Frothy Monkey Nashville TN

We were hoping to stop by the Frothy Monkey in Franklin when we were there a couple years ago, but time got away from us.  We were super excited to see one was within walking distance of our hotel while we were in Nashville!

AND, this place ended up being great and convenient for us, we went for lunch one day, and we went for dinner the next.

It was very busy on the first day we went but they seemed to handle it all well.  We ordered drinks and sandwiches at the counter, then we found a nice table in their upstairs area.  We sat at a table next to a window.  It ended up raining heavily while we were there, and watching the rain as we enjoyed our sandwiches was very pleasant.

We brought books with us too, and we ended up reading after our meal, and just enjoying the calm vibe.

Our sandwiches came with chips and salsa.  My wife is big on bread, and she really liked the bread they used.  We both loved our sandwiches, and we also got a cookie for dessert after we finished our meal.  They were huge.

We really enjoyed our lunch here, so we made a point to come back the next day.

After five, they do a table service type of thing, and they have some different menu options.  I had a really tasty burger this evening.  We also had some great desserts.

We had a super friendly young waitress who was on the ball and took care of us.

Antique Archaeology in Nashville TN

I have to admit that "American Pickers" is one of the few reality shows that I watch.  its a fun show, and the cast seems like a likable crew.

I have read some rumors that the show might not be totally "real" and there might be some staging but who cares.  I could probably watch unedited videos of people going through old garages and attics all day.  As someone who has dabbled in buying and selling collectibles, I love watching Mike and Frank search and haggle.

Oh, and I read an article not long ago about their visit to the old Marx Museum in West Virginia.  I read that fans hung out outside of the museum to meet them, and that they stuck around and signed autographs and took photos for a couple of hours.  That's very cool!

So, stopping by to see their shop in Nashville was mandatory for us on this trip.

There literally was a line to get in when we were there (it moved fast though, we waited maybe 10 minutes to get in, if that).

The shop is not huge, but it is cool.  In some ways, it had a bit of a museum feel to it, as there were some large sized (and large priced) items that were simply very cool.  They were selling a LOT of branded merch, including t-shirts, stickers, patches, etc.

I personally picked up my usual items (patch, pin, sticker, postcard).  I wanted to get something actually old here....  So I found a really nice old b&w family photo for a reasonable $8.

I mentioned to a person working there that I grew up near Windy Hollow, the subject of one of the Picker's episodes.  The friendly sales person talked with me for some time about that particle show, and the items picked there.

There are some other shops in the same building and they were all worth a look. 

Holston House in Nashville TN.

We were very lucky to find ourselves at the Holston House in Nashville for this trip!

This is a newer Hyatt hotel that opened late last year I believe, though it is in a building that went up in 1929.  So, they are kind of going for a VERY new feel, in an attractive, old building.

PLUS, this hotel was walking distance from everything.  Broadway, The Country Music Hall of Fame, Third Man Records and other places were all a short walk.  This was a very convenient place for us to stay.

The hotel is very unique, and I am not even sure of what I could compare it to.  There is a swimming pool on the roof, along with a bar.  This was a popular area.  It was also a great place to look down on the rest of the city.

We did have a nice lunch in their restaurant one day.  We had tasty burgers and fries.

Like I said, this is a newer place, and we just had a nice time hanging around here.  Check out my photos!

Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN

Parnassus Books is one of those very cool little indy book shops you should get to for many reasons. 

I think it is fascinating because an actual real author owns the place.  This is Ann Patchett's store.  I personally don't read a lot of modern fiction, but I did make a point to pick up one of Ann's books while we were here (it seemed like the appropriate thing to do).  You can get any of her releases here and each one is signed!

My wife and I ended up spending a good chunk of time here.  We arrived one morning just before a children's story hour.  We saw a LOT of young kids coming in with their parents.  The story hour here attracted a large crowd.  I must say too that, though the back area/children's section was crowded with children, they were all VERY well behaved and pleasant.  It is nice that this book store offers story time.  It is also nice to see so many parents taking advantage of this.  What a valuable free service they are providing!

While here, I picked up a SIGNED Al Gore book for my Presidential (or, almost Presidential) collection.  My wife found a cute shirt with the bookstore's logo on it for a reasonable $15 or so.

I noticed on their website that they do a TON of author signings, and they stock a lot of signed books.  I love that sort of thing.

I also noticed by the counter, that they sold small matchbooks with book covers on them.  The display showed a "Fahrenheit 451" matchbox.  I checked, and they were sold out of this one.  I really wanted to buy that one though- just because of the irony of buying a F451 book of matches...  at a bookstore.


Anyway, we ended up having a very pleasant conversation with the staff there as we paid for our items.  These are people that care about books.

This is definitely the kind of book store to splurge at if you visit.  Pick up a signed  book for yourself that you can't find anywhere else.  This is a special bookstore where you can still find a special book.

Edwin Watt's Golf Handprints in Nashville, TN

In the parking area of Edwin Watt's Golf in Nashville, there are some concrete tiles, signed, hand and shoe printed by various celebrities.

There had to have been hundreds, with an emphasis on country music legends.  We did see a lot of people stopping to check it out with us.

Mosaic Dragon Sculpture- Nashville, TN

We are fortune in that we have an old friend who has lived in Nashville for several years now.  He took us on a very nice tour of some of the more odd places and sites in Nashville.

It was dark as we were ending our evening with him, but he wanted to make sure we got to visit the recently restored Mosaic Dragon Sculpture.

Again, it was late so my photos aren't the best, but this is a very unique piece of art that I am glad we got to see.  Check out the elaborate tile work!  My photos do not do it justice.

Third Man Records in Nashville TN

I FINALLY got to Third Man Records in Nashville Tennessee!  This has been a place high on my list for some time.

A buddy went some time ago, and brought me back the plastic, "Mold-A-Rama" style guitar available here.  I love that sort of thing.

And I love the fact that Jack White has a record store in Nashville.  That alone is just pretty cool.

We had heard that the store was in a questionable neighborhood, but we walked to it from the Broadway area (it was maybe a 20 minute walk) and we felt safe.  I would say it was a nice, pleasant walk too.

The store itself is small.  Definitely think cool old independent record store you remember from a couple of decades ago.  Don't think about the large cd/record shops that used to be in the malls.

The thing that I really wanted to do here was record an actual song in the "Third Man Recording Booth."  For $20, you can actually record for a couple of minutes onto an actual piece of vinyl.  Think about that.  It is a VERY rare opportunity.

The booth is from the 40s... and it is a bit moody.  I noticed on their website that they suggest calling to see if the booth is working before coming in.  THAT is authentic vintage technology!


A very friendly fellow working there helped us get ready to record, explaining the process.  You pretty much press a button, hear a vacuum sound, that ends, a light comes on... and you go!

We debated what to sing.  I felt that Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" might be a nice choice.  My wife felt something more traditional would be right.  "You Are My Sunshine" ended up being the song we went with.

We actually had to record it twice, as there was an issue with the needle the first time around.  AND, somehow, we ended up recording on the B-side...  So our only, one of a kind single is literally the B-side to nothing.  That feels appropriate.

The staff played our record at the store to make sure it sounded right (more bragging rights- my one record has been played at Third Man Records).  To my wife's relief, they did play it low, so we were really the only ones who could hear it.

The whole process was a lot of fun.  Our record is on clear vinyl too, which I like.


The staff at Third Man told us that a lot of big names have actually recorded in the booth including Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and Weird Al.  She told us that Hannibal Buress stopped by to record in it recently too.  And now we have.

After we recorded, a guy went in to record himself rapping.

Dunn Brothers Coffee Downtown Nashville TN.

I wanted to give a quick mention to Dunn Brothers Coffee in Nashville.  It was a very short walk from our hotel, and we ended up stopping by here a couple of mornings.

This is a very cozy and roomy coffee shop, especially for a happenin' downtown area.  There were plenty of seats, and some nice secluded areas too.  I mention this because a lot of chain coffee shops, especially newer ones, have limited seating and space.  A LOT of newer shops have a "get your coffee and leave" vibe.  Dunn Brothers has a very welcoming feel.

The staff was friendly, we had good coffee, and there were some interesting breakfast options here too!

Union Station Hotel, Nashville, TN

ANOTHER beautiful, historic and simply amazing hotel that we saw for a bit on our Nashville trip was the Union Station Hotel.

This place was just ridiculously perfect.

Here are a few photos.