After some (not so great) hotel breakfast, we headed to Centennial Park and Bicentennial Capitol Mall. We were able to walk through both parks in about two hours so it was a perfect morning activity. Centennial Park features a full scale replica of the Parthenon in Greece. I hadn't researched this park much, so I was genuinely surprised when I saw this massive replica and was interested to find out more about why it was there. I learned that Nashville is referred to as the "Athens of the South" which explains the replica.
Bicentennial Capitol Mall is just down the street and features a walking history of Nashville Tennessee which I found to be very interesting. Its always important to recognize the history of the the place you are visiting. We had blue skies and sunshine so it as a perfect day for this activity.
After our walk we were ready for lunch! I mentioned before that I am a vegan, so I am always on the hunt for vegan treats. We found a place called Khan's Desserts, but don't let the name deceive you because they sell awesome lunch food as well! I had the Surly Bird and it was incredibly flavorful and incorporated a lot of different textures and tastes. Of course I took home some desserts as well. They had many to choose from but I picked the chocolate peanut butter bar and a chocolate cupcake. Both desserts were amazing!
After lunch it was time to find a local brewery/brewpub. We went to a place called Blackstone Brewpub and were able to get a beer sampler. At some locations, the sampler is a waste of money because they charge you a lot more per ounce than they would if you just ordered one beer. At Blackstone it was a great deal. My favorite was definitely the Oatmeal Stout because it had smooth malty sweet taste.
Later that night we walked around downtown Nashville and tried out about five different bars listening to live music. My favorite was The Stage on Broadway because they had amazing bands singing country music. One of the groups lead singer looked to be about 15 years old, but when he started singing no one doubted him- he was amazing. If you are planning to visit Nashville I would recommend planning out what you want to do during the day, but at night its best to just walk around try out new places, its an adventure after all!
We didn't stay out too late because we were heading to the Great Smoky Mountains early in the morning for more hiking. More on the Smokys later :)
Bicentennial Capitol Mall is just down the street and features a walking history of Nashville Tennessee which I found to be very interesting. Its always important to recognize the history of the the place you are visiting. We had blue skies and sunshine so it as a perfect day for this activity.
After our walk we were ready for lunch! I mentioned before that I am a vegan, so I am always on the hunt for vegan treats. We found a place called Khan's Desserts, but don't let the name deceive you because they sell awesome lunch food as well! I had the Surly Bird and it was incredibly flavorful and incorporated a lot of different textures and tastes. Of course I took home some desserts as well. They had many to choose from but I picked the chocolate peanut butter bar and a chocolate cupcake. Both desserts were amazing!
After lunch it was time to find a local brewery/brewpub. We went to a place called Blackstone Brewpub and were able to get a beer sampler. At some locations, the sampler is a waste of money because they charge you a lot more per ounce than they would if you just ordered one beer. At Blackstone it was a great deal. My favorite was definitely the Oatmeal Stout because it had smooth malty sweet taste.
Later that night we walked around downtown Nashville and tried out about five different bars listening to live music. My favorite was The Stage on Broadway because they had amazing bands singing country music. One of the groups lead singer looked to be about 15 years old, but when he started singing no one doubted him- he was amazing. If you are planning to visit Nashville I would recommend planning out what you want to do during the day, but at night its best to just walk around try out new places, its an adventure after all!
We didn't stay out too late because we were heading to the Great Smoky Mountains early in the morning for more hiking. More on the Smokys later :)
