iris1745

We are taking our GD and BF to Nashville for her college graduation. Also will have my daughter and husband with us.

So, we will rent an apartment/condo/home and are having a difficult time deciding how many nights.

We have a total of 7 nights.

One thought is 3/4 nights in downtown Nashville and or 3/4 nights near the Grand ol Opera.

That way we could also visit plantations and probably go into Kentucky for day trips.

My wife and I are movers, but I think we want to slow down and smell the roses.

Any suggestion on how many nights in Nashville and then outside the city.

Both areas would be some type of 3 bedroom rental.

abram

We spent a week divided evenly between Memphis & Nashville and found plenty to keep us busy.

iris1745

Thanks abram. We are trying to sort this out.

jent103

I live in Nashville and love it, but a week does seem a long time, unless you have several day trips.

Personally, I wouldn't bother to move between downtown and the Opryland area - they're about 20-30 minutes apart. At Opryland, the main attractions are the hotel, the Opry itself, and Opry Mills mall (which is a giant mall but nothing particularly Nashville about it, short of a few tourist-oriented shops). I'd do one day out there and be done. But then, it's not my favorite area (and I'm still bitter that they tore down Opryland park to build Opry Mills!).

Staying downtown would let you walk to the main tourist attractions and would likely give you access to a shuttle to Opryland. High on my list would be the Country Music Hall of Fame and the backstage tour at the Ryman (I've never done RCA Studio B, which is shameful on my part, but it would also be on my list). But I'd be surprised if you could get a 3-bedroom rental downtown, and many of the things that have been getting Nashville on the lists lately are not downtown. The Bluebird Cafe is in Green Hills; East Nashville, 12 South and Hillsboro Village are some of the trendier neighborhoods and good to visit; lots of the great restaurants are outside downtown. So if you can't find something downtown, I'd look on Airbnb or whatever you're using for a neighborhood that's 5-10 minutes from downtown and plan to pay for parking around Lower Broadway or take Uber/Lyft.

Good day trips (many of which are probably on your list already) - downtown Franklin/Carnton Plantation, Lynchburg and the Jack Daniels distillery tour, Fall Creek Falls state park east of town, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky if that's of interest. In town, we have Radnor Lake and Percy Warner Park which are great for walking and hiking, if that's your thing.

iris1745

jent103; That is such good info.

I have bookmarked perhaps 25 apartments/condos/homes with three bedrooms on Home Away and Airbnb, some being close to downtown.

If we only then do five nights, I may not get a car, as my SIL will have a truck.

Everything bookmark has parking for 1 vehicle mostly, but a few for 2.

A shuttle for a day to Opryland would work and yes to The Country Music Hall of Fame.

We are really delighted to be visiting your city.

Thanks so much

Richard

starrs

I also think a week is a long time in the area, but not if you are also taking day trips. If are looking for two areas to visit, I would include 2 or 3 days in the Smokey mountains. Renting a cabin in the mountains would make for a wonderful multi-generation trip, full of memory making moments. Personally, I would prefer that over trying to find ways to fill up a week in Nashville.

iris1745

Hey starrs; My daughter and SIL taught Pickle ball this year at Beach Mountain and I think will be back again next year.

I am honing in on only 5 nights for Nashville.

So Beach Mountain could be in our plans in the future.

jent103

Feel free to ask about specific properties as you narrow down your choices - "close to downtown" can mean just about anything here, in terms of neighborhoods, safety, etc. In all likelihood you'll be fine in any place you'd pick, but "East Nashville," for example, covers a large area that isn't all convenient to sightseeing (though some certainly is).

And we'll be delighted to have you!

iris1745

Thanks, I have looked at the airport location and attempting to eliminate anything north or east of what looks like a central location.

Will give you a heads up on a possible rental.

bettyk

Richard, two things we really enjoyed on our trips to Nashville were The Hermitage and Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.

Also, if you are a Johnny Cash fan, the new JC Museum was really interesting and doesn't take a long time to go through.

http://thehermitage.com/
https://www.cheekwood.org/
http://www.johnnycashmuseum.com/

iris1745

Thanks bettyk for the web sites. Five night is now our intent and I think we will see a lot of what Nashville has to offer.

P.S. I love black clothes and I will now be a clone of JC.

iris1745

Hi jent103; We are looking at East Nashville and we have a strong possibility.

It seems like a good location, on Douglas Ave.

iris1745

P.S. This is the home on Douglas www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p719706vb

and this is another consideration, also in East Nashville on S.13th St. at Shelby Ave.

www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p706166vb

jent103

Hi Richard! In short, I think they would both be fine. The one on 13th is more convenient to the interstate and downtown - it's almost a straight shot depending on where exactly you're going. The one on Douglas is a little less convenient, but if you like the house much better it would be fine too. (Gallatin/Main Street is also a straight shot, but has more traffic and lights to deal with.) A lot of the East Nashville restaurants and bars are roughly the same distance from both.

A friend of mine lives on Shelby a few blocks from the 13th Ave house, and I wouldn't hesitate at all to stay near where she is. East Nashville can vary a lot street-to-street, though that's less true than it used to be. There's a chance I'll be over there tomorrow; if I am, I'll try to swing by the houses and see what I can see. In the meantime, since none of the reviews mentioned anything particularly negative about the neighborhoods, I think you're probably fine with either!

iris1745

Great information. Thanks so much.

I will let my daughter and wife decide on which home after explaining the small variance's.

My daughter is keen on Douglas Ave.

Richard

jent103

Hi Richard - I didn't get over to the houses myself today, but I did ask my East Nashville resident friend and she said either would be fine in terms of the neighborhood. (Apparently Douglas gets slightly iffy closer to - and I think she meant on the other side of - Gallatin, but that section is fine.) She did agree that the 13th Avenue house is more convenient, but either should work!

iris1745

Hi jent103; THANKS much for all your help.

We have decided to stay in the Douglas home. I'm in the process of securing our dates.

Just booked Jet Blue for $138 PP, non-stop from Boston.

I thought it was a really good price.

jent103

Is that $138 round trip? If so - that is an AMAZING price! Awesome! My flight to Logan on Southwest last August was around $300, so even if that was only one way I think it's still good.

Glad your plans are shaping up!

iris1745

Hi jent103; That was R/T, non-stop on Jet Blue.

An hour later it was $168.

Waiting to hear for our 3 bedroom booking with Home Away.