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!
The Ultimate Road Trip 