If you've ever been to Nashville (or just scrolled through your Instagram feed) you know that the Honky Tonk city is one of THE bachelorette party destinations.
We had the pleasure of being hosted by the city of Nashville to experience some of the city's top attractions, and we interviewed Marry Me Tampa Bay readers to learn about their favorite parts of “Nashvegas.”
Why Did You Choose Nashville for Your Bachelorette Party?
Molly: My goal for a bachelorette trip was really a time to reset and recharge. Sure, I can stay up late and party with the best of them but that's not my favorite. For me, I really wanted more quality time than anything. If we were going to get all of my best girlfriends together I wanted it to be about focusing on our friendships and each other. You know, kinda like how when you went to camp as a kid it was really about bonding with your cabin? It helped that I was obsessed with the movie Camp Rock as a teen so, we wanted to marry my two favorite things: Camp Vibes and Rockstar.
When we had initially planned my bachelorette pre-Covid, we rented a beautiful cabin in Asheville for my friends and me, but when we went to re-book everything we realized that actually getting to Asheville was a little bit trickier for my group that was all flying in from different areas across the country. There weren't many affordable flight options from the various cities we were coming from. So, one of my friends mentioned the ease of accessibility of Nashville.
At first, I was hesitant because nothing against it, but I'm not one for the more typical Nashville bachelorette party. I don't like clubs, country music, or honky tonks, but, we found this amazing AirBNB about 20 minutes from downtown that was on its own acre of land and had plenty of space for 13 of us. It was far enough out that it felt like we were in our own world, could blast our music, and was close to some beautiful hikes, but also close enough to the city that we could go out one night for our private karaoke room/rockstar night on the town. My maid of honor, Colleen, really made sure it was everything I wanted and more.
Marlo: I chose Nashville because I love country music and the vibe at country bars. There are so many different things to do from day drinking at bars to wineries, there’s really something for everyone!
Christine:The first time I visited Nashville was actually with my fiancé for our vacation. I absolutely fell in love with the city, the people, and the atmosphere. We would just sit in bars for hours listening to live music. No matter what bar you go to, all the live bands KILL IT. Also, the people were just so friendly and kind! You could to talk to anyone and have fun conversations. While walking around Broadway, I would see Bachelorette parties happening with girls on party buses, beer pedal bikes, etc. and it looked like so much fun! You could tell these future brides were living their best life, but honestly so were the other girls in the groups. It just looked like the ultimate Girls Day/Girls Night Out happening. I loved the cowgirl themes and fun Nashville group shirts I saw. I knew immediately that I was going to have my Bachelorette in Nashville whenever that time would come.
Samantha: When looking at the options for bachelorette trips, nothing beats Nashville. It’s safe, the options of things to do are endless (whether you want to do something chill or go crazy), the weather is pretty great year-round, and it’s easy to get to by car or plane depending on where everyone is coming from.
What Were Some of your Favorite Things To Do/Places You Ate/Visited?
Molly: Hands down the hit of the trip was everyone dressing up as their rockstar alter-egos and renting our own karaoke room at Kung Fu Saloon. First, it was amazing because everyone got SO into the band tee/rockstar theme. It was so fun to see everyone go all out and feel good about how they looked instead of all wearing the same thing. That *may* have helped with how very into the karaoke we got…like, “we all left town with lost voices into it.”
We ended up adding two extra hours onto our rental there because we were just having so much fun dancing and belting out our favorite songs in the comfort of our own private room. They also gave us our own server who came in regularly to check on us and bring us our drinks so we didn't even have to deal with any crowded bars. Everyone in my group said it was one of the most fun nights ever. 10/10 would recommend.
Saturday morning we went for the camp vibe and it was so relaxing. We hiked at Beaman Park, which was just a short 10-minute drive from our Airbnb and it was such a nice way to start our morning getting some fresh air. Then, we went back to the Airbnb with the intention of playing yard games but ending up just making friendship bracelets and playing card games inside.
I've been to Nashville a bunch of times so we got to walk around to a few of my favorite places in the 12 South on the first day there while our group trickled in: Frothy Monkey for coffee, Five Daughters Bakery for donuts, Bar Taco for tacos and margs.
On our last day, we had a reservation at Adele's for their brunch buffet which was the perfect way to have our last meal as a big group. Then, we all walked around the boutiques and shops at Assembly Food Hall. Which I would really recommend for those who are all flying out at different times, it's a great place to kill time before a flight and just a quick Lyft ride to the airport from there.
Marlo: My favorite things we did: Arrington Vineyards (I wish we would’ve made this a whole day trip instead of only four hours), Nashville Tractor is definitely a must-do!
Brunch at Hampton Social was amazing, and we did dinner at Giovannis the first night which was amazing! The staff is great; they gave us the whole upstairs without us even asking, and the food was amazing. Then of course all of the bars are so much fun!
Samantha: Hampton Social Rooftop, Sixty Vines for dinner, Stateside Kitchen for brunch, Blanco Cocina + Cantina for dinner
Christine:My absolute favorite activity was the Honky Tonk Party Express Bus. Hands down. It was actually everybody in the group's favorite activity as well. You get to put together your own playlist, and they play it the whole bus ride for two hours. We danced and even had people on the street dancing with us! It was amazing! I highly recommend every bach party to book this experience.
We ate at Miranda Lambert's restaurant, Casa Rosa, and it was stunning! The food was so good and their margaritas were amazing! It is definitely an Instagram picture-worthy place as well.
We also had lunch at Lucky Bastard Saloon, and it has some of the best hot chicken I've ever had. The owner showed us around, and they have cute murals on their walls, a fun rooftop bar, and you have to order the 8 Liquor Ass Kicker drink! But most importantly, they could fit huge groups at tables so it was great sitting with everyone.
We had brunch at The Sutler for bottomless mimosas and, it was the perfect spot. It isn't directly on Broadway, but not too far away. They had great brunch options and you definitely get your money's worth on the bottomless.
Lastly, my favorite bar was Kid Rock's! My group actually spent our whole Friday night there. It was just such a fun atmosphere, and they have different bands playing on each floor. They let me dance on stage, and it was so fun!
Marry Me Tampa Bay: While we didn't attend for a bachelorette party, we spent an afternoon at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, an outdoor botanical garden, perfect for an afternoon picnic, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which I was surprised how much I enjoyed even though I'm not a country music fan, The Parthenon, which is modeled after the Greek building and has a 42-foot statue Athena, and at the Johnny Cash museum, because he's a legend!
While we didn't make it out to some of the iconic Nashville institutions such as Gaylord Opryland, which is supposed to have a phenomenal Christmas decor display or the Grand Ole Opry, so definitely check out what events are happening there during your stay.
There are Instagram murals everywhere; on the streets, inside stores, at restaurants, so be camera-ready!
Nashville is a food paradise! Some of our favorite spots were White Duck Taco (there's one in Asheville too), Five Daughters Bakery, the BEST donut I've ever had, the Pancake Pantry,some of the BEST pancakes I've ever had!
What Should Brides Expect When Hosting their Bach. Party in Nashville?
Molly: Expect to see a million other bachelorette parties, so feel free to go with your own theme to make it special for you! Also, if you plan on staying outside the city like we did, it's most definitely worth it but prepare for long and expensive Lyft rides. Download Splitwise to keep track of extra spending and split it between the group, it's so much more manageable this way!
Christine: Brides should be prepared for busy streets and wait times for restaurants and bars. I definitely recommend getting out early for the nightlife so you don't have to wait in long lines or for long waits at dinner. I didn't get to visit every bar/restaurant I wanted to, so make a list of your top five places you know you want to visit.
What Tips Do You Have for Brides Hosting their Bach Party in Nashville?
Molly: This is just a tip for brides in general, regardless of where your party is, make it what you want. If you feel uncomfortable with attention and the thought of wearing a sash and a cowboy hat veil in a crowded city makes you want to crawl into a hole, me too! You don't have to do that because that's what you see others doing. If that sounds fun, to you…then do it up! Who cares? This is a trip celebrating you with your best friends, make it what you want!
For Nashville specifically, make reservations! Plan ahead. It's a busy place, especially for large groups, so just plan ahead and make reservations when you can, and it'll make it so much easier. We had great service everywhere we went!
I had the best time at my bachelorette and it felt like it perfectly captured all of my favorite things.
Marlo:We went during the pandemic when it wasn’t 100% open yet so we never had problems getting in anywhere, but I think now brides should definitely expect for it to be way more crowded. It’s so much fun so as long as you make reservations and try to book a table or section at specific places you want to go.
Christine: Book your Airbnb as soon as you can! So many were booked the weekend I wanted to go so it took a while to find the perfect one to fit all of us. I would definitely make an itinerary with your Maid of Honor because it keeps everyone on track and prepared on what to expect.
Also, make Venmo buttons or stickers for your bach group to wear! People in Nashville are so kind and were constantly paying for my drinks! It was definitely the smartest move we did.
If you think you have to like country music or know a lot of it to enjoy Nashville, you don't. I have friends who knew like two country songs at most (of course they were Luke Bryan ones), and they still had so much fun and want to go back.
Marry Me Tampa Bay: Make reservations for everywhere you go; I went right as things were opening back up and even on a weeknight, I couldn't get a next-day or same-day reservation for restaurants.
Also, look beyond just hanging out on Broadway; Nashville has so much to offer beyond partying, but if that's what you're going there for, it will not disappoint.
Samantha: Nashville is booming! Make reservations whenever you can to avoid long wait times, and book your Airbnb’s as soon as possible so you get a good location that’s close to everything but is still big enough for your group and cute for photos. There’s so much to do in Nashville so make sure you have a plan (with some backup options) so there’s no wasted time deciding what to do next. Making decisions amongst a large group of girls can sometimes take forever!
Editors Note: While the brides we talked to only have great things to say about their visit to Nashville, and I never felt unsafe (though I was with my boyfriend and not drinking much), as with all travel locations, make sure to be alert and have someone who will stay sober enough to make sure that everyone stays safe. Robberies targeting bachelorette parties, specifically those staying at AirBnbs have made the news this year.
