Josh & Eden
Things To Do
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
If you ever found yourself foot-tapping to country music on the radio, you will love this museum! It's a fascinating tour of the history of country and bluegrass music, and of the roots of American music in general.
12th Avenue South
12South (you should put "Imogene and Willie's" into your GPS) is a great example of Nashville's trendy, hipster scene. It's a street lined with restaurants, coffee shops and quirky designer stores - plus Eden's favorites, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream and Las Paletas, a Mexican-style popsicle shop. For restaurants in this area, we'd recommend Burger Up, Urban Grub, and the 12th South Taproom.
Marathon Village
This factory-turned-artist mecca is another fun place to walk around. In addition to music studios and artist studios, there are a couple art galleries, a coffee shop, a great music venue, and Antique Archaeology, one of the two retail stores run by the American Pickers crew. Also a gourmet marshmallow shop - yum.
The Factory at Franklin
Another factory-turned-boutiques, the Factory at Franklin is home to some fun and funky shopping, great food, and a classic Southern atmosphere. There is a wonderful bespoke guitar shop, and one of the best bakeries in the area, Five Daughters Bakery.
Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman, the "Mother Church of Country Music", was home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974. The Ryman is Eden's favorite place to see a concert in Nashville, and offers backstage tours about the building's incredible role in music history.
Cheekwood: Estate and Gardens
Cheekwood is a wonderful estate, stately old mansion, botanical gardens, and indoor/outdoor art museum. Although it's winter, the museum is still a lovely place to visit, and they have a variety of interesting exhibits. If the weather is nice, the grounds are a beautiful stroll, not matter the time of year.
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
If art museums are your deal, you can't do better than the Frist - their cornerstone exhibits are fantastic, and their featured exhibits are always creative and interesting.
Jack Daniel's Distillery
It's a bit of a drive, but if you are spending a long weekend in the Nashville area and have a fondness for spirits, the Jack Daniel's Distillery is worth the trip. Lynchberg is a quaint town, and the Distillery offers regular tours and tastings.
Grand Ole Opry
The current home of the Grand Ole Opry, the venue is holds a weekly country music radio show. There are additional activities and tours on the grounds of Opryland, including the Opry Mills Mall, the General Jackson Showboat, and the Opryland Hotel, where Josh and Eden got engaged.
Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant - Downtown Franklin
Puckett's is a down-home, stick-to-your-ribs classic example of Southern cooking. Sometimes the "vegetable of the day" is mac and cheese, and their cobbler is to die for. Although they have a downtown Nashville location, their Franklin original restaurant is closer to the synagogue and hotels. In addition, this location is located in historic downtown Franklin, which is a quaint classic town square with streets of cute boutiques, artsy shops, and other great restaurants (Meridee's is great for breakfast, and Red Pony is a stand-out for dinner). It's a wonderful place to walk around and pass an afternoon!
Prince's Hot Chicken Shack
Eden and Dana's favorite spot for Nashville Hot Chicken - which is an experience! The story behind hot chicken is that Prince's wife was angry at his constant philandering, and made him the spiciest fried chicken she could muster to punish him. However, he liked the heat, and Nashville Hot Chicken was born! If you want the feeling, get the mild. If you want the real deal, order medium. If you hate your taste buds, order hot!
Pinewood Social
Pinewood Social is a huge complex near the riverfront offering fancy cocktails, terrific food, gourmet coffee, bowling, and karaoke, all in the same place. It's fun, and would be a great visit before setting off on a night touring down the honky-tonks on Broadway!
HQ Beercade Nashville
Right off of Broadway, the Beercade is one of Josh and Eden's favorite stops on any night out - good drinks, a fun atmosphere, and all the free arcade games you can handle!
Clyde's on Church
One of the Holmes family's favorite hangouts, Clyde's combines an excellent menu with killer cocktails and tons of fun games - think ping pong, foozball, and pool!
Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint
Nashville's hands-down best barbeque spot! They have three different locations, and they smoke their meat indoors, which gives the whole restaurant a heavenly scent. It's divine, and Eden and Josh make sure to stop here every time they come to Nashville. Order the Redneck Taco and Hushpuppies - trust me.
Sperry's Cool Springs
If you are looking for a classic steakhouse, you can't do better than Sperry's - it's been a Nashville area centerpiece for close to fifty years. They have a few locations, but the Franklin spot is closest to the hotels and Congregation Micah.
Tupelo Honey
Tupelo Honey has a classic Southern menu with a modern twist. They have a few locations across the Southeast, but this one is super close to the hotels!
Mere Bulles Restaurant
The home of classic upscale Southern dining, Mere Bulles is located in a plantation-style house near to the hotels.