We spent a couple nights in Nashville the week after our wedding for a mini honeymoon and had the best time.
We are planning to take our actual honeymoon after the first of the year but I am so glad we ended up taking a few days to ourselves in addition. I can’t recommend that to newlyweds enough! Also recommend waiting until Monday am to leave. That way Sunday can be spent recharging from your wedding and you do not feel any rush or stress.
WE STAYED AT the fairlane hotel.
You can read all about it in this blog post. It’s full of great photos of the hotel and there’s also a complimentary cocktail offer from Ellington’s Mid Way Bar + Grill so be sure to check that out!
Ok, now on to the rest of our trip…
WE STOPPED ON OUR WAY IN TO EAT AT proper bagel.
It is located on Belmont University and is a BUSY place. But that being said, the bagels were fabulous and there were SO many unique cream cheese choices. We ordered an everything bagel with a lox cream cheese to split. They were only doing to-go orders at the time (there weren’t any open tables) so we took ours with us and ate across the street. And yes, it is raining in these pics and I still had my pajamas on. Proof that the relaxed, post wedding mood is a VERY REAL thing and it is amazing.
THEN WE DROVE AROUND FOR A BIT BEFORE HEADING FOR A BLOODY MARY AT piranhas.
One of the pleasant things about Nashville is that, even before noon you can easily find a spot with great live music and an open bar. We picked this bar solely because it was close to where we parked but it did set the vacation mood!
UP NEXT, LUNCH AT pastaria.
Our meal here was fabulous. FABULOUS. I was excited to eat here because Ethan and I have a friend who raves about it, but it exceeded our expectations. The staff was so friendly, the natural light in the space was refreshing, and the food was to die for. Our number one recommendation if you go is to get the crispy risotto balls. They are the #1 app at Pastaria and they were NEXT LEVEL wonderful. We also loved the kale salad and pasta. We tried the Canestri Cacio e Pepe and the Bucatini All’ Amatriciana. Next time we visit we will have to get a pizza because they sounded so good. I know I am not alone in loving this place either because I got so many messages from you all after sharing that we visited. It’s a crowd pleaser and now I know why! ps, they also have a full bar so it’s the perf place for a boozy, indulgent meal!
AFTER AN AFTERNOON OF LOUNGING, WE HEADED FOR A COCKTAIL AT the noelle.
One of the great perks of staying at The Fairlane Hotel is the VERY close proximity to a couple other fabulous boutique hotels. The Noelle is just a couple doors down so it was very easy to walk over to for a drink to start the evening. I love having options like that close by when I am traveling. That way, you can experience several spaces without the hassle of taking ubers or walking in the cold. We sat in the bar area on a very cozy couch and I had my favorite cocktail–a French 75! If you are in town, this is a must stop.
TO END OUR EVENING, WE HAD DINNER AT ellington’s mid way bar + grill.
You can see a full recap of this in The Fairlane Hotel blog, here!
IN THE MORNING WE GOT COFFEE AT drug store coffee.
This was the perfect spot to grab a latte to start the day!
WE HAD A CASUAL BREAKFAST AT rise biscuits donuts.
Sadly, I did not snap any photos here but it turned out to be a really great meal! We were not in the mood for a sit down breakfast and we didn’t want to hit any of the tourist trap spots so we ended up venturing over to Rise. It is just a little order at the counter place but the staff was INCREDIBLY friendly and the biscuits were wonderful. Much better than ones we had a few months back at Biscuit Love. I had the one with fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese on it and I highly recommend it!
SCOOTING AROUND ON bird scooters!
I won’t lie to you–I was afraid of the Bird scooters. But I knew doing something like this would make Ethan really happy so I put on my game face and gave it a try. Turns out.. they are so much more fun and easier to use than I thought they would be! Ethan gets the mvp award though because he spent the majority of his rides turning around to check on me to make sure I was scooting along, haha!
BROWSED FOR NEW COFFEE TABLE BOOKS AT books at cummins station
This was realllly fun. It’s a teeny tiny little store that is 99% filled with books. I am talking, they are literally stacked up to the ceilings! We loved browsing around and flipping through books. I found several I wanted to bring home but the prices were just too steep. I will seek out more used book stores in the future when we travel though! Love the idea of bringing one home as a souvenir.
STOPPED FOR A MIDDAY DRINK AT famous saloon.
Again, there was live music and a good bloody mary to be found at this classic Nashville bar. It has a great rooftop too!
WE LUNCHED AT the grilled cheeserie.
I saw this place on IG and Ethan was sold. He loves grilled cheese! We split the turkey de parma sandwich and it was yummy. However, overall this was not our favorite stop. It is further outside of downtown (we determined on this trip we prefer to stay in the heart of downtown Nashville) in a more residential feeling area. It is cute but has a chain restaurant feel to it that Ethan and I aren’t big fans of.
BEFORE DINNER WE HAD A DRINK AT THE BAR IN the bobby hotel.
I forgot to grab any photos of our drinks but you can see my outfit for the night below. The Bobby Hotel is another awesome boutique spot right across from The Fairlane Hotel. It was so convenient to be able to just run across the street so we could have a change of scenery without a long commute. The lobby is intricate and very unique. We loved starting the night there! The seating and lighting made it very intimate.
WE ENDED THE TRIP ON A HIGH NOTE WITH A DINNER AT moto.
Dinner was exactly what we were hoping for. It was not a super upscale, intimidating restaurant. Rather, it seemed hip, intimate and chic. We had great service, a complimentary bubbly toast to celebrate our [mini] honeymoon, and some yummy pasta. The best part was the luxe booth that we sat in. Loved it!
If you all have any questions about anything from the trip just shoot me a message or email me. xx
