Nashville - The Delaplaine 2020 Long Weekend Guide: Long Weekend Guides

By Andrew Delaplaine

A complete guide for everything you need to experience a great Long Weekend in Nashville, whether you want to go to the Grand Ole Opry (and you really ought to take the backstage tour that lets you stand in the famous "circle"), or hang out with the hipsters and other creative types over in East Nashville.

"I had no idea how much I'd love Nashville so much before I got here."

--- Fred G, Seattle
 

"I moved to Atlanta from New York and have been taking weekend trips to other Southern cities to acquaint myself with my new region. I really had the best time in Nashville. It wasn't the bunch of hicks I thought I'd find. The people are as sophisticated as those in Portland but nicer because they're Southern, I guess."

--- Johnny CA., Atlanta

You'll save a lot of time using this concise guide.

=LODGINGS (in several parts of town) variously priced

=FINE & BUDGET RESTAURANTS, more than enough listings to give you a sense of the variety to be found. 

=PRINCIPAL ATTRACTIONS -- don't waste your precious time on the lesser ones. We've done all the work for you.

= SHOPPING -- A handful of interesting ideas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gramercy Park Press
• Release date: Sep 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393741862

Andrew Delaplaine

Delaplaine lives on South Beach, Miami’s Billion Dollar Sandbar. He writes in widely varied fields: screenplays, novels (adult and juvenile) and journalism. He also has a series of Long Weekend Guides covering some 50 cities around the world. Email: [e-mail] He writes several series: The “JACK HOUSTON ST. CLAIR” political thriller novels. “THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IV,” a series of novels starring the great-great-grandson of the famous consulting detective. “THE ANNALS OF SANTOPIA” series, an epic that follows a Santa born in 1900 through to his death 82 years later. The AMOS FREEMAN police thrillers. Other novels: “The Trap Door” follows a boy who is taken back in time to 1594 and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. “The Meter Maid Murders,” a comic look at a detective trying to nab a serial killer on South Beach who only murders meter maids. Has written and directed three features (one doc, two narrative features), as well as several short films and won several awards for his film work. (See imdb.com for details).  His latest film, “Meeting Spencer,” starring Jeffrey Tambor, won the prestigious Milan International Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay.  DELAPLAINE’S “LONG WEEKEND” GUIDES These no-nonsense guides contain Delaplaine’s recommendations and advice for travelers visiting these places for 3 or 4 days. As "The Food Enthusiast," he writes a series of restaurants guides, updated annually. He has no hobbies.

Book preview

NASHVILLE

The Delaplaine

2020 Long Weekend Guide

Andrew Delaplaine

NO BUSINESS HAS PAID A SINGLE PENNY OR GIVEN ANYTHING TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK.

A list of the author’s other travel guides, as well as his political thrillers and titles for children, can be found at the end of this book.

Senior Editors - Renee & Sophie Delaplaine

Senior Writer - James Cubby

Gramercy Park Press

New York – London - Paris

Copyright © by Gramercy Park Press - All rights reserved.

Please submit corrections, additions or comments to [e-mail]

NASHVILLE

The Delaplaine

Long Weekend Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 – WHY NASHVILLE?

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Chapter 2 – WHERE TO STAY

High on the Hog – Sensible Alternatives – Budget

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Chapter 3 – WHERE TO EAT

Extravagant – Middle Ground – Budget

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Chapter 4 – NIGHTLIFE

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Chapter 5 – WHAT TO SEE & DO

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Chapter 6 –  SHOPPING & SERVICES

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OTHER BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

Chapter 1

WHY NASHVILLE?

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EVERY CITY HAS ITS own nickname. (Some even have more than one.) New York is the Big Apple. New Orleans is the Big Easy. Chicago is the City of the Big Shoulders.

Nashville is Music City, pure and simple. When you hear the term Music City, you only think of one town, and that town is Nashville.

While Memphis is a larger city than Nashville, Nashville is the capital of Tennessee. I never actually thought about that till I first arrived here. My initial reaction on hearing that Nashville was the capital of Tennessee was to think how odd that sounded. I’d only thought of Nashville as the Country Music Capital of the World, which of course it is. Not as the capital of anything else.

Having been raised in South Carolina, I well remember seeing Minnie Pearl on TV in broadcasts from the Grand Ole Opry, which has done weekly shows since 1925, making it the longest continuously broadcast radio show in history.

Grand-Ole-Opry-Main

Nashville is not only the center of the country music business, but for Christian music as well.

They city has outgrown its label as a purely country town. What makes it particularly unique is that it combines the best elements of a small town (people say Hello on the streets, the clerks in the shops are as pleasant as can be) with the sophistication of a big town (the museums are superlative, the galleries cutting edge, the restaurants are world class—repeat the words Catbird Seat and Rolf & Daughters to me).

The restaurant scene has exploded, and now features some of the most original cooking that stands up to the best that New York has to offer. Just look at what they’re doing at the Catbird Seat.  I find it particularly interesting that Sean Brock, who so successfully opened Husk and McCrady’s in Charleston, opted to return to Nashville (where he once worked for 3 years at the Hermitage) with a local version of Husk. If Brock’s presence doesn’t say something about the food scene in Nashville, nothing does.

The bar scene also has greatly expanded, offering much more variety. As for nightlife, there’s never been anyplace with so much music going on. Start at the Bluebird Café (the location of scenes in ABC’s Nashville TV show, though they use a set that recreates the site) and then dig deeper.

The formerly down-and-dirty 12 South District has bounced back big-time with eateries offering sustainable cuisine, trendy shops, a cutting edge atmosphere, making it one of the hotter new areas of town. Meanwhile, in what’s now called SoBro (meaning that it’s directly south of the famous Broadway honky-tonk area), once home to almost nothing, you can experience a whole new neighborhood coming alive as it changes day by day, with famous chefs opening restaurants and craft cocktails being served at new hotspots. 

One thing I guarantee: You’ll never get Nashville out of your blood.

Chapter 2

WHERE TO STAY

High on the Hog – Sensible Alternatives – Budget

404 HOTEL

404 12th Ave S, Nashville, 615-242-7404

www.the404nashville.com

Located in the Gulch neighborhood, this unique urban oasis offers five king rooms with a mix of vintage and custom furniture. Amenities include: gourmet pastries delivered from nearby bakery, and in-room refrigerators stocked with complimentary drinks.

drake

THE DRAKE INN

420 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, 615-256-7770

www.drakeinnnashville.com

This two-level historic inn features 101 well-appointed guest rooms with modern conveniences. Nothing terribly fancy in this old-time motel. Amenities include: swimming pool, Jacuzzi, cable TVs and free internet access. Conveniently located near Downtown area, Music Row, Country Hall of Fame and other local attractions. While there’s no restaurant on site, there are plenty of good ones nearby. Pet-friendly hotel.

GAYLORD OPRYLAND RESORT AND CONVENTION CENTER

2800 Opryland Dr, Nashville, 615-889-1000

www.gaylordhotels.com

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