Our weekend adventure in Nashville

We went back to Nashville for my brother-in-law’s wedding a few weeks back (if you’re new here, I’m constantly behind on posting these days). They, like us, did a legal ceremony than had a full reception a few months later. Y’all, I ate so much food. I ate so much fried chicken. And I regret nothing. We did a real turn and burn back in April for the legal ceremony: we flew in Sunday morning and went home Monday night. As my brother-in-law has now moved thanks to the Army, we figured this was a good time to be touristy and spend a long weekend in Nashville.

Wednesday

We had a 6 am flight, so I grabbed a bagel at the airport. My schmear game was too strong for the plastic knife. After we landed, we helped my sister-in-law with flowers while we waited for other family to arrive. We went to dinner at Puckett’s Grocery where I had the pimento grilled cheese with a side of creamed corn. We also splurged and ordered blackberry cobble, peach cobbler, and a deep-fried brownie for dessert (we had a group of six). Mac’s oldest cousin, wife, and kids happened to be at the same restaurant, so they came over for a bit.

Thursday

I picked out some sights to see, so we headed out Thursday morning. Our first stop was Centennial Park and a scale replica of the Parthenon. Their museum participates in the Blue Star Museums, so we got in for free (holler). From there, we headed over to Belle Meade Plantation. They don’t allow photos in the house, but they do include a wine-tasting in the ticket price. Their military discount is roughly 50% (it cost us $19 instead of $40).

We then drove around town and found a Zaxby’s (praise hands emoji). That night, we went to The Aquarium Restaurant where we first met my lovely sister-in-law. We had a large group with a bunch of young kids. Mac and I split bruschetta.

Friday

Friday dawned, and we drove over to The Hermitage. Mac got in for free as a service member. Again, no photos of the house. On our way back to where we stayed, we ordered Hattie B’s hot chicken to go. Given that they always have a line, we figured this would be a faster and easier way to try it out. I was underwhelmed. The chicken didn’t taste that fresh. We had a family get-together at the hotel where most of the guests were staying in lieu of a full rehearsal dinner.

Saturday

Saturday was the actual wedding. We got up early for the 10 am ceremony, dressed, and made our way to Acme Feed and Seed. They rented out the rooftop deck and the third floor. The views and the venue were amazing, but it was insanely hot. We had dinner at SoulShine. We split the nachos with the table, and I had pizza. The food was really good, and it reminded me a lot of Mellow Mushroom.

Sunday

We opted to try The Row for the obligatory post-wedding brunch. I had chicken biscuits and gravy with a side of fried okra. When in Rome… On our last full day, we decided to check out the Old Town trolley tour. We had a good experience with it in Savannah. We rode the full loop and enjoyed it. It was a very similar route to the half-marathon I ran back in 2014. From there, we walked around a bit and checked out the Country Music Hall of Fame. We wrapped up last dinner at Party Fowl.

Monday

We crossed off another Nashville institution and hit up the Pancake Pantry for breakfast on our way out of town. I opted for the classic buttermilk pancakes while Mac had the Santa Fe Cakes. We had a longer layover in Houston and fulfilled a craving for Whataburger. After a crazy whirlwind weekend, we were back home, exhausted, and up about ten pounds each.

If you were keeping track, I ate fried chicken five different times. I have no regrets.

Have you tried hot chicken during a weekend in Nashville?

Our weekend adventure in Nashville:  The Parthenon in Nashville  |  The Hermitage  |  Nashville Trolley Tour  |  Country Music Hall of Fame  |  Ryman Auditorium