What should a pair of Texans do in Louisville, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Asheville + Lexington??

(Hatch Show Print)

Dear ESB,

My husband and I are taking our first post-honeymoon vacation together next month. We're getting the hell out of the cold, gray, bleak Midwestern town where we currently live and heading south for a road trip through Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee (specifically Louisville, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Asheville, and Lexington).

We don't exactly know what to do while we're there, we're just looking for warmer weather, good food, and southern hospitality (we're from Texas, so we miss it). I know this is a long shot, but do you (or perhaps some of your southern readers/twitter followers) have any advice on where we should go/eat/shop? 

We're hoping to find some of the gems that only the locals know about, especially if they won't cost a ton (husband's finishing his PhD, I'm a teacher, so um...not exactly rolling in it).

*****

I've corralled a couple of experts on Nashville and Asheville -- no pun intended -- and I figure I'll let our readers fill in the rest.

Here's Naurnie on Nashville:

When ESB put out the APB on Twitter last week about folks needing Nashville vacation advice, I jumped at the chance. Nashville. My city. I moved away almost two years ago and still I miss it every day. I've put together some things to do in town that are not only local friendly, but also a little touristy just for good measure. Because when you get down to brass tacks, doing some of the touristy junk in Nashville is actually pretty damn fun.

Downtown:

When most people head to Nashville on a vacation, they're normally coming to the downtown area. While, lower Broadway is teeming with rednecks in their cutoffs and Elvis tattoos, the area still offers plenty in the way of cool shit to do (and the people watching can't be beat.) If you are on lower Broadway in the broad daylight, you should hit up the legendary Hatch Show Print. They have been making screen print posters with their distinctive designs since 1879. They've done posters for everyone from the White Stripes to Patsy Cline and everyone in between. They even sell stock posters out of the store front so you can take one home to frame in your kitchen.

(Robert's Western World via Viator)

Just around the corner is the historic Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music and my own personal favorite venue to ever see a show EVER. It was where they broadcast the Grand Ole Opry, among other things, and they offer daily tours. You shouldn't miss it. Johnny Cash kicked the stage lights out in 1965. Those walls hold a lot of stories. Check the schedule, too. You might be able to score some tickets to a pretty bad ass show. You can also walk to the Country Music Hall of Fame. You might not be a fan of country music, but there is a lot of really interesting stuff in there including a car belonging to Elvis (it's tacky in a good way) and Gram Parsons' famous Nudie suit.

IF you are downtown and it is DARK OUTSIDE, you are in luck. You may now visit my most favorite establishment known to man, Robert's Western World. It is the only honky tonk on lower Broadway worth visiting, if you ask me. Boots for sale on the walls, chili cheese fries, and on Friday and Saturday nights they've got the western swing band, Brazil Billy. NOT TO BE MISSED.

East Nashville:

On the other side of the river from downtown is really where most of the cool folks in Nashville spend their free time. It's a neighborhood called East Nashville, and if you ask me it's where the best restaurants are. Have a nice glass of wine in the back yard of Rumour's East, a very lovely wine bar in an old bungalow with a gorgeous back patio. After you've enjoyed your wine, walk on down to Margot Cafe for a very tasty dinner. It's award winning, delicious, and I highly recommend reservations. Across the street from Margot is 3 Crow Bar, a local watering hole. Grab a bushwhacker and hang out for awhile.

Also on the East Side is Marche. It's a GREAT place for brunch and is owned by the same lady who owns Margot Cafe. Again, a reservation on a weekend is highly recommended. Both restaurants have a large focus on local foods. There is also The Pharmacy, an old-school burger parlor & beer garden where you can get specialty burgers and sit outside. Enjoy the spring weather.

(House-made wurst from The Pharmacy by Eric England via Nashville Scene)

Germantown:

Another one of my favorite Nashville haunts is City House. DO NOT MISS THIS. Just don't. It's so good.

Nights in Nashville can be quite fun. I'd say at any given night, hit up the Patterson House for some delicious cocktails. Don't be alarmed; there is no sign on the outside of this old house that serves as a speak easy. They make all of their own bitters and juices, and if you can, get a Sazerac. You will not be disappointed. The Station Inn is also a great place for a night time adventure. It's typically a bluegrass venue, but you can head in there on any given night and see any number of amazing musicians.

12 South:

Imogene + Willie is located in the 12 South area. It's a fabulous little joint that smells so good and has the best stuff. Matt + Carrie, the owners, have designed their own line of denim that they make and sell out of their renovated gas station front. They also have various vintage goods and friendly help. Down the street from Imogene + Willie is Burger Up, a fantastic restaurant with gourmet burgers in a very relaxed atmosphere. Walk another couple of blocks and grab a home made Mexican popsicle from Las Paletas. You can enjoy your tasty treat in the park across the street.

(Imogene + Willie via the K.I.D. Collective)

If you're like me and you can't get enough of digging through bins for vinyl, check out Grimey's for new and pre-loved music. Also, Nashville is home to Jack White's Third Man Records. Visit their brick and mortar location to grab some great vinyl and look at some taxidermy.

My general advice: Enjoy yourself. Ask people around you questions. Nashvillians are so very nice, and they love to talk about their city. They can give you advice about what to do if you find yourself in an unfamiliar location and are always willing to show you where to go. And? Avoid lines at the Pancake Pantry. It looks tempting, I know. But it's disgusting and you don't want to wait in line that long for disappointing pancakes.

****

And here's cevd on Asheville:

ok, so here is the list of MUSTS, followed by the list of if you have times:

1.  cúrate - if you do one thing in AVL, please, PLEASE let it be eating here.  in fact I'd go as far as to say that if you weren't planning a trip to AVL you should change your plans only so you can eat here.  seriously deeeeeeeeelish.

(Cúrate)

2. grab lunch from laurey's and head up into the blue ridge mountains. it's going to be beautiful there until november so it doesn't really matter when you go. but do it, spend some time outside, re-live the hunger games if you must, just go. my favorite spots include graveyard fields and mount mitchell, but here's a list for you, just in case.

2A. 12 bones. you guys i nearly forgot this one, and it is IMPORTANT that you go. maybe just slightly more important that laurey's? you can get 12 bones to go as well, but then you miss out on the never ending bbq sauce and very good beer selection.

3. hit up the j.crew outlet, it's just off the blue ridge parkway, it'll be easy! i know I'm going to be blasted into the ether for even saying j.crew in this post, but whatever. it's one of those honest to goodness outlets where you can buy clothes that say SAMPLE on them. also, they always have madewell denim for like $20 and last time I went I scored the cutest alexa chung for madewell dress.  totally worth it. oh and if you happen to be there on a weekend when they are doing the all out warehouse sale, go. i've found designer dresses with barneys' tags on them. seriously, this is the real deal. [Editor's Note: that's cool. you all know I left this one in because of the madewell thing. right??]

4. grab a beer and walk around downtown, maybe in the reverse order? blue spiral 1, mast general store, and others. just stroll, you'll love it.

5. tupelo honey. the S. AVL outpost is a bit less crowded than downtown, but maybe no longer open for breakfast on the weekdays? if you're downtown, they'll serve you breakfast, but you'll wait. however I will say that the ginger cornbread, warm biscuits, sweet potato pancakes, eggs betty, and grilled cheese are all worth it. also, the S. AVL one is kind of lame in that new big restaurant way. it is by no means a chain, but still, the downtown version is cute and quaint and lively, you might not want to skip it.

(The Orange Peel via Skyscraper City)

6. FRENCH BROAD CHOCOLATE LOUNGE. skip dessert at cúrate, oooh it hurts to say that, and head over to the chocolate lounge. get the highland mocha stout cake and the indian kulfi sipping chocolate. go to bed happy.

7. check the schedule at the orange peel. it's one of the best venues i've ever been to.

now if you find yourself with more time to kill :

DINNER : if you're around for another dinner here is my list in order ... the admiral, doc chey's, limones, posana, and table

SHOPPING : head to biltmore village. there is this great jewelry store there, blue, amazing, they make just about everything in house and i've scored some really wonderful pieces there. the rest of the village is pretty suburban, j.crew. williams sonoma. brooks brothers. lilly pulitzer. but it's cute and cobblestoned and the obama's had dinner at the corner kitchen, so there's that.

STUFF :  i guess you could go to the biltmore estate. people love it. it's huge, and the grounds are well kept. also, do you like to zip line? if so, i'd say go with navitat

NOW I WANNA TO GO ON A ROAD TRIP.