Ideas for one day in Nashville
 

My daughter and I will be traveling to Nashville for a college visit on Monday. We will arrive Sunday morning and will be staying close to Vanderbilt. Any ideas on what to do/where to eat during the day Sunday to give her a taste of the area around Vanderbilt?

I went to Vanderbilt! Wonderful school, great city. Which hotel are you at? There is what we call "The Loop" around Vanderbilt-it is all fenced in and you walk around the length of the campus. It's about 3 miles in a circle/loop. On the other side of campus behind Owen and the Library is San Antonio Taco Company. It's cheap but good Mexican and a HUGE Vandy hangout. I don't know if it would be full right now as it's summer but check it out. Near campus is a Chili's, PF Chang's but also around back is Hillsboro Village and there are some cool, hip restaurats near there. I don't know the names as I haven't been there in a while. In addition, if you are walking from campus The Boundary is always fun too. Ask the hotel concierge for directions. It's also only like 2 miles to downtown Nashville so you could take a cab down to 2nd Avenue and walk around.

If the idea is to give her an idea of the Vandy area (as opposed to see the rest of Nashville), I'd spend some time in the Hillsboro Village area, along 21st Avenue. There are lots of restaurants at several budget levels, some fun shops, that sort of thing. Popular "college budget" places include San Antonio Taco Company (SATCO - I actually don't think the food is that good, but it's quite popular, probably more because of the patio and buckets of beer), Pizza Perfect, McDougal's (on Belcourt), and of course the Pancake Pantry (only open till 3, I think, so you might not have time, and there will probably be a line). If you want to treat her to a nicer place, there's also Sunset Grill and Cabana, also on Belcourt. (Cabana is more trendy.) Tayst is more expensive and further south on 21st Avenue; I haven't been there but have heard good reviews. There's also a new Asian/sushi place on Belcourt called Zumi Sushi; again, haven't had a chance to try it. A little further from campus, there's Ken's Sushi and Gigi's Cupcakes on Division.

Posh is a really popular shop in the Village; Pangea and Fire Finch are also good places to go. Fido is my favorite coffee shop in town, but it also has a really tasty menu. All those places are within walking distance of campus, or you may want to drive depending on where you're staying (but parking can be a tiny bit of a pain). Hope that helps!

Thank you! You both have great ideas! We are staying at the Courtyard Marriott on West End Avenue which I understand is very close to the University. We have rented a car as we are flying in. This is our second visit and we only had time to tour the campus last time. I think it is important to get the "feel" of the area around the campus when choosing a school which is why we are coming in a day early. I get the idea that there is quite a bit to do close to campus (within walking distance) so I'm trying to decide if I should cancel the rental car. Thanks again for the great suggestions. I will post a "trip report" after we are back home (Atlanta).

That hotel is pretty close to the university, definitely. It's probably about a ten-minute walk to campus (at least, to the undergrad part of campus; the medical center side is closer). Whether to cancel the rental car probably depends on how much you like walking! Nothing that skiergirl or I mentioned would be more than a five-minute drive, but Fido (the southernmost thing I mentioned) is probably a 20-minute walk. So it just depends. I'm a walker, but not everyone is. :) Plus a car might give you a little flexibility to see more things Monday after your campus visit, for example, or drive downtown if you wanted to.

Amerigo and Blackstone Brewery are two restaurants very close to your hotel (just across West End and a little bit west). They're not necessarily popular with Vandy students, as far as I know, but they're both popular in general and tasty. A couple of other places I remembered are Cafe Coco, off Elliston Place, and Calypso Cafe, on Ellison. Rotier's is also on Elliston - delicious "home cooking" with the most amazing hashbrown casserole I've ever had. You might want to check out Centennial Park while you're there; it's right across from the western end of campus. Some of the students hang out/play frisbee/etc there when the weather is nice. There's a replica of the Parthenon and a mile loop that a lot of people run on, if your daughter is into running. Have a great time!

If you just want to explore the area around campus you don't really need a car. You can walk through campus to get to the other side where SATCO is. It may take you 15 minutes but you'll walk through campus and it doesn't seem too far. To get to Hillsboro Village you could walk through campus and the hospital, then down 21st Avenue (I can't remember if this is the exact name) to get to Sunset Grill, etc. A taxi wouldn't be much either. The Parthenon at Centennial Park is across the street from your hotel. To get downtown is also a short cab ride. Then again, it may help to have a car. If it isn't too expensive it may be a good idea to keep it so therefore you don't pay for cabs to and from the airport.

Skiergirl, I think they're staying at the Courtyard Marriott across from Amerigo, rather than the Marriott at 2525 (though that's what I thought at first too!). At any rate, I think they're there now, so hopefully they're having a great visit! It's a gorgeous day for it.

At any rate I'm jealous. I could really use a SATCO day!