We were in Nashville in October 2020, as part of Big Trip #3. Read about our first Nashville visit in May 2017 here, our second visit in December 2017 here, our third visit in October 2018 here, our fourth visit in December 2018 here, our fifth visit in October 2020 here, and our sixth visit in November 2022 here, or skip to our Nashville Favorites post!

This was our fifth time taking the Airstream to Nashville! I’m just going to reuse the intro paragraph from Visit #4 here:

Nashville was our second-to-last stop on Big Trip #3, because it’s well-positioned for heading home from Out West, and because it’s a super fun town with a great urban camping situation. Read about our previous Nashville visits: ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, and SIX, or skip to our Nashville Favorites post!

The “super fun town” part was a bit muted this visit due to Covid, but we still got out and had some drinks and food.

Campground

We always stay at the same place in Nashville: the Nashville Fairgrounds campground. A small portion of the campground is open during construction as they overhaul the complex to add a soccer stadium, and because of that construction everything is a mess and it’s NOISY. But it’s still the best place to stay in Nashville.

Eating and drinking

Wedgewood

The neighborhood just outside the Fairgrounds, Wedgewood, is getting fancier: lots of new home construction, and more and more drinking and eating establishments appearing. Two distilleries, a cidery, coffeeshops, a bakery, and more all within walking distance of the campground! We walked Bugsy down to have an afternoon cocktail at Corsair Distillery, but they’re currently closed due to Covid.

On our way out of town, we parked the Airstream in Corsair’s empty parking lot and grabbed a healthy breakfast from E+Rose across the street. Maybe they take themselves a little too seriously (motto: “Defy mortality”) but the superfood bowls were tasty and nutritious, and you can order ahead online.

East Nashville

We did most of our eating and drinking in East Nashville this visit. After a few days of eating in the trailer, we were looking forward to getting out!

First, a pre-dinner drink at Attaboy, a speakeasy with no menu–you just tell them what you like and they come up with something. They have a small patio, which is great for Covid-times, but unfortunately it’s the smoking section. The drinks were good but due to the smoke we didn’t want to linger.

Dinner was around the corner at Butcher & Bee, our second time there but it had been 3.5 years since our first visit. The food and drinks were fantastic, and the patio seating expansive and comfortable. If you go you must order the whipped feta dip!

And to finish the night, a visit to our favorite Nashville brewery, Bearded Iris. We rushed in a few minutes before closing and the beertender would only sell us cans to go. BOO. And we weren’t allowed to open them on the deck, where other people were still drinking. We weren’t so miffed that we didn’t buy a bunch of cans of delicious IPAs and sours to take home to Virginia, though.

Normally, we would have spent a couple days in Nashville, as we always have a great time there, but thought it would be neat to spend a night in the Smokies on our way through Tennessee. Next up: Pigeon Forge!