With less than 24 hours to enjoy Nashville before a work conference, I made a list of city highlights—landmarks, shops, and neighborhoods that I wanted to visit. Nashville is home to so many amazing sustainable and ethical brands, I always get excited for any chance I get to do some in-person browsing and shopping. As much as a digital native as I am, nothing beats seeing and feeling products in person.
The flight from Virginia to Nashville was surprisingly quick (about 1.5 hours) and pleasant even though I had an outrageously early flight. My plan was to head straight to my hotel, store my bag at the hotel, and hop through the city via Uber and Lyft. Another surprise was that my hotel room was ready when I got there, so I was able to get settled in my room. Then I headed out to my first destination: the Parthenon replica in Centennial Park. I chose to start with the one must-see attraction on my list that was farthest from my hotel (in downtown Nashville), and figured I’d work my way back to downtown.
No sooner had I jumped into my Lyft ride it began to rain, torrential rain and I was annoyed I’d forgotten my umbrella. My friendly Lyft driver sped off to Centennial Park, which was about a 15 minute ride from my hotel (or about a 50 minute walk) located right across from Vanderbilt University’s campus. Southern hospitality is real, my driver insisted on driving me right up to the Parthenon so that I wouldn’t get soaked from the rain nor have to soggily schlep through the park.
The Parthenon replica was built for Tennessee’s 1897 Centennial Exposition, but is now an art museum and one of the city’s treasured landmarks. The structure itself is a wonder to see up close, but head to the back and go down the steps below for the museum’s entrance. Inside, there are a few small exhibits about the Parthenon’s history in Nashville with cool artifacts, some modern local art, and sculptures original to the structure that were made to replicate historic Greek ones. If none of that interests you, make sure to go upstairs to see the gigantic replica statue of Athena, the Greek goddess of war, whom the Parthenon is actually a temple. The museum might be something you could skip, since the structure itself is actually more interesting and cool to look at than what’s inside. With a $6 entrance fee and as someone who loves knowing all about the history of landmarks, I figured the museum was worth the visit.
If I’d had more time and with better weather, I would have wandered through Centennial Park—there are a few cool art installations and “exhibits” scattered through the park.
The torrential rain subsided, and I hopped in a car that took me to 12th Street, a hip area lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants. The neighborhoods we passed were filled with beautiful, southern-country chic homes that even my driver noted she was taken aback by the area and that she’d never driven by before.
My first stop was White’s Mercantile, a shop housed in a converted gas station and owned by a local Nashville singer/songwriter. White’s has local, ethically made housewares, clothing, and accessories, with a charming, rustic interior. You can find some really cute, locally made Nashville souvenirs here, and clothing made by local designers and brands (like ABLE, who has a shop/studio downtown but I did not have time to visit). I was a bit overwhelmed, and pressed for time, so I didn’t purchase anything—though I did have my eye on a locally made Nashville hat. 
I headed across the street to famed Nashville leather goods designer, Ceri Hoover’s shop. I’d been following the designer on social media for a while and had seen so many photos and reviews of the brand’s beautiful leather goods. The shop may be small and minimalistic in its offerings up front, but I was in heaven looking at the gorgeous shelves of handmade bags. Everything is designed in Nashville, and made in LA with sustainably sourced Italian leather. Ceri Hoover also has some clothing and shoes from ethical brands like Ace & Jig.
The shop employees were very welcoming, and helped me find my dream bag (the Kennon). One employee went out of her way to pull out multiple colors and styles of bags, all while indulging me in pleasant conversation. I’m super indecisive and with time ticking, the employee kindly wrote the purse models and styles I’d browsed onto a business card for me to take and decide on later. I eventually purchased this bag through their online shop. I love how versatile and multi-functional my Kennon bag is, I wear it often and it’s of superior quality. If you’re in Nashville, I’d highly recommend stopping by Ceri Hoover!
A bit further along the Main Street, past some colorful walls and other shops dedicated to Southern style, you’ll find Imogene + Willie, housed in a chicly decorated old service station, and renowned for locally-designed, custom denim. The shop is filled to the brim with gorgeous, Western inspired clothing and art. Just taking a peek inside is a fun treat. A friendly saleswoman expertly picked out a few dreamy pairs of jeans for me to try on, and showed me how they’d tailor everything to fit me right on the spot. The quality, fit, and fabrics were awesome. As someone who has a hard time finding jeans, I absolutely loved the idea of this shop! Price per pair of jeans are around $250 and more depending on the style. Of course, I was short on time and figured I’d make a better decision about jeans without being rushed, or browsing their beautiful online shop. It was still a great shop to experience and next time, I’m definitely going to take more time so I can walk out with a custom-fit pair of jeans.
Next, I passed through the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, which has some really lovely outdoor spaces and a unique view of the Tennessee State Capitol. I walked through the park to get to the Nashville Farmers’ Market which features an open-air farm shed market area, a garden center, and a dining/shops indoor area. I headed to the indoor dining area to grab some lunch and also to check out the shops. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast at the airport, so I scarfed down a hearty, Cajun-inspired po-boy sandwich from Nooley’s and a refreshing blueberry lavender iced tea from Farm City Coffee. I enjoyed checking out Batch Nashville, a curated shop featuring small batch, handcrafted local products. Batch is a great place to pick up local goodies for yourself or souvenirs for others. The shop has a very nice selection of homewares, skincare, jewelry, snacks, and more.
I really loved the modern design of the Nashville Farmers’ Market, with it’s nod to a traditional farmhouse. This is a fun place to visit for quick and casual food, a bit of shopping, and admiring local artisans’ work.
I headed back towards downtown Nashville, walking through Broadway, the main drag known as “Honky Tonk Row” to see all the country bars and shops in daylight before heading back to my hotel. I packed in a lot on my first and only free day in Nashville, and while there were a few sights and shops I hadn’t gotten to, I was satisfied with everything I was able to do. The next few days were filled with conference work, and a few fun outings in Nashville (the live music here is definitely no joke!), but I will certainly have to come back to take some more time to enjoy all that the vibrant city has to offer.
