Our Fact-Finding Trip to Nashville
Landing in Nashville for the very first time was a surreal experience, since visiting had been a dream of mine for years. While my husband, Brady, had visited Nashville in 2009 for his brother’s wedding, since so much time had passed, it felt a lot like his first time visiting too. He pointed out the downtown skyline from the window, there was country music playing from the terminal restaurant and electric guitars were on display at the baggage claim. I was excited, but also curious and hopeful, because while this would be a fun country-music filled vacation, it also would be a scouting trip for us. After a fateful, unexpected turn of events, we were in Music City, USA!
After grabbing our bags and figuring out the rideshare pickup point, the 20 minute Uber ride brought us to our hotel, which was within walking distance to Broadway. We read through an extensive list of recommendations from a friend, freshened up, put on our cowboy boots and then were off to the honky tonks!
Broadway
Approaching the main drag, I took in the neon signs, brick buildings, and live music, which grew louder and clearer as we inched closer. Our first stop was the Stage. Walking up to the narrow stairway to third floor rooftop, we grabbed a table, some local brews and listened to the live band. It felt both freeing and refreshing to be in a place where life seemed normal again. For context, it was October 2020, where in California, masks were mandatory indoors, eating inside restaurants/bars was still not allowed, and we definitely hadn’t experienced live music for months. It was nice to have a break from the COVID way of life, and we couldn’t get over how differently COVID could be handled in two different states within the same country. It was clear everyone on Broadway was looking to have an escape from the reality of the past seven months and just wanted to have fun, and we were all for it!
We ventured to Rippy’s for barbeque (a complete tourist move), walked up and down Broadway, hit Redneck Riviera, and met Brady’s brother, Lance, back at the Stage rooftop. Our last stop was Tootsies, and then we walked back to the hotel. It was a GREAT night that exceeded my expectations–an epic first Broadway experience!
Playing Tourist
Day two was equally as action-packed. We ate at Puckett’s for breakfast, and for lunch we went to a neighborhood called “12 South” to meet Brady’s brother, our sister-in-law, Heather, and our adorable nephews and niece. I had no idea what 12 South was, and truth be told, I really didn’t want to break away from Broadway, but I was glad that we did. 12 South turned out to be incredible area with a lot of character. We ate at Edley’s BBQ (real BBQ) with a great vibe and fantastic food, and walked the main drag. Later that night, we went to Broadway (again). A friend recommended we go to the Listening Room, so we snagged tickets the night before and went for the very first time (a new core memory!). That night, we saw Lainey Wilson sing on stage–over a year before she made her big debut in the country music world. To this day, I still feel that the Listening Room is the most INCREDIBLE Nashville experience that everyone needs to experience, and we were so grateful for the recc!
The next few days were an exciting, happy blur as we tried to hit as many tourist spots as we could. We stayed at our family’s house (and tried Hattie B’s!). We visited Green Hills (I had to check out Whole Foods to see if I could spot a country star). We went antiquing. We drove to Leiper’s Fork (again, to try to spot a country star). It was in Leiper’s Fork where we first saw something we hadn’t seen in a long time – ketchup bottles on the tables! During COVID, California restaurants removed all community condiment bottles, providing little disposable packets, and I was almost shocked me to see a bottle on the table again. How crazy is that? Once again, a nice break from COVID restrictions. We unexpectedly came across the Loveless Café, an adorable little spot that looked like it came right out of Cars Land at Disneyland. I was falling more and more in love with Nashville with each day that passed!
Scouting Nashville
Most importantly, we scouted the area. We contacted a realtor, Ethan Lanagan, who was referred to us by a friend, who we ended up working with to find our house in Nashville because he was so informative and easy to work with! We then met with Ethan at a Franklin coffee shop to discuss next steps toward a potential move, along with what to know about the Nashville market–which was absolutely insane in 2020. We drove around Franklin (a place we loved right away), Hendersonville and Mt. Juliet and visited new build developments, and drove by homes for sale. Before returning to San Diego we had to get a feel for each town so we could do extensive follow-up research to see if this city could be our future home, and if we could (and should) really pull it all off.
There was a lot riding on this fact-finding trip, and as with any major life-altering decision, we were feeling the pressure (at least I was, anyway, because I’m a notorious over-analyzer!). After researching online in San Diego, there were some areas and specific new-build developments I had my heart set on, literally thinking we might put money down on a plot of land before leaving the state. But after driving around and touring some homes in-person, they weren’t what I had hoped–a classic expectations vs. reality scenario. I put all my eggs in one (neighborhood) basket, which is something I tend to do often.
Outside of a Panera, I cried to Brady, questioning everything and overwhelmed by the thought of leaving my home of thirty years. Should we really do this? What if we make a mistake and hate it? Are we only loving it here because we’re on vacation? Is this just a pipedream? What is the timeline looking like for us? How can we move across the country? What will I do without my parents and best friends in the same city? What if I get lonely? While I could really see us living in Nashville, the thought of uprooting our lives and leaving my hometown was scary and uncertain. Luckily, Brady is always more even-keeled than I am, and saw the big picture opportunity for us, and we pressed on!
Despite some defeating moments and intense personal doubt, we had an incredible trip and really loved Nashville. We knew we were on the right track in finding a city we could build a life in, and were proud of the ground we covered in less than a week. Everything we experienced–every vibe, every lyric, every building, every taste, every interaction, every turn, I absolutely loved, and Brady had a good feeling about. Granted, it was vacation, but something just felt like this was a place that would suit us well. While completely exhausted and ready to sleep in our own bed, we had a really good feeling about Nashville, and knew this wouldn’t be our last visit. At the airport, I called my parents to tell them that in my heart I knew that we found our new home in Tennessee, and that we were seriously considering next steps. It was a scary, yet fun and exciting turning point for us!
