Music, beer, biscuits, and hot chicken- what more do you need out of a Nashville trip?!
We acquired all of these and then some when we visited Nashville a few weeks ago for the Fourth of July. As always, it was an excellent time! We just love Nashville- the vibe, the people, the food, the music- there’s a lot to love. We were excited to be able to explore some new places we hadn’t tried yet this time. We even had fun at this scenic rest-stop along the way.
Yazoo Brewery
Our first stop in Nashville was none other than Yazoo Brewery. Yahoo beer is a favorite in our household and we make sure to stock up on their delicious Hefeweizen when we visit. We’ve taken the tour multiple times between all of us and just generally always have a great time there. This time- we decided to go for a flight and we ended up taking home a growler of the specialty July 4th beer- Sparkler- which was a huge hit.
The Sparkler and the Hefeweizen were my favorites of the trip. Aren’t the beer flights adorable? I just love the rounded sample glasses and the cute triangle display they give you there!
After our merriment at the brewery, we headed downtown to grab some food, naturally. We wanted to try out somewhere different and given our nature of utter starvation at this point, we decided to forego the hour long wait from Hattie B’s which is out general go-to- and go somewhere less hyped where we could still get the hot chicken we craved. (Sidebar- WHY doesn’t Atlanta have hot chicken yet?!)
We ended up checking out a place called “The Stillery” downtown. Sadly, I didn’t end up snapping any photos here but I have to say the hot chicken pizza is a must-try food item. It was a nice touch that they had some live music, there too! I tried some beer from another Nashville original brewery- Jackalope which was great. We’ll have to check them out next time.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at The Ryman
As usual on our Nashville trips- we hit up a show at The Ryman. Noel Gallagher is a favorite of my husband’s and I really enjoy them too! We had seen them previously at Shaky Knees Fest in Atlanta- and I have to say this set was just as good if not better- even though we were in the balcony this time. Just a great experience all around. Tight band, simple yet effective visuals- and as always The Ryman has just a great atmosphere. We ended up snagging a Hatch Show Print to hang up in our apartment- if we can find some space on the wall to do so! We’ve amassed quite the collection lately.
Crema Coffee
This coffee shop hits the spot every time for us. It’s a must-visit place. We love it so much we’ve ordered coffee beans from them directly to have shipped to us. In fact, we still have the handwritten note from our last order hanging on our fridge. I don’t know why we kept it. We just really love coffee. And Crema. And handwritten notes. Apparently.
Big shoutout to the iced Cuban- one of my favorite drinks to order there. It always reminds me of the musical In the Heights since it’s basically espresso with condensed milk. I feel like Abuela Claudia would approve of this drink.
Biscuit Love
If you love biscuits, breakfast, hot chicken, donut-esque creations or a combination of all of these things you NEED to go to Biscuit Love! The line out the door was an indication that we were in for something good- though luckily for us the line moved quick. Biscuit Love is an “order at the counter” then sit down type of place, which was convenient- UNTIL we realized that we goofed in not ordering an item called the “bonut” right off the bat.
It was one of those situations where as we moved towards our table… we saw these delicious pillows of dough on virtually eery single table. We could smell the fresh blueberry scent taunting us… we knew at that moment… we made a mistake.
LUCKILY the workers there took pity on us and let us put in an order of bonuts and sweet decadence was our victory. It was beautiful. What’s a bonut you ask? A bonut is a perfect and lovely marriage between a biscuit and donut, topped with light lemon mascarpone cream and bathed in a sweet blueberry sauce. Oh, man. I still dream about them.
That’s not to say the other food wasn’t superb either, because it definitely was. My husband went for the hot chicken biscuit which I kind of regretted at the time- though all of our food was great! But the bonus stole the show, clearly.
Airbnb
Airbnb is definitely our go-to booking source for all of our trips and this one we rented was especially wonderful. The host left us a cute basket with snacks and sparkling water, it had an amazing backyard patio (with a hammock!) and just a great relaxed vibe. I was especially fond of this ceiling fixture in the kitchen:
It also had a major bonus- a neighborhood CAT that hung out with us and was super friendly. I channeled my inner National Geographic and took this photo of Rosie. I have to say I’m pretty proud of this shot. Especially since we were a few beers in at the time…
Getting a little silly with the guys!
The Hot Chicken Festival
So we were wondering what we wanted to do exactly on the 4th in Nashville- and that question was easily answered once we realized there was a hot chicken festival in town. Sure- it was swelteringly hot OUTSIDE- but how could you resist a hot chicken festival?! The lines were extremely long and it was a bit overwhelming at first, but we were fortunate to run into a kind soul who ~knew~ his hot chicken. He told us Bolton’s was the way to go so we headed that way.
It helped that it was the shortest line at the time, too. So after about an hour wait, we were glad we went with his recommendation. Bolton’s hot chicken actually came boneless, and on a stick! It’s the truth. And let me tell you- it was HOT. My husband Kyle was crying with the “hot” degree. I got mild and still felt like it was on the edge of my hot limits. But it was great. Highly recommend!
Yes that’s me relishing the chicken. Living for the chicken. Hot chicken is love. Hot chicken is life.
Post- hot chicken festival, we grabbed some Jeni’s ice cream to cool off our tongues and headed home, thankful for another wonderful trip in the good ole’ Nash. See you next time!
[A huge thank you to Peter for taking these awesome pics and for letting me take a few as well!]