NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A trip to Nashville wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the honky-tonks of lower Broadway and a pilgrimage to the “mother church of country music,” the Ryman Auditorium, but once you’ve hit those, consider a trip across the river to Nashville’s hippest neighborhood.
East Nashville started out as separate city of country estates, enjoying a post-Civil War boom in the 1870s and 1880s, according to local historian and East Nashville resident Jim Hoobler. Beginning in 1916, a huge fire, the Great Depression and flight to the suburbs took their toll. Restoration of the area’s many Victorian homes and bungalows began in the 1970s, and has helped turn it into one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods.
Today, visitors can easily spend a day or more sampling East Nashville’s boutiques, restaurants, brew pubs and clubs. There are too many fun spots to list them all, but a good place to start is the pedestrian-friendly Five Points neighborhood.
Here Marche Artisan Foods (1000 Main St.) serves up a European-style seasonal menu in a sunny room that is always packed. In addition to sit-down meals, Marche sells baked goods and locally sourced packaged food. Chef Margot McCormack has another popular restaurant nearby, Margot Cafe and Bar (1017 Woodland St.), which serves rustic French and Italian cuisine for dinner and Sunday brunch. Reservations can be hard to get, but sometimes there’s room at the bar.
A cheaper, humbler meal can be found at I Dream of Weenie (113 S. 11th St.), a hot-dog restaurant run out of an old Volkswagen bus. Across the street is the Pied Piper Creamery (114 S. 11th St.), where a signature flavor is Trailer Trash— vanilla ice cream with Oreo, Twix, Butterfinger, Nestle Crunch, Snickers, M&Ms, and Reese’s Pieces.
New York-style Five Points Pizza (1012 Woodland St.) offers a good selection of local and regional craft beers.
For shopping, a row of tiny boutiques called The Idea Hatchery (1108 Woodland St.) includes everything from an all-local bookstore (East Side Story) to a gourmet oatmeal shop (Haulin’ Oats) with lots of vintage and kitsch in between.
Another cluster of boutiques, The Shoppes on Fatherland (1006 Fatherland St.), is within walking distance. Or rent a bicycle for the trip from the nearby Nashville B-cycle station (109 S. 11th St.). Basic rentals are $5 for the first hour, $1.50 each additional half-hour.
Don’t miss Jones Fly Co., where workers tie feathers and animal hair around tiny hooks, making mock bug lures that anglers use to fool fish.
For a moment of calm, visit High Garden, selling both traditional teas and herbal infusions with names like “overworked,” “warrior blend” and “airway to heaven.” Take a bag to go or share a pot with a friend in the small seating area. There’s a selection of books and games for the tables, but laptops are not allowed. Yes, you read that correctly.
“This is not a place to escape, it’s a place to be,” co-owner Leah Larabell explains.
Six blocks away is Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co. (1628 Fatherland St.), where Scott Witherow roasts, stone-grinds and sells what he calls “Southern artisan chocolate.”
If it’s a Saturday, you can tour the factory for $5, including your very own hairnet.
At Barista Parlor (519 B Gallatin Ave.), the coffees have complicated back stories and can be served cold with mixers that make them feel more like cocktails. Food includes inventive house-made “Pop’s Tarts,” doughnuts and macaroons.
Mas Tacos Por Favor (732 Mcferrin Ave.), an eastside lunchtime favorite, serves great Mexican street food and aguas frescas.
After all that food, burn a few calories by checking out a free bike from Shelby Bottoms Nature Center (1900 Davidson St.) and riding the 950-acre Shelby Bottoms Park’s greenway next to the Cumberland River. The adjoining Shelby Park offers another 336 acres complete with nine- and 18-hole golf courses.
Or travel west along the river to Cumberland Park. Just a walking-bridge away from downtown, this kid-friendly spot includes a “sprayground” where jets of water offer relief on hot summer days.
