Well, it’s official. We’ve been Nashville residents for a whole week, and so far we’ve found plenty of reasons to pull on our boots and get to gettin.
At this point, I’d say we’re getting pretty good at the art of showing up cold to a brand new city and figuring it all out. You know, sorting through what’s fun, what’s touristy, what actually feels local, and what’s probably best left to the 20-somethings. Step one, of course, is ChatGPT. Honestly, if you’re living this wandering lifestyle, AI quickly becomes your new best friend. Just type something like, “Hey, we’re in {Insert town} for the first time. Where should we go? We like good food, live music, and laid-back local vibes, but we’re not exactly looking for the twenty-one-shot-o’clock crowd.” From there, it becomes a choose-your-own-adventure of local gems, fun detours, and a steadily improving itinerary.
So how’s Nashville?
Honestly, our first impression was a little mixed. We weren’t instantly swept off our feet. It feels quieter and a bit more low key than we expected, especially coming straight from Austin. But part of that may be because of where we’re staying. This time around, we landed in West Nashville, tucked into a swanky little two-bedroom duplex with a rooftop patio. We’re within walking distance of the Parthenon and Vanderbilt, which is a pretty great setup.
The tradeoff is that Broadway, the loud, glowing, neon-drenched center of Nashville, is about three miles away. And yes, Broadway is exactly what you think it is: a long stretch of honky tonks, country music, cowboy boots, party crowds, and enough alcohol to drown the entire city. It’s not exactly our natural habitat, but the people watching is top-tier entertainment, so naturally we’ve already been down there twice.
If Broadway's honky tonk chaos isn't exactly our speed, what have we been doing instead?
For starters, we got back into a gym routine, which has definitely been missing lately. Week one had us hitting the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and by the end of it we were sore in places we forgot existed. Painful, yes. Necessary, also yes.
We’ve also kept up our walking streak and are still averaging close to 20,000 steps a day. Between city exploring and wandering local hiking parks, we’ve covered a lot of ground already. Spring is also starting to wake up here, and it’s been fun to watch it happen in real time. The trees are starting to bud, tiny flowers are making their debut, and we’ve already spotted daffodils, and tulips popping up. Katie is absolutely in her element with all of that. Watching everything come back to life is one of her favorite times of year.
On Monday, we headed out for dinner and our usual weekly grocery run, which somehow led us to the Greenhouse Bar. And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like: a full-on greenhouse that also serves food and drinks. The second I spotted it, there was no chance Katie was letting us pass it by.
Tuesday night sent us in two different directions. Katie found a local Mahjong group and jumped right in, while I headed out for a night hike that was equal parts peaceful and mildly terrifying. There’s just something about being alone in the woods after dark, with a full moon that makes every snapped twig sound like the beginning of a horror movie. My imagination was working overtime, but I made it out alive, so we’ll call that a success.
Thursday brought one of our favorite kinds of plans: the completely unplanned kind. We were wandering downtown when we realized there was a Nashville Predators game that night. One spontaneous stop at the box office later, we found ourselves watching the Preds take down the Boston Bruins 6 to 3. We didn’t have any real stake in the outcome, but the energy in the arena made it a blast.
Friday was my first Nashville mountain biking outing, and I headed to Cedar Hill to see what it had to offer. The trails are purpose-built for directional riding, with jumps, berms, and progressive features that make things fun and interesting. No, it’s not Colorado, but it was still a great ride and definitely scratched the itch. I’ll absolutely be back.
We wrapped up the week with another classic last-minute pivot and headed to the Grand Ole Opry. It felt like one of those quintessential Nashville experiences you just have to do, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. There weren’t any surprise celebrity guests or major headliners that night, but the mix of performers, the love of music, and the sense of history made the whole show feel electric. We somehow scored affordable last-minute seats about six rows from the stage, which felt like a serious win. Before the show, we also wandered through the Gaylord Opryland while the rain poured outside, and it turned out to be a beautiful place to stroll and soak in the atmosphere.
So now we reset for week two. More hiking, more biking, more live music, and a couple of visitors coming into town next weekend.
This whole adventuring lifestyle is really starting to feel comfortable.
