tourists.

Travel

We flew Southwest direct from Richmond, VA, only about an hour and a half flight. Nashville has a pretty big airport but it's fairly easy to get around. We rented a car and it's about a 20 min drive from the airport into the city (of course that's without traffic!).

Stay

We stayed at the Kimpton Aertson Hotel which is in the midtown/music row neighborhood. It's also right next to Vanderbilt University and hospital. We stayed in a one bedroom suite which came equipped with a pull out couch, kitchen with full sink, small fridge and microwave. The bathroom is right between the living room area and the bedroom. Amenities included a coffee bar in the morning and wine/appetizers in the evening. If you are traveling with small kids you can request a pack and play, 4Moms baby bath, mamaroo baby swing and family fridge (for breast milk, etc). I also took advantage of their partnership with Anthropologie which allows you to borrow accessories such as handbags or sunglasses. Sported a cute pair of aviators our last day there! Overall I really enjoyed our hotel. If I had to give one negative, it was a little loud. We heard lots of road noise, although our room was facing broadway. If staying there I would recommend requesting a room that did not face the main road!

Fun

There is so much to do in Nashville! I had explored it without kids but this was my first time with the kids. Our first full day there we spent the morning at the Adventure Science Center. There are so many cool exhibits there for kids of all ages. It was really busy but never felt overly crowded. There are three floors to explore and favorite exhibits included Body Quest and climbing/exploring through adventure tower. There is also a planetarium although we didn't attend any of the shows. If you have a child under 2 they are free and then for kids ages 2-12 admission fee is $18. ***One tip to save money on admission - download the city saver app for the nashville area. You can do a one month subscription for around $6.50 and then you have access to coupons for area attractions. Had I done this before our trip I could have used a coupon for one free youth ticket for each adult ticket purchased, saving us $36!!

A friend of ours that lives in town recommended Puttshack which is an indoor mini golf course with a restaurant (admission for only those over 21 after 7pm). My kids absolutely loved this so much that we went back the next day! Adults can even grab a cocktail to take along the course with them. If you go monday through thursday you can get your second round of golf for 50% off. It's only 9 holes so definitely recommend two rounds (there are two seperate courses). We even had dinner there the first night and the food was good! They also have a kids menu and coloring pages.

Our second and final day there we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame which is located right downtown next to the convention center. We easily found parking in the convention center garage. As an avid country music fan this was always something I had wanted to do! I could have easily spent more time here but with kids we ran through pretty quickly. They do have some more interactive exhibits for the kids including the Taylor Swift education center where there was artwork they could do or they could do a craft that involved making your own musical instrument. There was also a mock tour bus setup where the kids can create their own music track in a studio. This was a fav of our kids! ***They offer a discounted rate for teachers, first responders or those in the military. And kids 5 and under are free! After exploring the CMHofF we explored the downtown broadway area where all the live music happens. Most places open around 11am and I found this time to be the perfect time to explore with kids. It was busy but not crowded and we easily grabbed lunch downtown and listened to some music. I wouldn't advise doing this in the late afternoon or evening as it gets so crowded!!

Other considerations: Unfortunately we only had two days there so we couldn't do everything we wanted to do. Had we had more time I would have liked to check out the Nashville zoo, Centennial park and the Parthenon and Cheekwood botanical gardens.

Food

The Nashville food scene has exploded! So many great restaurants around town. We limited our search to the places closest to our hotel or attractions we were visiting. Some favorites for breakfast were The Well and Milk and Honey. Pancake pantry is another great spot for breakfast but bring your appetite - portions are big!! We had lunch one day in 12South area which was close to the museum. We ate at Edley's barbecue which was so good!! They have a small kids menu as well that includes items like chicken fingers and mini corn dogs. We also considered eating at the Frothy Monkey in that same area as they have peanut butter and jelly on the menu! (My oldest son's favorite food haha). We also had dinner at Puttshack one night; food was great and service was quick which is always great with tired kiddos. When exploring the downtown music scene we had lunch at Friends in Low Places (Garth Brooks' bar/restaurant). The food was great and we loved listening to the band. Definitely get the chicken fingers and the pretzel dog! Our last evening there we ate at JAlexanders, which is a small chain and a fav of my husbands. Honestly I probably wouldn't go there again with small kids due to lack of a kids menu and many options for them.