Once we kicked off our idea of traveling more, we had to slowly get out there and plan what we were to do and how we were going to do it. At first we started off slow with small trips around our area of South Florida, hopping on the Brightline train and exploring our flexibility on time and money, then came Heather’s birthday! As Heather’s birthday approached, we decided we really wanted to spread our wings and look into where else we could go on our budget. We did our research and scoured through Google Flights until we found exactly what we were looking for; a cheap flight to a memorable destination for a day trip. We clicked the map option and scrolled down our options and thats where we found exactly what we were looking for, the heart of country music, filled with honky-tonks and dance halls… Nashville, Tennessee! For $58 total for two people were would be able to fly from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Nashville, TN in a one day trip. We did not even have to discuss the option at this price! We swiped our card, made our reservation and began to make a plan on what we would do once we got there. This was our first big trip and we learnt quickly that no matter how much work we put into planning where to go and what to do, we did not know where to even begin. The night before the trip, we packed our backpacks with a couple options of clothes we could change into, as always we carry a rain jacket anywhere we go, just in case. The morning of we woke up with excitement, threw on our cowboy boots and heading for the door, catching an Uber to our 6am flight. As we made it through security and to the gate, we were just shaking with excitement for this adventure ahead of us. We boarded the plane and took off. This is where I learned that as soon as Heather sits down on an airplane, she is out like a light while myself on the other hand loves to look out the window as the world passes below us and I plan our next trip. At 9am we touched down at the Nashville airport, BNA. We departed the plane, headed through the airport and were just blown away by how much the airport itself represented Nashville with artwork of country music stars, neon lights and Broadway, the main attraction of downtown.
We caught our Uber and headed straight to Broadway. Again, we had no plan. All we had was the thrill of adventure waiting for us. As we arrived in Broadway, we stepped out and were overly excited to see the lively town, stomp around in our cowboy boots and hear country music on every corner. This is not what happened. As we walked Broadway, it was dead. No music, no people, nothing. We looked at each other and though, “did we make a mistake?” We put that thought aside and decided it was time to grab lunch as we were standing outside of the
Jason Aldeans Kitchen and Rooftop Bar. We went in, grabbed a seat at the bar as a single musician played on the stage to an utterly empty crowd. We just could not understand what we did wrong or where everyone was. We ordered a couple drinks from the bartender and some lunch. This is one thing many people do not talk about when it comes to Nashville, the food. The food every where you go is absolutely sensational, but we will get to that later. To be plain and simple, we ordered a couple chicken sandwiches and sat back sipping our drinks from the bar and listened to this young girl on the stage belt out the classics from Dolly Parton to Miranda Lambert and we looked around at the neon lights and the decor of the Jason Aldean Bar. The bar itself is absolutely breathtaking! It has an older bar feel with a modern day take all topped off with a big green tractor right over the bar. As we waited for the our food, we finally asked the bartender, “Where is everyone!”. His response brought us back to reality. “Uhhhh well it’s only 10am so probably still sleeping off the hangover from last night”….We learned very quickly that Nashville, TN is ONE HOUR BEHIND Fort Lauderdale, Florida and we had not changed our clocks on our phones or our watches. To us, we thought it was almost noon and we thought at least an early crowd would start to appear. We laughed and felt a huge sigh of relief. We did not make any mistake on the crowds, the location or our expectations. We were just too early! Our food arrived, we grabbed another drink and munched down this absolutely amazing chicken sandwich with all the Nashville, mouth watering spices. Once we closed our tab at 11:30am, we headed to the rooftop so we could spot our next destination. One thing you will learn about Nashville, is that they love their rooftop bars as much as they do their street level honkey-tonks. As soon as we walked out on the rooftop and looked down we were hit with an entirely different scene that what we had left two hours before.
Music blaring, horns honking, girls screaming, guys hollering back and the crowds blotted out the pavement below us. THIS is what we had come here to see. Heather and I quickly took off down the stairs and wondered into the crowd. As we walked around, we were just amazed by everything that was going on around us. The amount of bachelor and bachelorette groups in the streets, on these buses with the rooftops cut off with the speakers blasting country music and even trailers pulled by tractors was just unfathomable. Within two hours of our arrival, Nashville had come alive! We wondered up and down Broadway, listening to a different band rocking it out, not just at every corner bar as you’d see in most town but at every single bar, side by side. If you walked into one location and did not like the song choice, you could walk back out onto the street and into the next bar until you found the vibe you were looking for. This went on for hours as we explored Broadway from beginning to end. As the day was coming to an end, we wandered onto the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. At this point all we wanted was to get a photo of the sunset together as we celebrated our first big adventure on Heather’s big day. We tried all we could to get the perfect shot but we just could not make it happen. At this point, the southern charm really came out in those around us. A young man playing his guitar on the bridge, put his instrument down and asked if he could take the photo for us and we obliged with a huge smile on our face. You can see our shots on our instagram of not just the bridge but the whole trip to Nashville. At this time, our feet were hurting from all the walking we had done in cowboy boots, up and down Broadway. One thing we did not know about Nashville before we landed is that there are many, many, manyyyy hills compared to South Florida. These hills had us walking up and down throughout the whole day as we explored. We then headed down to Broadway, grabbed a souvenir from one of the shops we found through the crowd and went to grab a quick bite to eat before we planned to head back to the airport for ours 9:45pm flight home. This is where we actually did not step into one of the classical restaurants down on Broadway. Instead we decided for something quick and tasty without the wait and to give our eardrums a break. This is where we found Chicken Guy, a chicken restaurant, kind of hidden on the side streets of Broadway owned and operated by Guy Fieri and his team. When you think about what they serve, think Chic-Fil-A times 1000. It was amazingly good for something so quick and simple. Once we finished our chicken delight, we heading back into the crown and found ourselves right back in the crown of people which had exploded into the nightlife. This is where the true heart and soul of Nashville came out. We walked into the street and stood mesmerized by the amount of people, the lights, the music and the absolute joy we saw all around us. Everyone was smiling, no one was upset, these people were just there soaking it in. Heather and I stopped between Jacks BBQ and Jason Aldean’s Bar, smack in the middle of the street, asked a passerby to take our photo for our, put on our biggest smile and waited for the flash. We then caught a cab back to the airport, boarded the plane, shared a kiss and a smile and took off back to South Florida. I stared out the window, relieved we made it with no plan and could not wait to start thinking about our next adventure. Heather, as always, leaned back as soon as the plane took off and fell into dreamland.
All in all, a wonderful trip. We can not wait to go back and see Nashville again to explore more than just Broadway and really take it all in for all of its country glory.
Cost:
$58 round trip flight
$30 Jason Aldean Bar
$15 Souvenir Shop
$28 Chicken Guy
$30 in Uber Fees
Total: Priceless
