Nashville Trip Itinerary (Things to Do and Eat!)

A city intersection from above surrounded by lit buildings — View of Broadway from Posty’s Rooftop Bar

I just got back from a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, and what fun we had! There will be more detailed posts about some of this, but for now, I wanted to share a few photos – and a few things that we did which were super fun!

Clouds below the engine of an airplane — Clouds somewhere north of Nashville

Before we begin, I’ll put out there the favorites of the people who were with me on this trip (they were on vacation, I was working… welcome to my world). Some of these may not make sense until you read the explanations below, but I’ll give you the quick and chill list first:

View out an airplane window of the wing, clouds, and a sunset — Sunset over Nashville

Speed Tour! (7 votes)

Frisbee golf at Sharp Spring Park in Smyrna (4 votes)

The Factory in Franklin (4 votes)

Assembly Food Hall on Broadway in downtown Nashville (3 votes)

Chicken cookoff for lunch one day (3 votes)

Hanging out, playing games, and laughing ourselves silly (2 votes)

Line dancing at Category 10 on Broadway in downtown Nashville (1 vote)

Trying out various local restaurants and coffee shops (1 vote – shout out especially to the Ugly Mugs and Cool Beans coffee shops!)

And now, for what we actually did!

Reflections of people in a window and a silhouetted airplane against the sunset — A Southwest plane, while we were on the bus between the satellite terminal and the main terminal at BNA (Nashville Airport)

Day 1 in Nashville, Tennessee

The people involved in this little trip arrived at various points throughout the afternoon/evening. I did a full day of work, then we headed up to the Opry Mills Mall, where we hung out (well, we might have hit ThriftSmart, too) before picking up more people from the airport. I’m not sure I had a favorite store, but we did wander through a few places. For dinner, we just picked up fast food wherever it was convenient, and we eventually ended up back at the house where we were staying in Smyrna (thanks, D!)

Eight cowboy boots in various colors and styles — Cowboy boots in the Boot Barn in Opry Mills Mall

Day 2 in Smyrna and Nashville, Tennessee

Because we were based in Smyrna, it only made sense to go to the Cool Beans Coffee Shop. Really nice place with lots of both caffeinated and non-caffeinated options (and since a literal 3/4 of the group doesn’t drink coffee, this is high praise!)

A pasta dish topped with tomatoes and fried chicken in a blue bowl — One of the chicken dishes from our cookoff. I took too many pictures of Broadway, so I’ll just start posting them in the wrong place.

When we got back to the house, we played “Speed Tour!” If you’re not familiar with Trent Miller on TikTok (I’m not even on TikTok, so no shame), he’s a real estate agent who generates interest and excitement by dashing through houses shouting about garages, making jokes (often about the cameraman), pointing out fantastic views from every window (even when they face into another house wall), and generally getting out of breath. Some people in my group thought it would be fun to do our own “speed tours” through the house where we were staying. Let’s just say it was hilarious and leave it at that.

A sign that is an arrow pointing to the Assembly Food Hall with its reflection in the window — A sign at the Assembly Food Hall – the Ryman is just out of sight to the right

For lunch, we had a chicken cookoff. Everyone got a piece of chicken and could cook it up any way they wished (as long as the ingredients were in the kitchen). We rated each person’s chicken based on appearance and flavor. It was a great way to eat some food and have fun and friendly competition at the same time. And no, I did not win with my loaded baked potato chicken (but maybe that’s because we didn’t have any bacon).

A sign saying Tacos with an arrow pointing to a light up sign saying Velvet Taco and a neon sign saying Order Here — The Velvet Taco, where I got my nachos at the Assembly Food Hall

In the afternoon, we got all dolled up as though we like country music (cowboy boots, anyone?) and headed up toward downtown Nashville. The Library Garage where we would usually park was closed for repairs, so we had to park at the Public Square Garage instead (a little more expensive, but still not bad at all). Our first stop was the Assembly Food Hall. It’s a really neat place with over 30 eateries and bars to choose from. I was very pleasantly surprised to find affordable food options as well as more expensive fare ($8 nachos at the Velvet Taco? I can live with that!). We all got to choose something different, and a few places even had gluten-free options – including the NoBaked Cookie Dough Shop!

Six cups with colorful cookie dough and three spoons, one of which is held by a hand, on a metal tray on a wooden table — Cookie dough! We got a sampler with six different kinds… it was just about perfect to give everyone a taste without having to eat an entire cup (wow, that would be sweet!)

One of my companions got a custom pink cowboy hat at the Ariat store in the bottom floor of the food hall. Then it was off to Broadway! It was the first time this year that they’ve closed down the street to traffic, but I felt that it wasn’t overcrowded (well, most places weren’t overcrowded). We visited Posty’s, Category 10 (my fav because of the line dancing), Ole Red, and a few other places before deciding it was heading toward 11pm, and we were tired.

White curtains with red lights on the ceiling, a band on a stage, and a sign that says Category 10 — Decorations at Category 10 – the floor is used for line dancing. More photos of Broadway below (when I run out of more timely pictures)

Day 3 in Smyrna and Franklin, Tennessee

We all slept in (late night!), but headed out to Cheddar’s for lunch. Then we had to stop at a sporting good store to get frisbees (who knew so few stores carry such things?) on our way to Sharp Springs Park for a game of frisbee golf. It was a warm day for March, which made for a great game all around.

A man stands on a concrete pad throwing a frisbee into a grassy area and trees — Playing frisbee golf. Such fun!

In the evening, several of us drove to Franklin to attend a service at Glory City Church. Such nice people, and it was a lot of fun (if you like church services, that is!)

Three colorful, food-themed frisbees in a metal disc golf cage with two people standing nearby — Frisbees in the disc golf cage

Afterward, we all met up at Andy’s for ice cream. I haven’t tried all the shops, but I’m pretty sure it’s the best ice cream in Smyrna! They even have gluten-friendly, gluten-free, and dairy-free options.

A large bucket of popcorn in front of a movie screen with cars on the screen — While we were at church, others in the group watched a movie. They said it was really good!

Back at the house, we spent a couple of hours chatting and playing games. (Who doesn’t like to say, “Cluck, cluck go the hiking boots” when it’s their turn to play telephone?)

A pink cowboy hat, black hair, and a hot pink shirt of a woman on a city street with an American flag — The custom hat on Broadway

Day 4 in Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee

A couple members of my group wanted to get tattoos, Nashville style, so they were up early to go to Pride and Glory Tattoo Shop (highly recommended!) while the rest of us attended a service at Legacy Nashville (another great time with neat people!) We had to drop off a couple of our group at the airport, then we headed down to Franklin… but not without a stop (for some of the group) at the Ugly Mugs Coffee Shop.

Cowboy boots and a cowboy hat on the arm of a woman with a white watchband — The Nashville-themed tattoo

Down in Franklin, our first stop was at The Factory. This is a really neat place. It’s an old factory that has been turned into a kind of food court (a little like the Assembly Food Hall, only with fewer options and a more upscale theme). My only complaint was that there was no such thing as an affordable option. We ended up getting two pizzas from Slim & Husky’s and splitting them, which actually worked out quite well and was tasty (they have a gluten-friendly pizza, plus we had a BBQ pizza).

A statue made of scrap metal in front of an old factory and red umbrellas — Rusty, a piece of art at the Factory

Of course, there was a stop at the Goodwill in Franklin. It’s usually a great place to find stuff, especially on Sunday, but not so much that day. Oh, well.

Lights strung across an alley between shops — Back to Broadway – an alley below the Assembly Food Hall

A few of us wanted to attend the Legacy Nashville South service (yes, we have interesting ideas of fun, cheap entertainment), then we all met up for supper at Chipotle back in Smyrna. It was great to just relax inside and chat before heading back to the house for a (somewhat) early bedtime… gasp!

Signs for bars on Broadway, lit up with guitars — Still on Broadway – lit up signs everywhere

Day 5 in Smyrna, Tennessee

Our final day!! We slept in (well, some of us did), but we got up in time to go to Cracker Barrel for lunch. Then it was a quick pack job to get back to the airport!