Nashville Nightlife

 

After spending a long day touring around the small city of Nashville, it was time we experienced the nightlife of this great city.  Once the sun drops the scene picks up into a booming city center along Broadway Street right downtown.  With live music in every single bar along the strip, there was no place you could go wrong by stopping in!  After having lunch at the Rock Bottom Restaurant, we had a friendly waiter tip us off about East Nashville and how a much younger crowd, about our age, hung around there a lot more often.  We initially started the night on the east side at Three Crows which was a small, college-town bar with a large crowd.  Naturally, we posted up at the Foosball table in the back corner and had us a few beers.  Amazing enough, we met someone who graduated from Merrimack College as well in 2008; small world we live in!  After visiting East Tennessee, a short 1-mile drive back to Broadway was where we spent a majority of the night.

We started at the infamous Tootsies bar.  Packed to max capacity with a line down the block, it was pretty quick turnover to get inside so we toughed out the line.  Once inside, you can the bottom floor to be absolutely crowded, no one being able to move.  We made our way to the upstairs section where we got a great seat in the house for the live band that was ripping it up all night.  Now, I am not a big country music fan by any means, but in Nashville, it makes you a fan.  Anyone can listen to the songs on the radio about beer and tractors and how nice your truck is, but once you are there, in the moment, soaking in the culture, its absolutely amazing.  I could feel the passion from everyone around and exactly what this city meant to all of them.

After a long session at Tootsies, we made our way across the street to the iconic Honky Tonk Central.  Standing at three stories tall, each floor had a live band playing with a balcony that overlooked the entire strip on Broadway Street.  We worked our way into the overly crowded first floor and snagged a few seats at the bar.   All of a sudden, “Sweet Caroline” began to play by the band and of course we went ballistic.  We met a great guy from Canada who bought us a round of beers just for being from the Boston area; talk about Southern hospitality, this place bleeds it.  Every encounter we had with anyone there was nothing but positive.  Not a single fight broke out the whole night.  People just go out in Nashville to truly enjoy themselves with no intention of causing problems which is what I loved about it.

As of right now, Nashville is my favorite city that I have ever been to.  A young crowd, amazing people, great bars and food, and the entire atmosphere has been unmatched by any experience in a major city.  Coming back as soon as possible is at the top of my priority list.  Next stop: New Orleans!

 

 

First Stop: Nashville, Tennessee

After driving 20 hours from Massachusetts, the boys successfully reached Nashville, Tennessee!!  Endless hours of driving through farms and open fields on a 2-lane highway, an opening in the landscape showed this amazing city.  Immediately, we were thrown into the southern comfort culture, surrounded by BBQ aroma and live music blaring from bars down the whole stretch of the famous Broadway Street.  Pulling over in the first spot open at a meter, we jumped out of the car, took a quick stretch and instantly starting dipping our toes in the country culture.  The first stop in the city was to the famous Tootsies bar right on Broadway, which at 10 a.m. was gladly serving beers at the bar with live country music up close and personal.

To me, this is exactly what a city should be like.  It was amazing to see how friendly and outgoing some of the people here really are.  When pulling in, we had no idea how big or small the city would be or what to really expect being Boston boys rolling into the country lifestyle.  Surprisingly, Nashville is extremely quaint; on the smaller side, but everything you need in a city with none of the business of Boston.  The streets were free of traffic and the buzz of a big city was absent, which was very nice.  The architecture of the city and the history that surrounds it is unbelievable.  I took many pictures of all of the main historical buildings and parks throughout the city, but no pictures will do this city justice.

We grabbed a $45 hotel room at the Knights Inn about 1 mile from downtown Nashville.  For the price you pay, you can’t go wrong!  It isn’t the best set up in the world, but it is a bathroom to use, a bed to sleep in and a roof over the head for a night.  We just got back to the room after spending a few hours at the Honky Tonk Central which was an absolutely awesome, three-story bar in the heart of Broadway Street.  The next move is to see what East Nashville has to offer and head back to Broadway later in the evening.  Bright and early, we will be taking off for New Orleans!

View the rest of the pictures taken from our day in Nashville on The Ultimate Road Trip Facebook Page!