Exploring Nashville

Curt and I have been trying to get out and explore the great city of Nashville a little more. When we first moved here last June, we didn't have much time to go out and we didn't live in a good area. Since we got back from Australia and moved into a new area of town, it's been much easier to hunt for fun, cheap entertainment. 

One of my favorite resources for new restaurants and fun spots is Yelp.com (which I also use on my Yelp iPhone app.) If you've never visited Yelp before, I recommend you do - there might be a gem of a place right around the corner. And that's exactly what I found - bubble tea, five minutes from our house.

Have you ever tried bubble tea? Essentially, it's a fruit smoothie or tea (or coffee or milk) drink with giant tapioca balls in the bottom. You sip the drink through a fat straw so you can munch the tapioca balls, which are like gummies without flavor.

The place near our house is called Chill Spot; it's on Franklin Road in Brentwood near Peter's Sushi for anyone who wants to visit. Not only do they have tasty food, but also an incredible array of bubble teas. Curt tried "Summertime" and I had "Groovy Passion." They were both really good and there were dozens of other unique flavors. 

Sadly, we heard a rumor today that Chill Spot is closing, so if you want to try some delicious bubble tea, hop over to Brentwood and snatch some for yourself soon. Or don't, because it can be addicting. 

We tried a new bubble tea place today - Vienna House Coffee & Tea in Cool Springs - which is not in such a convenient location, and I preferred my Chill Spot drink, but Curt liked Vienna's better, for what it's worth. 

Other fun things in the area? This traveling carnival! Which was more fun to gawk at than actually participate in, but fun nonetheless.

Yes, the carnies came to town for a couple weeks, completely clogging the grocery store and shopping center with their dangerous rides and nasty stuffed animals.

The rides were older than me, but the bright lights were oh so sweet.

A carny tried to convince Curt he needed to win me a prize to win my love. We opted to not play. 

Another new (to us) favorite spot for cool treats is Las Paletas in the 12 South neighborhood. They serve traditional Mexican popsicles. Las Paletas has different flavors everyday so there is always something new to try. The popsicles are handmade with fresh fruits and flavors - a perfect treat for these hot days we are still experiencing! 

That day Curt got Strawberry, Pineapple, Banana and I had Blueberry Lime. They were both delicious! 

The biggest perk of living in Nashville is all the music, obviously! This fall a local radio station introduced "Live on the Green" - a free Thursday night concert series downtown. They had a number of decent bands in town - Curt and I went to see Five for Fighting, and Curt saw Jars of Clay a few weeks later (I had to work). 

It's always fun to see quality bands for free and I love community events. We also visited Musicians' Corner, which was another free concert series on Saturdays in Centennial Park. As far as I know, they will both be back next year. 

In an attempt to get in shape and tune up his soccer skills, Curt joined a YMCA team with one of my co-workers. He also started playing soccer with some random people which has since turned into a reoccurring bi-weekly event. There are many beautiful parks in town where pick-up games happen on a regular basis.

Nashville is busting with unique places and restaurants. At the top of my list is Hatch Show Print, and the next time we are downtown, I'm picking up some posters to decorate my studio. When my parents were in town, we made a point to visit new places that aren't obvious tourist destinations. I'll be blogging about those places later this week.

I hope this post wasn't too boring, but maybe if you are in the Nashville area it will give you some fun ideas. Or maybe it will inspire you to explore your own town - so many people feel the need to go away to get a dose of tourism when there are plenty of unique places and events locally. 

What's your favorite spot in our town?