lost in exploration | nashville

an 11-day road trip starting in Indianapolis, visiting 10 cities in five states

beginning of day one:

4 | 21 | 2023 (Friday)

Our road trip began with a stop in Nashville, about 4-1/2 hours from Indianapolis. Unfortunately, we decided not to stay overnight and only passing through on our way to Memphis; however, we live close enough that we’ll definitely be back for a longer stay. We left my house around 8:45 in the morning and knew we’d arrive around lunchtime. Originally, we had a different restaurant in mind but once we got to the area, we decided to stop at The Goat mainly because of the exterior and checking out the menu online.

They serve brunch Friday - Sunday, 10AM-2PM, and I highly recommend the French Toast and The Goat Burrito. Such a delicious sweet and savory combo - we loved them both and not just because we were super hungry! Of course, I had to try the cold brew and asked for a splash of oat milk on the side (not pictured). We enjoyed the whole vibe of the restaurant as well as the service.

Since I follow quite a few muralists on Instagram, I noted a couple that were completed in Nashville. Because of these first couple of murals, our trip quickly became a mural hunt, discovering and loving new ones as we explored each city.

FIRST MURAL STOP | Erin Miller Ray on the east side of Nashville. Love everything about her work - the colors, the patterns, the scale.

 

Mural by Erin Miller Ray

Wind-permitting, always trying to take a selfie with the murals

Mural by Erin Miller Ray

 

SECOND MURAL STOP | Liz Kamarul on the side of Element Nashville Vanderbilt West End (hotel). Such fun colors - loved seeing it in person. As we were exploring oneC1TY, we had to stop at Sump Coffee for a little pick-me-up. oneC1TY is worth a visit, offering so many great restaurants, shops, and activities that we didn’t have time check out. It’s also very close to The Parthenon and Centennial Park, which will be on our list for next time.

Mural by Liz Kamarul

Mural by Liz Kamarul

Mural by Liz Kamarul

Sump Coffee - mural of logo inside

As we continued our journey, we had to check out The Bookshop, a local, woman-owned bookstore on the east side of the Cumberland River. In that same area we happened upon Kelsey Montague’s Mural that had a real hot air balloon basket at the bottom! Prior to the trip, I decided that we needed to visit a local donut shop(s) in each city to enjoy and compare. As we made our way out of town toward Memphis, we made a stop for donuts at Five Daughters Bakery, located in L&L Market (recommend visiting the market in general). The Five Daughters donuts we had were thick with a croissant texture and taste - absolutely delicious - some of the best we had the entire trip! And we had a loooot of donuts, so stay tuned for more!

Have suggestions for Nashville that you don’t see listed below? Drop them in the comments so I can add them to my list!

mapping the details:

For reference, pink pin is the capitol building. Otherwise, all locations listed from left to right.

on our list for next time:

  • Barista Parlor (Coffee Shop)

  • Uncommon James

  • The Parthenon and Centennial Park

  • The Listening Room

Lost in Exploration 2023Jen Scherr DesignsNashville, Road trip, Visit Nashville, journey not a destinationComment