Restrictions are lifting, vaccines are becoming more readily available, and people are more comfortable traveling. I'm from New Jersey and we are still pretty locked down, so going to Nashville was a bit of a culture shock! I stayed masked up when in large crowds and ruined my spray tan with all the hand washing and sanitizing I did....but so worth it! I had an an amazing time and had to share with you my new favorite spot that you HAVE to visit on your next Nashville visit.
It's called "5th and Broadway" and it's an outdoor courtyard-style mall in the heart of downtown with retail shops, dining, a fun food court with live entertainment (duh, Nashville) and a bar, plus live artist paintings, and....all the murals to fill your social feed with the most beautiful content!
I'm not a huge shopper, but if you are, you'll love this. They have a TON of stores and one I even got myself a souvenir in, called "The Nash Collection". But seriously - everything you can think of. Super cute boutiques, boots, Sephora, a hair place, and more coming soon!
One of my dear friends, Tiffany, lives not far and I stayed with her this trip. She just KNEW I would love this spot so we went on the first full day I was there, which was a Friday. You can watch my Instagram stories for a behind the scenes video tour here. We knew we wanted to eat lunch, but there were so many options!
First we did a big loop to scope out what was there, what sounded good, and to do some browsing. We ran into one of Tiffany's friends who happened to be enjoying lunch at Assembly Food Hall and actually lives in the building so he walked around with us while we chatted! Hattie B's Hot Chicken had a decent line, and by this point we were STARVING, so we grabbed some bowls from CAVA.
I was really trying to give my body some healthy foods because I knew I had a few days of debauchery ahead of me....but I really regret not having JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAM for lunch! Rumor has it that Dolly Parton has a special flavor so PLEASE go visit, order it, and report back to me! You could smell the deliciousness walking by. I'm a total foodie when I travel so Nashville is like...heaven, ya'll. I want to go back right now and get an ELIXR COFFEE and some treats from LE MACARON FRENCH PASTRIES.
Okay, back to the ART. If you're familiar with the more popular photo-op spots in Nashville like the "What Lifts You" wings in The Gulch, for example...you know there can be lines for days! Luckily when I got my photo there, it was like 8 degrees outside in January so no one was there. The great thing about these murals at 5th and Broadway is that even though this weekend was Spring Break and it was packed everywhere else, this was still brand new and so there weren't huge lines. Well, until you share this blog post and it blows up. No pressure.
My Facebook Page is called, "Love, Leslie Jespersen" so this one, around the back by the escalators, was my favorite! I even edited it to add my name. (The actual mural just says, "XO,"
This cute flower arch and flower market setup was super cute, too!
My two favorite murals were the ones that actually said, "Nashville" though! This one is also around the back by the escalators with plenty of room to stand back and get a great shot:
And this one that is lit up is upstairs on the second level right around the corner from the Assembly Food Hall (North).
PRO TIP: If you are in a group and don't want to ask a stranger to take your photo, do what I did! Set up your phone in the planter (use your clutch as a booster if it's still too low), turn it on selfie video mode, and start filming! Have someone yell out, "one-two-three-pose!" a bunch of times, and then go back and take screen grabs of your favorite frames. BONUS: you will get a super fun behind the scenes video like this, too.
And here's the final result. Not bad considering it's on an iphone in a flower planter, right?
There is SO MUCH to do at this cute spot, and honestly I want to go back and spend a lot more time shopping and eating. OH - My friends Bekah and Tyler did stop at Cotton + Snow and got a boozy shaved ice which I tried a bite of...but next time I'm getting my own! It was a LOT, but really tasty.
I highly recommend adding 5th + Broadway to your Nashville itinerary and I'd love if you tagged me in your mural pix on Instagram! Connect with me here - instagram.com/leslie_jespersen
I also just saw that they have an art exhibit to debut all the murals this weekend so definitely check it out if you're in the area! Find the info here: https://fifthandb.com/events/#event-1640
Watch my Nashville Daily TikTok Vlogs Here: https://www.tiktok.com/@leslie_jespersen