Guys, Nashville is so much fun!  There’s music on just about every corner and the food – I think I can safely say the best chicken I’ve every eaten was in Nashville.  We were only there for a little more than 12 hours, but we packed in as much as possible.  Our first stop was driving down Music Row, which isn’t much to look at, but when you stop to think about all the great musicians who have recorded there it’s enough to take your breath away.  From there we explored a little, saw the Bluebird Cafe and a few other local spots, before checking into our AirBnB.  We waited until we were driving into Nashville to think about where we would stay so by then our hotel options were all pretty pricey, but AirBnB ended up being the perfect solution.  We were five minutes from downtown and the place we stayed had the best decor.  We love doing AirBnB when we travel since it’s usually a little less expensive and you’re also able to get an idea of the best-hidden treasures from the host.

Once we settled in we headed downtown for some hot chicken and good music.  It was hard to decide where to go for Nashville’s famous hot chicken, but we decided on Hattie B’s and it was excellent!  I underestimated the heat, though.  In the Philly area, the hottest/spiciest options are never that spicy and I love a little heat so I choose the second hottest option on the menu and it turns out they use ghost peppers to make it.  It was delicious, but trust me when I say you probably want to go with the regular old “hot” or “medium”, not the “damn hot” I went for.  We cooled off with beers and great live music at Tootsies, Rippys and a few other little bars in between stopping in to check out the incredible selection of leather boots all along downtown.

The morning we left we were torn between sitting down for breakfast at Pancake Pantry or getting something to go.  We ended up grabbing donuts from Five Daughter’s Bakery, which are like New York’s famous cronuts but with all kinds of incredible topping offers and they were decadent.  I wish we’d had more time in Nashville, but if you only have 12 hours, these spots are among the must-visit.