I first visited Nashville three years ago during July of 2017 with my best friend from high school, Jess. It was the main destination of a 10-day road trip, and we had such a good time that I’ve been back twice since!
A while back I wrote a post dedicated solely to my Nashville favorites (a compilation from all three of my visits!), but there was so much good throughout our entire road trip. If you’re interested in exploring Nashville or itching itching to hit the road, here’s a glimpse into our summer fun!
- Day 1: Get to Gettysburg!
- Camping at Artillery Ridge
- Day 2: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, National Cemetery, Shriver House Museum, Gettysburg Diorama, Appalachian Brewing Company
- Night in Harpers Ferry
- Day 3: Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
- Maryland Heights Hike, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters, Almost Heaven Pub & Grill
- 2nd Night in Harpers Ferry Hostel
- Day 4: Charlotte
- A very long day of driving, Childress Vineyards
- Night in Gastonia AirBNB
- Day 5: Asheville
- Asheville’s River Arts District, Biltmore, Cedric’s Tavern
- Night at Smokemont Campground
- Day 6: Great Smoky Mountain National Park
- Vistor’s Center, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Clingman’s Dome, Trillium Gap Trail
- Night in Lynchburg at Devil Step Campground
- Day 7: Lynchburg & Nashville
- Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Country Music Hall of Fame, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Line dancing at Wildhorse Saloon & a night on Broadway
- Night in Nashville AirBNB
- Day 8: Nashville
- Ryman Tour, Johnny Cash Museum, Grand Ole Opry, Parthenon, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
- 2nd Night in Nashville AirBNB
- Day 9: Pittsburgh
- Duquesne Incline, Milkshake Factory, Best Friend Time!
- Night with a friend
- Day 10: Home
- Penn State Arts Fest
- Home by nightfall!
DAY 1: Get to gettysburg!
Camping at Artillery Ridge
Our trip started with a drive to Gettysburg. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, we were both shocked to realize neither of us had ever been! Given its historical significance and being that it’s a fairly popular attraction in our home state, we figured it made for a natural first stop.
Jess and I left our hometown of Montrose, Pa on 4th of July and headed south. When we were planning this trip, we tried to make sure that there was a decent balance of travel and adventure in every day, and started our itinerary by mapping a basic route to Nashville. Once we had that route in mind, we started breaking it down into days that we felt were manageable, seeking out potential stops and areas of interest near the route.
A few other things we had to keep in mind when planning this trip were our budget and time-frame. Jess only had a certain number of days off, and we were both pretty convinced we could do this on the cheap! We used Jess’s car and camping gear, and our lodging was a mix of campgrounds, hostels, and AirBNBs, costing us only $460 for the whole trip!
We enjoyed 4th of July festivities with our families, and then we hit the road that night, staying at Artillery Ridge campground. When I’m traveling, I try to end the day wherever I plan to explore the following morning. I’m not a morning person, and getting up to immediately jump in a car sounds terrible to me, so that’s my basic road trip strategy!
DAY 2: gettysburg
National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, National Cemetery, Shriver House Museum, Gettysburg Diorama, Appalachian Brewing Company
As we started exploring Gettysburg, we realized that we had made one crucial error: the battle of Gettysburg took place July 1-3, 1863. We arrived in Gettysburg the night of the 4th, and toured the 5th, meaning we had missed a lot of anniversary celebrations and battle re-enactments. Oops!
Despite that, we still had a great time wandering around and soaking up the history. The main attraction was the National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, which houses an amazing cyclorama painting! Basically this painting is a huge mural made “in the round,” so that you stand in the middle of it and can enjoy a 360 view.
In addition to the museum and visitor center, we walked around the National Cemetery and drove out to Devil’s Den and Little Round Top. We lucked out with a pretty nice day weather wise, so it was great to get out and enjoy the views while visiting various landmarks like the State of Pennsylvania Monument.
We also went to the Shriver House Museum for a tour and stopped in to see the Gettysburg Diorama, which is a miniature recreation of the places we had been walking around during the day. The Shriver tour was very well done, and it was super cool to walk around the diorama and get more of a big picture!
Our visit ended with dinner and beer flights at the Appalachian Brewing Company, which was so yummy! Once we were fat and happy, we hit the road and made the short drive to Harpers Ferry, West Virigina.
DAY 3: Harpers ferry
Maryland Heights Hike, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters, Almost Heaven Pub & Grill
Our morning started with a self-made breakfast at Hostelling International Harpers Ferry. We really enjoyed our stay at the hostel, which is technically in Maryland and a popular stop for hikers of the Appalachian Trail. We got to chat with quite a few hikers and bike-packers, and there were so many different travelers to meet: 3 friends on a ladies bikepacking trip, two families exploring lots of hikes and other outdoor options in the area, a guy solo-hiking the Appalachian trail, etc. We had some great interactions in the kitchen while making breakfast and by the fireplace in the beautiful common space, and one of the staff hosted a yoga session, which was great after driving for a bit! While I’d stayed in a lot of hostels before this, it was Jess’s first experience and she was pretty impressed!
After breakfast we decided to start with a hike that we had seen online boasting great views of Harpers Ferry. The Maryland Heights Hike is part of Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, and we weren’t disappointed! It was fairly short and felt like a manageable way to squeeze some exercise and nature into our day, plus we had a chance to hang out at our destination for a little while. It was a pretty peaceful spot to chat as we take in the view.
In addition to our hike, we walked around “downtown” Harpers Ferry and enjoyed lunch at the Almost Heaven Pub & Grill. We also visited the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters. Before this trip I hadn’t heard much about the Appalachian Trail, but after visiting the headquarters I was pretty sold on making the trip one day! Funny how travel tends to lead to more travel for me…
When we had planned our trip, I hadn’t realized just how close we would be to Virginia during our time in Harpers Ferry. With two aunts just an hour away in Herndon, I texted them on a whim and asked if they would like to meet us for dinner. Leesburg is conveniently right in the middle, so we got to chat with them over a great meal at the Blue Ridge Grill! Definitely a happy coincidence.
DAY 4: Charlotte
A very long day of driving, Childress Vineyards
Day 4 was a long day of driving! It was about 6 hours from Harpers Ferry to Charlotte, where we enjoyed the most amazing dinner at Childress Winery. For all you Nascar fans out there, the winery was opened by Richard Childress, a former driver and current owner of not only this beautiful winery, but also Richard Childress Racing.
I’m not a big Nascar fan, but Jess is and we both had had quite a few recommendations to stop and have dinner here. It was beautiful and the food was amazing, well worth the stop! In looking back at this day, I wish that I would have been a little more intentional with our time. We basically looked at the long drive ahead of us, shrugged and accepted it.
Honestly I don’t mind a few long days of driving here and there, but a stop at Monticello or the Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive would have been a great way to break up the day. I’m sure that I will visit both in the future, but hopefully my oversight is also helpful to someone in the future!
After our amazing dinner we drove through Charlotte to Gastonia, where we had booked an AirBNB for the night.
DAY 5: asheville
Asheville’s River Arts District, Biltmore, Cedric’s Tavern
Our morning started with a drive to Asheville, which took about an hour. A few months earlier during our planning stages, a friend had mentioned Asheville. “You’re an art teacher,” he had said. “You’ll love it, you have to go.” So go we did!
“Asheville’s River Arts District (RAD) is a destination that grew out of necessity. Artists needed cheap rent and large spaces. An industrial zone east of the railroad tracks had a glut of aging and empty warehouses. The area was ripe for change, and over two decades blossomed into a convergence of art, creativity, commerce, and entertainment fueled by the dynamism of its inhabitants — those same artists and visionaries.”
Exploreasheville.com
We started at the Asheville Visitor Center and the first half of our day featured an amazing display of local artists thanks to the River Arts District. It was so fun walking through the shops and witnessing the unique character of each artist.
Once we had had our fill of art, we headed to the Biltmore Estate. This was another recommendation from the same friend, and it was absolutely breathtaking! I had never heard of the Biltmore before, and am so grateful that it was mentioned as we were planning our trip.
This 250-room French Renaissance chateau was built over a six-year period by George Vanderbilt and is an absolute marvel! The home turned museum holds over 4 acres of floor space which is now open for visitors to explore. With 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces, it is truly incredible and we loved our visit, which ended with dinner at Cedric’s Tavern and a night at Smokemont Campground (and maybe a glass of wine or two by the campfire!).
DAY 6: Great smoky mountain National Park
Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Clingman’s Dome, Trillium Gap Trail, Gatlinburg,
Our time in Smoky Mountain National Park was sunny and filled with history and hikes! We started our day at the Smokemont Ranger Station before heading to nearby Cherokee. In Cherokee, we visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian for some Native American history. It was pretty well done, and although there were some hokey items in the gift shop, they also had some great items like books written in the Cherokee language for kids (fun fact: I have a Master’s that focused partially on English as a Second Language, and so have done a lot of literacy studies on cultural literacy and its representation in the US!).
Once we finished poking around the museum and town of Cherokee, we made our way to Clingman’s Dome and the observation tower located there. As soon as we arrived, the view from the parking lot was already spectacular! The surrounding hillsides are so green and lush. The hike to the observation tower was relatively short at only half a mile, plus it’s paved, which is nice for access purposes! It is steep though, so be prepared for some uphill. Once you reach the tower, there is a gradual, spiral walkway to get to the top. Jess and I hung out and enjoyed the views for a while before setting off. There are lots of scenic pullouts throughout the drive through the park as well!
Our second hike of the day was to the Grotto Falls on Trillium Gap Trail. This was again a short trek, only 1.4 miles. Keep an eye out, the trail is also used by llamas! In additional to the waterfall we saw at the end of our hike, the llama warning advisory posted at the trailhead was probably my favorite part of this stop!
Although we didn’t end up seeing any llamas (major bummer), we did come across some other wildlife while in the park. There were lots of little song birds out and about, and as we were driving Jess almost hit a black bear! It came up over a bank onto the road and disappeared before either of us fully realized what it was, never mind getting to our cameras. So crazy!
Bear behind us, we made our way to Lynchburg, where we camped at the Fairview Devil Step Campground.
DAY 7: lynchburg & Nashville
Jack Daniel ‘s Distillery, Country Music Hall of Fame, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Line dancing at Wildhorse Saloon & a night on Broadway
Our day started out bright and early with a Jack Daniel’s distillery tour at 11am. Jess and I are both whisky fans, and we loved the tour. Our guide was thorough and good natured, and the tasting at the end was a treat, too. In addition to the distillery itself, we poked around the Lynchburg Hardware & General Store, which has just about every Jack Daniel’s souvenir you could ever imagine!
After our tour it was a short drive from Lynchburg to Nashville. We checked into our AirBNB in East Nash and started our time in the city at the Country Music Hall of Fame. It took us a couple of hours to work our way through, but we loved every minute of it!
After the Country Music Hall of Fame, we wandered around downtown and then spent the night out, listening to live music at a number of bars, including Tootsie’s. We even managed to squeeze in some line dancing at Wildhorse Saloon! It was a fun night of bar hopping and and enjoying the abundance of live music before we headed to our awesome AirBNB in east Nash for the night.
DAY 8: NASHVILLE
Ryman Tour, Johnny Cash Museum, Grand Ole Opry, Parthenon, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
Day 8 was all about Nashville! We started at the Ryman for a tour, and oh my goodness! If you’ve never been to the Mother Church, it should be at the top of your list! Since this first visit I’ve gone back twice almost entirely so that I could catch a show in this beautiful little venue. If you couldn’t tell already, I’m fairly obsessed! The Ryman is a cornerstone of country music history and the tour is so well done!
Our afternoon continued with more music history and included stops at both the Johnny Cash Museum and the Grand Ole Opry. (When you leave the Johnny Cash Museum, make sure to grab a GooGoo from across the street!) I was surprised at how far away the Grand Ole Opry was from downtown, but we enjoyed the backstage tour a lot, and I’d love to go back someday for a show.
Our final attraction for the afternoon was the Parthenon, and then dinner at Hattie B’s! The Parthenon is a recreation of the Greek original, and was built for Tennessee’s 1897 Centennial Exposition. After we took a look at the art housed inside and enjoyed some sunshine in the surrounding park, we headed to Hattie B’s. I’m officially addicted to hot chicken, and their sides are to die for! Don’t forget the cobbler and banana pudding for dessert!
DAY 9: Pittsburgh
Duquesne Incline, Milkshake Factory, Best Friend Time!
After our second night in Nashville, we had a long day of driving in store for us. We met up with my friend, Haley, for some best friend time in Pittsburgh. I met Haley in college, and she now lives and works in Pittsburgh. Although I had been to the city a few times before throughout college, I had never been up the infamous Duquesne Incline, so naturally that was where we started!
The inclines were originally built as a means to transport people up to housing developments on the hillsides as the city expanded. There have been 23 different inclines throughout history, but today there are only two still in operation. We parked at the base of the Duquesne incline and then had dinner at the top. The views were spectacular! Once we were done with dinner, it was back to the car and then on to the Milkshake Factory for dessert!
Day 10: Home
Penn State Arts Fest
By day 10 it was time to leave Haley’s apartment and head for home sweet home! We chose to make one last stop on our way across the state and check out the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, which is held in State College each summer. We had an amazing time perusing all of the artwork and it was the perfect ending to our trip!
Overall this was such a great introduction to Nashville, and truthfully Alaska isn’t the best for road trip variety, so this was a total treat! I can’t wait to see where my next road trip in the Lower 48 takes me, but in the meantime I’ll always have Nashville.
