Alexandra Charitan

Jul 21

Jul 21 Nashville: Recap

My dad and I were talking last night and we started reminiscing about how perfect our Nashville trip was—and how quickly it went by. I wrote posts specifically celebrating Nashville's signage and the legendary Hatch Show Print, but we did so much more in the three short days we were there.

My dad had been to Nashville before, but it was my first time so I of course had a small list of things I'd like to see. Studio B wasn't on that list but it definitely should have been because the tour was a definite highlight. Studio B hosted Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Chet Atkins, Willie Nelson, the Everly Brothers, and of course Elvis, who is everywhere you look in some for or another.

As far as silly attractions go, my dad might not have exactly understood the purpose of the Parthenon ("I drove past it once and thought, 'Who would ever want to see this?'") but I was beyond thrilled to finally see it in person. It's a full-size replica of the actual Parthenon, built for the Tennessee Centennial Exhibition in 1897, which is enough like a World's Fair to make it on my must-see list.

While it currently houses an art museum (which was closed when we went) it also basically falls under the "just-for-fancy" category of things that don't really exist for any reason other than because they can, which of course means I love it.

The food in Nashville was pretty incredible. We had the most delicious pulled pork, green beans, corn bread and mac n' cheese from Jack's BBQ, where mac n' cheese is considered a vegetable so I liked the place before I even took a bite. While I'm definitely no stranger to lines, the one that wraps around the Pancake Pantry every morning is no joke. Neither are their pancakes or breakfast meats, and months later my dad and I are still talking about that breakfast.

We also discovered the dangerously good Goo Goo Cluster, most of which I gave away as souvenirs but now I'm thinking I should have hoarded more for myself. My only real regret, however, is that we didn't get to eat at Arnold's, the famous "meat and three" place because they were closed all weekend (next time!).

We also somehow fit in trips to the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Printers' Alley and the Johnny Cash museum, where we saw Roy Orbison's glasses and the blue suede shoes in addition to some really iconic pieces from Cash's amazing life and career.

Nashville is small and pretty walkable—or you could always take a pedal tavern if that's your thing. Also of note: I've never seen so many bachelorette parties in my entire life in one place—seriously half the town belonged to one or another. Even so, it was definitely the perfect place for my dad and I to meet, containing plenty of the things that each of us are interested in, with enough overlap to keep us both happy.