Where: Nashville, TN
Coordinates: 36.1627° N, 86.7816° W
Distance from BR: 597 miles
Flying Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Driving Time: 8 hours 34 minutes
One of the most colorful places your family can visit during autumn is Nashville, Tennessee. The fall foliage is bright, the weather is crisp, and the hills are alive with the sound of country music! There is so much to see in Nashville that it’s hard to narrow down your options. Wherever you go, you won’t go very far without hearing a country tune and learning a thing or two about Music City. There are also several fall festivals in town for you to enjoy along with these popular restaurants and attractions.
WHERE TO STAY
The Hutton Hotel is Nashville’s original boutique hotel. With a prime location in the middle of the city’s greatest attractions (Broadway, Music Row, Vanderbilt University, and more), The Hutton Hotel will immerse you in all things Nashville. Each room is spacious, luxurious, and comfortable, and the suites boast floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. There’s an entertainment venue that hosts regular performances and a studio for any musicians in your family. Don’t forget to request a record player for your room and pick out a vinyl from the hotel’s vinyl library. Oh, and pets are welcome, too!
WHERE TO EAT
Redheaded Stranger
Redheaded Stranger is Nashville’s coolest neighborhood taco shop. Here, you can order your classic barbacoa or chicken tacos. You can also order breakfast tacos with eggs, bagon, tater tots, and chorizo, along with chopped brisket or whipped feta with rice and peppers. You won’t want to pass up on those totchos (tater-tot nachos) either.
Puckett’s Restaurant & Grocery
One of the most popular Nashville foodie destinations is Puckett’s Restaurant & Grocery, and rightfully so! Along with classic, Southern meals, Puckett’s offers live music and groceries sold by local vendors. Whether you want a giant cinnamon roll in a skillet for breakfast, the Nashville cheesesteak (with a side of skillet mac n’ cheese) for lunch, or The Whole Farm for dinner (a sampler plate of all the meats, which you can share with the whole fam…or not), you’ll feel right at home surrounded by these comfort foods.
Five Point Pizza
You’re bound to give five stars to Five Point Pizza. Starting with an appetizer of garlic knots, you may want to order a crisp house salad to munch on while you wait for your homemade, New York-style pizza. It may be tough to choose, but the Rocket Pie (with lemon vinaigrette, arugula, roasted garlic, cracked black pepper, tomatoes, and mozzarella) looks like a strong contender.
THINGS TO DO
Known as the “Smithsonian of country music,” the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is a must-see Nashville destination. This 350,000 square-foot museum has room for exhibition galleries, performances, archives, and other educational resources all about the icons of country music history. You can go to a show at the CMA Theater, admire the glassed-in costumes of well-known country musicians, and play an instrument in the Taylor Swift Education Center. Whatever you choose to do here, you’ll be taking a step into Nashville history.
Can’t afford to visit the ancient ruins in Greece? Nashville can help you get closer to them! A full-scale replica of The Parthenon is located in Centennial Park, and there’s also a museum inside. Inside, there is a 42-foot statue of Athena, other lifelike models of ancient Greek ruins, and art galleries for you to explore. While you’re there, be sure to take a walk around the park and take in all the glorious colors (and temperatures) of fall.
More of country music history can be found at the Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry is the biggest stage for country music, and, almost 100 years ago, its radio show kick-started the genre. It has been home to so many country music icons, and it welcomes tourists and locals alike to attend its shows and take a behind-the-scenes tour. You’ll be walking in the footsteps of country musicians such as Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, and Reba McEntire.
