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Trip to Nashville (1 Viewer)

Godsbrother

Godsbrother

Footballguy
Taking first post-Covid trip at the end of this month and going to Nashville with wife and a few friends.  Flying in on a Friday evening and flying back home on a Tuesday evening.   Staying at the AC Marriott downtown and looking for stuff to do.

I am a big home brewer so definitely want to check out a couple breweries when I am there, possibly a tour of a distillery. 

Not a huge country music fan (prefer Rock and Jazz) but I suppose a visit to Country HoF, Grand Ole Opry, and/or Johnny Cash museums are mandatory.  Also would be interested in anything to do with history, hiking, etc. and of course restaurant recommendations.

So whatcha got?

 
No great suggestions for down town but if you have a day take a drive over to the smokey mountains if you haven't been thru that area.  Beautiful scenery out there.

 
On Friday or Saturday night, start at Legends and then go to Tootsie's, then Robert's, then just keep making your way down Broadway. Enjoy a beer and a few songs at each place until you find the one you really like. Then turn left on 2nd and do the same.

 
In addition to the places already mentioned, there is a life sized Parthenon downtown and Andrew Jackson's Hermitage is also near Nashville.

It's also pleasant to walk around the Cumberland River downtown, near the Titans stadium.

 
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You probably already know this as a beer guy but Bearded Iris is world class. Southern Grist is fantastic. 

Am I remembering right you're from Pittsburgh? They'll be in the ballpark of Dancing Gnome and HItchhiker. 

There isn't any BBQ in all of Nashville I'd recommend.

Hot Chicken as you probably know is their thing.

The original Prince's is still the best. By a mile in opinion. The original Boltons is excellent too. The chains like Hattie B's have done a decent job of taking something special and soulful and turning it into mass appeal places and it's ok. 

 
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Nashville is known for it's "Meat and Threes" which are cafeteria style American Food. The name is from lots of places have a price for the protein choice plus your choice of 3 sides. 

Arnolds is easily my favorite and has done a great job of keeping mostly true to what it was before a zillion tourists flocked to it. 

Swetts is good too. As is Monell's. 

 
Not sure what is available for tours at the Ryman Auditorium but it's a shrine. Not fancy at all but tons of history. 

 
Joe Bryant said:
Not sure what is available for tours at the Ryman Auditorium but it's a shrine. Not fancy at all but tons of history. 
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Yeah that is on my list but so is the Johnny Cash Museum, Country Music HoF and Grand Ole Opry.  Not sure which to do though.  

Ryman gets extra points for being so close though

 
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Joe Bryant said:
You probably already know this as a beer guy but Bearded Iris is world class. Southern Grist is fantastic. 

Am I remembering right you're from Pittsburgh? They'll be in the ballpark of Dancing Gnome and HItchhiker. 

There isn't any BBQ in all of Nashville I'd recommend.

Hot Chicken as you probably know is their thing.

The original Prince's is still the best. By a mile in opinion. The original Boltons is excellent too. The chains like Hattie B's have done a decent job of taking something special and soulful and turning it into mass appeal places and it's ok. 
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Thanks and yes I will definitely check these breweries out for sure.

Nashville BBQ isn't good?   I am pretty surprised by that but I am down with hot chicken.

 
yak651 said:
No great suggestions for down town but if you have a day take a drive over to the smokey mountains if you haven't been thru that area.  Beautiful scenery out there.
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By far the best part of Tennessee. Memphis is 2nd. Nashville a hugely distant 3rd. ;)  

 
Ryman is one of those places (like a lot of shrines) that when you get there you think, "Really, this is it?". But it's rad. All the seats are wooden church pews. The acoustics are so pure. One of my favorite times I saw Bon Iver was there and they did a non amplified encore with Skinny Love that only worked because the acoustics are so good. https://youtu.be/V7uJeb8wjQo

 
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Godsbrother said:
Yeah that is on my list but so is the Johnny Cash Museum, Country Music HoF and Grand Ole Opry.  Not sure which to do though.  

Ryman gets extra points for being so close though
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Those three places are pretty fun, and the first two are yards apart. 
 

If you’re into Civil War stuff, the Lotz and Carter Houses, as well as the Carnton Plantation are good visits, albeit they’re in Franklin, a short drive away.

 
Best place hiking and hanging out outside of town is Rock Island State Park, if you want to go that far. My favorite area in the entire state. About hour and a half drive from Nashville but a great day trip if you want to get out of town. 

 
My wife and I went a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Ryman was great to visit and virtually every pub/bar we went in to had live music playing. Although I’m not a big country music guy, it was still enjoyable to watch local talent.

We did the drive to Graceland and spent a night in Memphis, which was also worth the trip. Went to a few hole in the wall type eateries for hot chicken, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, etc. Wish I could remember the names but every place we went, the food was spot on.

 
Joe Bryant said:
You probably already know this as a beer guy but Bearded Iris is world class. Southern Grist is fantastic. 

Am I remembering right you're from Pittsburgh? They'll be in the ballpark of Dancing Gnome and HItchhiker. 

There isn't any BBQ in all of Nashville I'd recommend.

Hot Chicken as you probably know is their thing.

The original Prince's is still the best. By a mile in opinion. The original Boltons is excellent too. The chains like Hattie B's have done a decent job of taking something special and soulful and turning it into mass appeal places and it's ok. 
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Not a fan of Peg Leg Porker?  Or Martins BBQ?

original Hattie Bs imo was superior to Princes.  But all of it now is a bit overrated IMO

 
Joe Bryant said:
There isn't any BBQ in all of Nashville I'd recommend.
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Carey Bringle is doing some strong work at Peg Leg Porker, IMO. Does a Memphis style dry rib fairly well... by far the best in town. 
 

Hattie B's doesn't provide the slice of bread as food, it's to soak up the insane amount of grease flowing off the chicken. :thumbdown:   Now that there is a Gus's World Famous in town, there's no need to waste your money on inferior Nashville Style. 
 

 
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[icon] said:
Carey Bringle is doing some strong work at Peg Leg Porker, IMO. Does a Memphis style dry rib fairly well... by far the best in town. 
 

Hattie B's doesn't provide the slice of bread as food, it's to soak up the insane amount of grease flowing off the chicken. :thumbdown:   Now that there is a Gus's World Famous in town, there's no need to waste your money on inferior Nashville Style. 
 
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So Gus > Hattie B's?

 
Godsbrother said:
So Gus > Hattie B's?
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For me, yes. But they're different chicken. 
 

Gus' is sauceless, with the spice field in via the Paper thin batter layer over the skin. I feel like they do a better job of keeping the chicken moist (via buttermilk bath), are less greasy, and have a better overall flavor. 
 

Hattie B's is a heavily sauced chicken that allows customizing heat levels, but is much greasier and IMO is inferior chicken itself. 

I was not impressed with Hattie B's in Nashville or Memphis. Maybe if you're ordering tenders... and want that over sauced mess.

But for chicken pieces it's no contest for me.... Gus' > Nashville style. And I LOVE heavily sauced Buffalo wings. 

 
Pepperfire is by far the best but they're in the middle of a location move 😭

Hard to go wrong with Prince's or Bolton's.

 
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you bromigos keep talkin about food but i already done told you there are 13 parneras in nashville take that to the bank 

 
Godsbrother said:
So Gus > Hattie B's?
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I've not been to the Gus' in Nashville. Our Gus' in Knoxville is ok. 

My guess is both are on about same level. But very different chicken. Gus is more standard fried chicken. Hattie B's is Nashville hot chicken where they add sauce.

I'd rate Hattie B's about a 4 and Gus' a 6. Original Princes and Boltons are a 9. 

 
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Godsbrother said:
Not a huge country music fan (prefer Rock and Jazz) but I suppose a visit to Country HoF, Grand Ole Opry, and/or Johnny Cash museums are mandatory. 
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I'd recommend both the Ryman and HoF (walking distance of each other) and skip Grand Ole Opry. Also Blue Bird Cafe is legendary but just a huge roll of the dice and very likely to disappoint. Been there 3 times and enjoyed it once. BB Kings on 2nd has decent R&B and Motown, and Bourbon Street Blues on Printers Alley has decent blues (hey, it's Music City, not Country Music City) all in walking distance downtown. Also agree with those saying start at Legends and sample your way down Broadway - only recommending the others as sort of a break to the honky tonks. Man I really miss good live music.

 
[icon] said:
Carey Bringle is doing some strong work at Peg Leg Porker, IMO. Does a Memphis style dry rib fairly well... by far the best in town. 
 

Hattie B's doesn't provide the slice of bread as food, it's to soak up the insane amount of grease flowing off the chicken. :thumbdown:   Now that there is a Gus's World Famous in town, there's no need to waste your money on inferior Nashville Style. 
 
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Wait, there's a Gus's a in Nashville now? Thought I would have heard this. 

 
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Godsbrother, 

First off, everyone is a country music fan when they visit Nashville.  Strolling down Broadway or walking along music row, its hard not to get in the spirit.  

I would recommend spending a day doing just that, depending on how busy the venues are and how much you want to avoid Covid. 

For some not so common recommendations if you are looking for a day time change of pace - 

The Belle Meade Plantation and Historic site is pretty cool and worth checking out during the day. 

Cheekwood Botanical garden and Museum of Art is really nice too.  

A drive through Belle Meade and down through the West side of the city is really interesting. Lots of big houses and beautiful rolling hills and you can tie that together with some civil war sites.  There is a decent sized museum down in Franklin I believe although I haven't been there. 

As far as food goes - the main strip used to be bad (when I lived there in 2010-2011) but things have obviously changed a lot. 

I second Arnolds, but it isn't going to change your life.  It just has cool character and is kind of gritty, which is its appeal. 

I really do like Whiskey Kitchen.  Cool vibe, open air restaurant (where they peel back the windows) and great food.  

As far as BBQ, I used to really like Judge Beans in Brentwood, but that's about 15 min outside of the city or so. 

Obviously all of the standard country music stuff but I thought I'd throw in a few things that are a little different. 

Cheers, 

Turk

 
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Joe Bryant said:
I've not been to the Gus' in Nashville. Our Gus' in Knoxville is ok. 

My guess is both are on about same level. But very different chicken. Gus is more standard fried chicken. Hattie B's is Nashville hot chicken where they add sauce.

I'd rate Hattie B's about a 4 and Gus' a 6. Original Princes and Boltons are a 9. 
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I'd go: 

Hattie B's 4-5 (have had 3 locations) 

Prince's 7 

Gus's Memphis 7-9 (have had 4 locatons) 

Gus's Nashville 8 (one trip) 

Havent had Bolton's 

 
flapgreen said:
Wait, there's a Gus's a in Nashville now? Thought I would have heard this. 
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A Central BBQ as well.  Though...going to guess once they opened up multiple spots in Memphis and sold to a corporation (and now added one in Nashville)...its not quite the same.

 
flapgreen said:
Best place hiking and hanging out outside of town is Rock Island State Park, if you want to go that far. My favorite area in the entire state. About hour and a half drive from Nashville but a great day trip if you want to get out of town. 
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If you are into nature/hiking and IF you are going to Rock Island you might as well add Fall Creek Falls to the list.   A bit out of the way (about a 2 hour drive), but well worth it.  One of our favorite places on earth.

 
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Hov34 said:
If you are into nature/hiking and IF you are going to Rock Island you might as well add Fall Creek Falls to the list.   A bit out of the way (about a 2 hour drive), but well worth it.  One of our favorite places on earth.
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A little further but also very nice. Wife and kids went there last weekend 

 
Joe Bryant said:
I've not been to the Gus' in Nashville. Our Gus' in Knoxville is ok. 

My guess is both are on about same level. But very different chicken. Gus is more standard fried chicken. Hattie B's is Nashville hot chicken where they add sauce.

I'd rate Hattie B's about a 4 and Gus' a 6. Original Princes and Boltons are a 9. 
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https://rockyshotchickenshack.com/menu/

@icon

If you're ever in Asheville.  They do hot chicken without the sauce and it comes with bread on the bottom.  Sounds like it might check both of your boxes.

 
:blackdot:

My wife has been watching Marriage or Mortgage and now wants to go. I’m trying to convince her to go to Memphis instead. Maybe we’ll do both!

 
Joe Bryant said:
Nice. Asheville is one of my favorite towns. Burial Brewing is one of my favorite breweries in the country. Buxton Hall BBQ is killer too. Easily my favorite "fancy" BBQ spot in the US. 
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Tell us more about this Buxton Hall joint, please!  I haven't been to Asheville since I as about 12 but with my beer and BBQ predilection it seems I must return.

 
Joe Bryant said:
Nice. Asheville is one of my favorite towns. Burial Brewing is one of my favorite breweries in the country. Buxton Hall BBQ is killer too. Easily my favorite "fancy" BBQ spot in the US. 
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Burial is my favorite and they just expanded into Charlotte.  Haven't been to Buxton but 9 Bones and Luella's is decent.  Didn't mean to derail the thread, just wanted to mention the Rocky's Chicken as you and @icon were getting into pretty deep detail about Hot Chicken.

 
Ron Swanson said:
Tell us more about this Buxton Hall joint, please!  I haven't been to Asheville since I as about 12 but with my beer and BBQ predilection it seems I must return.
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I wanted to not like it as it's super nice inside and out. Table service and a bar program. Definitely hipsterish. 

But 100% legit. Elliott Moss is the guy behind it. I don't "know" him other than I've talked to him a few times in the restaurant and we communicate on instagram. 

What I love is he pays full respect to doing it the right way. While the Nashville spots will do all the talking about their whole hog cooker out front, while they cook 99% of their stuff in a gas powered Old HIckory oven, guys like Moss are not just using all live fire, but doing it the even more difficult NC style of burning the hickory down to coals and only using coals. It's unbelievably inefficient. And awesome. 

Short video here https://vimeo.com/161555360

Buxton is 10x better than any place I've been in Nashville. Maybe 50x. 

 
The Dreaded Marco said:
I’m not sure why you’d shake your head at a factual statement and a well wish to a fellow FBG.  

I’m now SMH. 

Hasta.  
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Guy asked for advice on a trip he's looking forward to after vaccination:

Your complete response was:

We're definitely not even close to being post-COVID yet.

I hope you will stay safe and well.  
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I think a lot of people are going to sigh when that's the complete response to his sincere question.

Let's please not derail this thread though. I'll start another one. 

 
FWIW, Moss at Buxton Hall has a similar vibe to Mason Hereford at Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans. Not as wild as Hereford, but definitely seems to be in it for way more than the money. 

 
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