Nashville Was Made for a Girls' Weekend
My first trip to Nashville was about ten years ago with a mixture of cousins and friends. Those girls know how to have FUN. We all love country music. We all love to dance. We all love to have a good time. Nashville was a pretty easy choice for a long girls’ weekend.
It must have been a good choice. I’ve been back four more times since then, and I already know I’ll go again. I’ve gone about every couple of years, and one thing I’ve learned is that Nashville doesn’t stay the same for very long.
There always seems to be a new bar popping up somewhere on Broadway. Some are huge, some have multiple floors and rooftops, and plenty have a celebrity’s name attached to them. Give me the old honky-tonks—the smaller places that feel a little less polished, where the music matters more than whose name is on the sign.
Apparently, We’re Radio Personalities Now
That first trip gave us one of those completely unexpected Nashville memories. There were ten of us, and we weren’t exactly a group that blended into the background. Between our bright pink shirts and lively chatter, we were pretty easy to notice.
Somehow, that led to us getting on SiriusXM’s Music Row Happy Hour.
Yes. On the radio.
I’m not sure anyone listening needed to hear from ten women from Iowa having a girls’ weekend in Nashville, but they got us anyway. We were more than happy to participate. It was one of those things we never could have planned—and probably one of the reasons I remember that first Nashville trip so well.
Just Follow the Music
One of my favorite things about Broadway is that you really don’t need much of a plan. I love walking down the street and hearing the bands playing as we pass. If they’re playing a good song, we step inside. Maybe for a drink. Definitely for a dance if it’s the right song. If the band is particularly good, we stay awhile. If not, we head back out and see what we hear next.
If you decide later that the first band really was the best one? Go back.
That’s what I love about Broadway. You can come and go and make up the day—or night—as you go along.
Robert’s Will Always Be My Favorite
Of all the places I’ve been on Broadway, Robert’s Western World is by far my favorite. It’s one of the older honky-tonks, and it still feels like the kind of place I picture when I think about Nashville. There aren’t nearly as many of those old places left anymore, which probably makes me appreciate Robert’s even more.
Then there’s the Recession Special—a fried bologna sandwich, a beer, and a MoonPie. Yes, the fried bologna sandwich is amazing.
There are newer, bigger, and flashier places all over Broadway now, but Robert’s is still the place I keep going back to.
A Few More Favorites
Robert’s may be my favorite, but it’s definitely not the only place I love on Broadway.
Ole Red is another one. I like heading up to the second floor, finding a spot along the half wall, and watching the band playing below. Over the years, I’ve noticed that Ole Red seems to have some of the best bands. When the music is good, I’m perfectly happy staying awhile.
Then there’s Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa. Good music, fun atmosphere, and, well...it’s pink. A lot of pink. I’m not sure I need much more of a reason than that.
On my last trip, I loved sitting on the rooftop at Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up. Give me a rooftop, live country music, a drink, and good Nashville weather, and I’m pretty easy to please.
Sometimes You Need a Rooftop
I really enjoy Nashville’s rooftop bars—as long as the weather isn’t too hot or too cold to enjoy being outside. Most have their own bands, so you can grab a drink, listen to music, and watch all the action happening on Broadway below. Sometimes it’s nice to get just a little bit above the craziness without actually leaving it.
Acme Feed & Seed is another rooftop stop I enjoy, and they have some great food, too.
That’s one of the things I like about Broadway. Downstairs you can be right in the middle of everything; a few floors later, you’re sitting outside watching it all happen below.
When Someone From Our Hometown Takes the Stage
One of the more memorable stops on my last trip was Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop. A guy from our hometown in Iowa was playing there, so of course we had to go see him. There was something pretty fun about being all the way in Nashville, surrounded by country music, and watching someone from our little corner of Iowa perform.
For a little while, we felt pretty important. We knew the guy on stage! Okay, maybe he wasn’t actually famous, but that night in Nashville, we sure acted like he was.
And Then We Found the Goo Goos
On my last trip, I discovered something else that had been missing from my Nashville experience: Goo Goo Chocolate. Just down the street from Bell Bottoms Up is Goo Goo Chocolate Co. I had never even heard of it, but one of my friends told us we HAD to go. Naturally, we went.
It’s a cute little chocolate shop where you can watch them make Goo Goo Clusters, and there are plenty of fun gifts besides the candy itself. The REALLY fun part is making your own custom Goo Goo. You use an interactive kiosk to choose your chocolate shell, fillings, and toppings, and then they make your creation for you.
The regular Goo Goo Clusters are great. Those custom Goo Goos? Those are the real deal.
Turns out, honky-tonk hopping and custom-made chocolate go very well together.
Why I Keep Going Back
Broadway has changed a lot since my first trip. Every time I go back, there seems to be another new place to try. The thing I love most hasn’t really changed.
It’s walking down Broadway with people I love traveling with, hearing music pouring out of the bars, and someone saying, “Oh, I love this song!” So we go in. Maybe we dance. Maybe we have a drink. Maybe the band is so good that we stay longer than we planned. Then we head back outside and do it all over again.
No carefully planned schedule. No worrying about what we’re supposed to see next. Just good music, dancing, a few drinks, a fried bologna sandwich somewhere along the way, maybe a custom Goo Goo, and a group of girls who know how to have a good time.
My first trip was about ten years ago. Five trips later, I’m still not tired of it. I’m pretty sure Nashville hasn’t seen the last of us.
Been There. Danced in the honky-tonks. Ate the Goo Goo. Went back for more. Loved That.