Things to do in Tennessee

[goplanettravel]

Places to Eat:
-Pancake Pantry (prob the most famous restaurant in
Nashville, lines form around every mealtime; locals
and tourists come here; sit with Mary, who is
essentially my surrogate grandmother; on the corner of
21st and Blakemore)
-Bluebird Cafe (already mentioned, a definite must;
kind of hard to find, but out 21st Ave/Hillsboro Pike
in a strip mall next to a furniture store)
-Jack's Barbecue (downtown, in touristy area, but still
gets some locals)
-Calypso Cafe (not really "Nashville", but is my
favorite restaurant--good Caribbean food; a couple of
locations, but one is on the corner of
Elliston/25th).
-Pizza Perfect (like Calypso, just good food; many
locations, but one is on 21st Ave)
-Hot Kabobs (good, Persian food; kind of a dive, but
one of my favs; on Whitebridge Rd; great flavors and
pretty inexpensive)
- Sunset Grill (in Hillsboro village, this place has
great desserts, good wine, and a half-price late night
menu)
-Bosco's (good, but a little pricey, pizza in Hillsboro
village; also brew their own beer)

Sightseeing:
-Bluebird Cafe (see above and previous)
-Parthenon/Centennial Park - great if the weather is at
all decent; my favorite area park, right on West End
Ave, hard to miss
-Dragon Park - another cool park on Blakemore, between
24th and 23rd, I think; this one is smaller and often
has families playing around in it
- Yazoo Brewery (go for a tour; GREAT beer!!!;
hefeweizen has won the blue ribbon for American wheat
beers; much better than Sweetwater)
-Ryman Theatre (former home of the Grand Ol Opry; if
there's a show you want to see when you're there, then
you must go; it's rated one of the best-sounding venues
in America every year)
- other good concert venues are Exit/In, The End,
Cannery Ballroom, The Belcourt, and Mercy Lounge
-Hatch Show Print
-Grand Ol Opry (only go if you want the
nashville/country/touristy experience)
- Country Music Hall of Fame (See above, though some of
their rotating exhibits can be ok)
-Nashville Sounds Game (minor league baseball, but fun;
"Thirsty Thursdays" = two-for-one beers)
- Vanderbilt (The campus is beautiful, and you can make
fun of all the preppy people)

Shopping-
-Hillsboro Village (on 21st Ave; lots of jewelry shops,
boutiques, art galleries, etc.)
-downtown - souvenirs, kitschy but funny t-shirts and
crap
-malls galore; best is on Hillsboro Pike

Nighttime:
-Wild Horse Saloon (another of my favorite places, this
is the place to line dance; get there early--8 or 9--if
you want to line dance, because after 11 or so it
becomes like a normal dance club; they also have a
free line-dancing lesson around 8, I believe; just
make sure there's not a concert that night)
-Lonnie's - in Printer's Alley downtown; this is
Nashville--rednecks and all; locals and tourists;
Karaoke every night, really fun and crowded
- Flying Saucer (downtown bar, very relaxed atmosphere,
one of my favorite bars; the best beer selection in
Nashville)
- Italian Market- on Charlotte Ave; has a couple of
bocce courts in back, and the draft beer is local and
cheap; god for a low-key- relaxing hour or two
- Buffalo Billiards (2nd Ave)
- Big Bang (piano bar, on Broadway, I think)
-East Nashville is becoming more of a hip place, but
it's across the river; bars like Three Crow and some
wine bars are ok
-I think I went dancing at Blue Bar one time, and it
was fun


Hotels:
-Grand Ol Opry (already mentioned; downside is that
it's outside of downtown; is still cool, located right
next to current Grand Ol Opry and Opry Mills mall
-Union Station/Wyndham (a chain hotel downtown; BUT, it
is in the old train station and the architecture is
beautiful! Plus, it's close to everything, including
right next to one of my favorite bars, the Flying
Saucer; def consider it, even if it's a chain hotel)
- Hotel Indigo (on West End; I've heard good things but
don't know anything about it)



Also, as for as outdoor things go, The Ocoee River near
Chattanooga is a nice river for rafting/kayaking, with
plenty of chances to take a swim (because of the
higher-level rapids that may toss you out unwillingly,
and a couple of calmer places where you can have a
leisurely swim).

The eastern part of Tennessee has most of the more
popular hiking, in the Great Smokey Mountain National
Park. I have taken a week-long trip through that
park, and it was lovely.

Around Nashville and on the drive to Chattanooga, there
is also plenty of hiking. My favorite is the Fiery
Gizzard Trail, which can be done as a one-day or
overnight trip.

On the other end of the state is Memphis; I have spent
little time there other than to visit Graceland, home
of Elvis.