I just can’t seem to stay away from Nashville!
It’s such an easy drive from Memphis and has so many options for shopping, dining, experiencing art, and relaxing. If you caught my post about the Bode life then you know that I spent a weekend in Nashville celebrating my birthday with some of my favorite people. Our weekend was exactly what I needed to get back into actually celebrating my birthday and not just letting it pass.
WHERE TO STAY
We had such a relaxing time staying at Bode. Everything we needed was in our apartment, downstairs in the Hub, or a quick text away. If you’re looking for a hotel experience that makes you feel right at home, has plenty of space, and creates experiences for you to get to know your crew and other travelers, Bode is the place for you. Check out my full review here!
THINGS TO DO
Oil Bar Experience – Lemon Laine is the stuff of dreams. I knew that I absolutely had to book their oil bar experience for my birthday and I’m so glad I did. We were greeted with wine, asked about my skin care woes and daily routine, and walked through the process of our personalized oils being mixed. You can catch more of the experience under my Insta Stories ‘Nashville’ highlight.
A few tips for your experience:
- Book early and preferably not on the weekend in order to get the time you want
- Be honest on your skin quiz! There’s no judgement and you want to make sure you get maximum results from your personalized face oil
- Relax! Enjoy your oil bar experience and save time on your schedule shop the rest of the store
Shopping in Germantown – A wrote a post last year about all the things I loved doing in the Germantown area. At the top of my list, shopping! I am still a big fan of ABEDNEGO, Alexis + Bolt, and Wilder. There’s also some fabulous dining in the area. See more on Germantown favorites here.
Candle Pouring Class – My absolute favorite candle is rose + santal by Paddywax. That was honestly enough to get me to book a candle pouring class at their Candle Bar for my crew. Well, at least that’s what I wanted to do, but we honestly just barely made it into the class.
The Saturday class we wanted was booked for weeks in advance. Luckily, Kelly (I believe) was so kind and understanding when I called constantly asking for updates about our place on the waitlist. I couldn’t pull my card out fast enough when she called the day before we left to me know there was an opening!
The process was pretty straight forward and fun. We brought prosecco, smelled all the fragrances, poured our personalized candles, shopped the cutest stationary and pre-made candles then kissed our candles goodbye.
We picked them up the next day before we hit the road. If you’re heading out of town immediately, just let the team know and they will mail it to you! I highly recommend the pouring for a girls night, date night, or a ‘I want to get away from everyone I know and focus on something trivial’ night.
WHERE TO EAT
Liberty Common – We somehow stumbled upon Liberty Common for brunch and could not believe that it was even more beautiful than it looks on Instagram! Not only was every detail of the interiors absolutely stunning, but the food was delicious. I know we’ve all gone to those cutesy places where the food tastes like a world without seasoning and has the texture of cardboard. Liberty is definitely not one of those places. In fact, you’ll find yourself having a difficult time choosing just one dish!
Makeready Libations & Liberation – A winner on all fronts! The food, the service, and the fact that it’s located inside of the stunning Noelle hotel made this my pick for my birthday dinner. We dined on some butternut squash, pan roasted maitake mushrooms, garlic mashed potato gratin, and mac and cheese. My meat eating friends also enjoyed oysters, lamb, and a ridiculously large meatloaf. Glowing reviews all around!
Bartaco – I normally try to stay away from chains while traveling. Yet, I found myself constantly stalking their Instagram and wondering if the tacos were as good as they looked. The answer: YES. The tacos, churros, daily special margaritas, and sides are incredible. I had the cauliflower, portobella, and falafel tacos, asian slaw, spicy cucumber slaw, and grilled corn. Yes, that was too much food. No, I have no regrets.
PLACES TO GET YOUR ART + CULTURE ON
FirstBank First Saturday Art Crawl – Head downtown for this free art crawl, featuring receptions and art openings for exhibitions presenting emerging and renowned artists. The event also includes live music, street art, and other special events.
21c Museum Hotel – Experience award-winning contemporary art exhibitions, delicious chef-driven food, and docent-led tours and talks at this downtown Nashville location. Learn more about the 21c stay experience here!
Frist Art Museum – Come for the art, stay for the film series, lectures, and Frist Fridays. Check out their website to find the theme and list of special events for the next Frist Fridays.
This looks like such a fun trip! I love those lights in the hotel room–so cute! The oil bar sounds amazing. And so does the candle pouring class. I would love to visit Nashville someday.
It was all so much fun! Let me know if you come down for a visit.
That looks like such a relaxing weekend. I need one of these ASAP! 🙂
Oh you’re giving me all of the wanderlust vibes for Nashville! I think it’s the perfect place for a girls getaway but I haven’t been in NINE years! I need to get back. Definitely pinning this for my planning. 🙂
Yes, SO MUCH has changed. I’m sure you will love it!
We are potentially planning a bachelorette party in Nashville and these ideas would all be a huge hit! Saving this post for later!
We spotted more than a few bach trips while there. You’ll have a great time!
Nashville is on my list of places I want to visit in the U.S. I always hear great things about it and how much fun it is.
Ahh I wanna go to Nashville so badly. The place you stayed and the things you did looked like SO MUCH FUN. The oil bar and the candle class? How cool is that!!
Thank you, Stephanie! It really was the BEST time.
I love Nashville! I was there last summer for a girls trip and it was amazing!
Yay! Did you post about it? If so, send me your link!
Everything looks so amazing!! I want to go there now! The oil bar sounds like such a cool experience!
You will LOVE the oil bar!
I’ve never been to Nashville, but now I get what the hype is about! I’ll have to plan a visit.
It’s SO worth the hype! Let me know if you visit.
All your photos are so cute! I’ve never been to Nashville but I want to visit so bad, sounds like such a fun city!
So much fun! Thanks for reading, Brittany.
I’m absolutely loving the aesthetic of all of these places! All SO pretty! Sounds like you had a wonderful time!
-Madi xo | http://www.everydaywithmadirae.com
Yes, every place we visited was so well designed! Thanks for stopping by, Madi.
I live so close to Nashville and friends and I have been talking about making a trip out there for weeks now. SAVING THIS!!!
DO IT! Let me know if you go and write a post about it.
Here in PH it is rare to find friends who’ll come with you to the museums so they are for keeps.
I agree! Visiting museums is one of my favorite things to do while traveling. I was so grateful they enjoyed it too!
I so need a girls’ weekend and it looks like Nashville is a great choice. I love the idea of the candle pouring and it seems like there’s so much to do there – beyond the well-known music scene!
YES – there’s so much going on there! Music scene lover or not, you’ll find something to get into.
It sounds like you had an amazing weekend, and now I want Tacos 😛
HA – always yes to tacos!
Nashville is so fun! I live about 8 hours away, but we make sure to stop by every chance we get! I love the idea of the oil bar, how fun 🙂
It’s only 3.5 for me! Let me know the next time you visit. I’m always up for a meetup.
Ive been to Nashville but never for a girls trip…looks like tons of fun!
Valerie
TONS of fun! Thanks for reading, Valerie.
Nashville looks like so much fun!
Never been but want to go badly! Even more now! Thanks a lot for sharing your experience.
Of course! Thanks for checking out my post!
I love going to Nashville, but I haven’t experienced most of the things you suggested. The candle pouring sounds like so much fun! Your photos are gorgeous, too!
Thank you, Lisa! Also, I LOVE your blog name.
What a fun trip! So many people have been going to Nashville lately 🙂
Meagen | toasttopost.com
Oh my gosh this is AWESOME! Saving this. I’m heading to Nashville in a few months & this is perfect. Thanks for sharing!
Yay! Have the BEST time.
I live in Nashville and have never heard of some of these places. I definitely want to try the candle and oil experiences! Thanks!