One day in Nashville....what to do?

March 16, 2006 11:40 AM

Things to do in Nashville on short notice...like, tomorrow.

I'm picking up my wife at the Nashville airport tomorrow, and we're going to spend the day running around. Sat. is my birthday, so the wife has given me free reign to drag her around Nashville. :-)

So, given the following: I'm a geek (scifi fan, comic books, games, etc.), music lover (not all, but some country), foodie (def. going to visit a restaurant supply store or two and get some random cookstuff), and movie fiend. What would anyone suggest for a day in Nashville?

Not interested in: seeing the Opry (been and done), going to the Opryland hotel (ditto), or seeing the Parthenon.

posted by griffey to travel & transportation (17 comments total)

There's an awesome comic book/music shop called The Great Escape down on Vandy Campus - get on Broadway and go towards campus. As for food, there is a great Mediterranian place right down the road (literally, maybe a block), on the second floor of a strip mall between a Mellow Mushroom and a Starbucks. I can't remember the name, but it's very close to that.

You can also stop at Noshville, which is a great little stop for authentic New York style deli food.

As for other geek fare...hmm. 2nd Ave is dead as a doornail these days, and if you've hit the consumerist Mecca that is Opry Mills, then... I'd say you're mostly out of luck. There are some awesome hole in the wall places downtown, but you have to look.

Oh. Stay the hell away from Antioch, too.
posted by plaidrabbit at 11:50 AM on March 16, 2006

Spend a few hours at the Great Escape, head to Bongo Java to relax and read your comic book purchases, maybe head to Hillsboro for a while, then at night go to Roberts for some live mucis.
posted by GregW at 11:52 AM on March 16, 2006

I meant, live MUSIC. Live mucis sounds pretty nasty.
posted by GregW at 11:53 AM on March 16, 2006

Ah, two more things. Stay on the same street as the Great Escape, and about 2 miles down the road, you'll run into a great area near Vandy Hospital that has Book Man & Book Woman (a great 2nd hand book store), Boscos (hand crafted beer and great food), Cotton's Music Shop (hand made banjos) and Fido, perhaps the coolest coffee shop in Nashville.

Now that I think about it, there's an oddball cooking supply shop on that street next to Book Man/Book Woman, but damned if I can remember the name.

I hope that helps.
posted by plaidrabbit at 11:57 AM on March 16, 2006

Here's your free listings of shows and events!
posted by Pollomacho at 12:08 PM on March 16, 2006

Belcourt theatre is in the same neighborhood. For how big Nashville is there is a surprising small area of coolness (I lived there for 8 years).
Fort Negley is kinda neat to walk around, I remember when it wasn't coddlefied.
posted by edgeways at 1:03 PM on March 16, 2006

plaidrabbit: you rock. Great stuff, and right up the alley I was looking for.

Keep the answers coming, though...can always use more!
posted by griffey at 1:06 PM on March 16, 2006

The store to which Plaidrabbit is referring is Davis Cookware and the neighborhood is Hillsboro Village. If you're a cookware geek, definitely chat up Mr. Davis - he'll talk to you all day.

Also in Hillsboro Village is the Belcourt Theatre - an independent movie house (belcourt.org).

Other geeky stuff: on Belmont Blvd. two doors down from Bongo Java (on the other side of Circle K) there is a geeky music/movie place upstairs.

Music store: For independent music check out Grimey's on 12th Ave. (grimeys.com) between Wedgewood and Edgehill.

But for comic books and sci fi stuff, let me second/third/whatever The Great Escape (thegreatescapeonline.com). It's on 21st Ave. south.

All of these places I mentioned are pretty close together.
posted by peppermint22 at 1:09 PM on March 16, 2006

I'm sure people will pooh-pooh it, but if you like pancakes (and who doesn't), the Pancake Pantry is great. It's across the street from Davis Cookware in Hillsboro Village. You just have to wait in a very long line to get a table.

I haven't lived in Nashville in many years, so I'm hesitant to give suggestions, but there's a burger joint in the Vanderbilt area called Rotier's that used to be very good.

There's also a great old diner called the Elliston Place Soda Shop that had good milkshakes. When I was growing up, Elliston Place was the "cool" neighborhood, so you may be able to find funky shops and things there still.
posted by lackutrol at 1:19 PM on March 16, 2006

The Country Music Hall of Fame is a must-see. It's not hokey and is in fact very high-tech.
posted by wsg at 1:23 PM on March 16, 2006

I have heard bad things about the Pancake Pantry, so YMMV.

I totally forgot Fat Moe's! Do youreslf a big favor and grab a Fat Moe's burger. They're amazing, and (thankfully) in the whole area around Nashville, so one is always close.
posted by plaidrabbit at 2:00 PM on March 16, 2006

I second the Country Music Hall of Fame.

It includes Elvis' wild Nudie-customized Cadillac, the mixing console where various seminal country and rock-and-roll albums were engineered, instruments used by various artists, vintage show posters, informative and historical film and video clips, and much, much other good stuff.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:13 PM on March 16, 2006

Hatch Show Print at 316 Broadway is a great place to stop if you're downtown. The place is covered in old music and advertising prints and is the oldest remaining letterpress printer in the United States. Jim, the guy who runs it, is fantastic about showing people around and when ever I get into Nashville I always make sure to stop by.
posted by DragonBoy at 2:13 PM on March 16, 2006

> geek (scifi fan, comic books, games, etc.)

Nashville has a full-size replica of the Parthenon, containing a full-size (huge, as high as the roof) replica of the gold and ivory statue of the goddess Athena that once inhabited the original Parthenon. This statue was overwhelmingly awesome to me and I think it was pushing pretty much the same geek button that stuff like Warcraft pushes. It took only a tiny shove from the imagination to feel the hair-raising OhMyGhod sensation that actual Athena worshippers might have felt. No trick at all to feel she might come alive at any second and gaze down at you--with no friendly feeling either, you mortal ant!
posted by jfuller at 2:17 PM on March 16, 2006

Seconding Fat Moe's. I live in NYC now, but nothing beats a Fat Moe burger. My favorite honky-tonk/live music joint is Robert's Western World, on Broadway downtown. It wasn't too touristy when I was last there (8 years ago). I saw some great shows there... Junior Brown, BR549, and the like.
posted by kimdog at 2:20 PM on March 16, 2006

Try to hit Tubb's record store for INSANE vinyl selection.
posted by klangklangston at 4:55 PM on March 16, 2006

Do not miss Tootsie's on Broadway for the authentic Nashville experience. Hey! I live in Nashville. Give me a call.
posted by toastchee at 5:08 AM on March 17, 2006