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Thanks to a recent flight deal that showed up in my Inbox, we decided to take an impromptu long weekend in Nashville, Tennessee. Neither of us had ever spent time there or really knew much about the layout of the city. After a little bit of research, we were excited to use just one night to make our obligatory walk-through Music Row and then dedicate the rest of our weekend to exploring East Nashville. It’s a very short drive from Music Row but far away from the loud and crowds seen on Broadway Ave.
East Nashville has that great hipster vibe and is buzzing with places to explore. It’s more residential with tons of local shops, restaurants, street art, breweries, etc. There’s a lot of history here too and a more laid-back lifestyle than what is typically thought of when people think Nashville. Our kind of place! So we’re giving you our best recommendations for exploring East Nashville in just one day.
Start with Coffee/Tea and Games at Bongo East
Every good exploration day starts with a great cup of coffee. We recommend visiting Bongo East to enjoy coffee, breakfast and pick out a board game from their library of over 400 classics available for customers to play for free. If you are around longer than one night, they host a number of game events that can be found on their online calendar.
The space originally opened in 2000 as just the Bongo East roasting house for their 100% organic coffee but as the neighborhood grew, so did their area for tables and chairs. The board games were added in 2017 as Game Point Cafe. Now they offer a full coffee bar, breakfast, lunch and dinner menu AND later in the day they also offer local craft brews and wine.
Explore the Local Artist Community
Just around the corner from Bongo East on Woodland Street is a number of artist shops to explore. These are my FAVORITE types of places to shop when we are traveling because you not only find fun, unique gifts but you’ll also be supporting small businesses. These are the makers that are most likely to give you the best of the local flare.
Five Point Alley Shops (formerly the “The Idea Hatchery”) is where a number of makers sell their products. There are 8 small buildings that are rented out to local makers, making it a “one-stop destination for gifts, goods and garments with that creative East Nashville flare.” as stated on their website.
Have Lunch at Southern Grist Brewery
Mark always has a knack for finding the fun local breweries when we are traveling in new cities. Southern Grist Brewery is no exception.
Located on another trendy corner where food and drink collide (Greenwood Ave and Porter Rd) Southern Grist offers a healthy list of their own brews along with a few guest brews as well. You can put together your own tasting flights or walk out with a 32oz Crowler.
Their website lists that they have pizzas, pretzels and quick snack options available but when we visited, they had a catering food truck hanging out in their parking lot selling the most amazing brisket platters! Move over Famous Daves…..
Take an Afternoon Stroll along the Shelby Bottoms Greenway
The Shelby Bottoms Greenway runs along the banks of the Cumberland River on the east side of East Nashville. There is 8 miles of paved trails that loop through the park for walking or cycling. Nashville B-Cycle Stations seem to be pretty plentiful for renting a bike from many points along the Greenway.
Be sure if you are on the northern end to cross the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Cumberland River to take in the river view.
Have Dinner at Lockeland Table
I’ve seen Lockeland Table described as a “chic yet casual” restaurant that perfectly fits itself into the quiet residential area of East Nashville. For you foodie types, the executive chef Hal Holden-Bace received a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant, 2013.
The menu is chock-full of delicious dishes including wood-fire pizzas, pasta and seafood. Be sure to save room for the banana foster bread pudding! They also have unique bar offerings and if you are into Old Fashions, I highly recommend trying their Smoked Old Fashioned.
This place is popular so be sure to make reservations. We didn’t make reservations and had to wait about 45 minutes to get a seat at the bar which also has the full menu available for food.
Take a Stroll Over the Pedestrian Bridge at Sunset
The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge (formerly the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge) connects East Nashville to downtown Nashville and the Music Row area. This was our favorite spot to end the day and we opted to come here a couple times due to the amazing views of the Nashville skyline at and after sunset. I think on Saturday night, we saw five different photographers taking family photos, two couples getting engaged and one 21st birthday photo shoot. Yeah, it’s that kind of place 🙂
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