As a family of music lovers, Nashville has long been on our list of places to visit, and this past spring break we finally got the chance to head to Music City. This friendly city, filled with great food, attractions and of course live music made for one of our best adventures yet.
Our first stop was to check in to the Kimpton Aertson Hotel in the Music Row district. Since we have 11-year-old boy/girl twins, we had two connecting rooms with a living room area which was super comfortable and made our trip so much more enjoyable. One of our favorite parts of staying at a Kimpton (always my first choice) is the complementary bikes and custom Micro Kickboard scooters they have available for use. My son hopped on a bike while my daughter grabbed a scooter (they even have helmets available) and off we went to explore the neighborhood.
Walking, biking or scooting around is one of my favorite ways to get to know a destination and this was definitely the case in Nashville. The Kimpton is located right near Vanderbilt University. We explored the campus and then visited the Parthenon in Centennial Park. (Yes, it really is a full-scale replica of the one in Athens, Greece!).
To hear music in Nashville, you only need to wander up and down Broadway aka Honky Tonk Highway. While the bars are 21 and up in the evening, during the day families can enter many of them to hear the classic country sounds of Tennessee, plus plenty of rock n’ roll too.
After strolling around, we hit up Assembly Food Hall where we tried Prince’s Hot Chicken. This classic Nashville dish was delicious! There was live music playing in the food hall, too (there’s live music everywhere!) and that night we ended things with a scoop (or two) of Jeni’s Ice Cream.
And speaking of food, one of our favorite activities was doing a walking food tour with Secret Food Tours. On our tour, we got to explore the adorable 12 South neighborhood with our guide, Casey. We got to sample everything from breakfast burritos to sliders (plus a secret dish) while learning the history of the neighborhood. (I had my first Beermosa — a fun take on a mimosa with beer!) Of course, the kids’ favorite stop was the last one for freshly baked cookies.
Back at the hotel, I took advantage of the nightly Kimpton happy hour while we took a break from all the walking.
On our last morning, we got to try Henley, the new American brasserie located in our hotel. As we tried bites of each other’s dishes including the Henley Egg Sammy with chorizo and goat cheese and the Huevos Rancheros featuring charred green tomato salsa and cotija cheese, we reflected on how much we truly love family travel and how exploring a new destination brings us together.
Nashville to-do list:
Country Music Hall of Fame and MuseumÂ
Grand Ole Opry
The Parthenon
Andrew Jackson’ Hermitage
Where to Stay:
Kimpton Aertson Hotel
Best Day Trip:
Graceland
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