Since summer=travel season for a lot of people, I thought I'd share some of my favorite places to visit with all of you, as well as local recommendations. One of my favorite things to do post transplant is travel, which is so much easier, because I don't have machines to lug around anymore! So I've been to a lot of lovely cities in the past 10 ( Almost 11!) years, and I love to share my travel thoughts with you. So this will be a pretty regular feature here until I'm caught up on cities!
I've been to Nashville twice, and it's one of my favorite cities in the country. It's a big city with a small-town feel, and it has amazing attractions and places to eat, plus a Dominican monastery and a fantastic Catholic bookstore (yes, in the heart of the Bible belt! Win!)
Both times I've been to Nashville I've stayed in private homes, but here are some of my favorite places in Music City:
St. Mary's Catholic Bookstore, 1909 West End Avenue
Three floors of Catholic amazingness!
The Parthenon, 2500 West End Avenue
A recreation of the famous Parthenon in Greece, complete with a recreation of the Athena Parthenos (If you've read Rick Riordan's Gods of Olympus series, you know what I'm talking about!) Set in the middle of a park in downtown Nashville, it's also a great place to hang out, picnic, and play.
The Frist Museum, 919 Broadway
The gallery hosts touring art exhibits, as well as being a place for local artists to exhibit their pieces. Adult admission is $12, but anyone under 18 is FREE, and college students are $9.
The Wild Iris, 127 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN (near Nashville)
Located in a strip mall (or at least it used to be!), it's a charming restaurant with an excellent wine list.
Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Motherhouse, 801 Dominican Drive
The sisters do offer retreats for young ladies from time to time, but you are also free to attend Mass there, or even parts of the liturgy of the hours. Contact the sisters to check on Mass and prayer times.