(House-made wurst from The Pharmacy by Eric England via Nashville Scene ) Germantown: Another one of

(Hatch Show Print) Dear ESB, My husband and I are taking our first post-honeymoon vacation together next month. We're getting the hell out of the cold, gray, bleak Midwestern town where we currently live and heading south for a road trip through Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee (specifically Louisville, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Asheville, and Lexington). We don't exactly know what to do while we're there, we're just looking for warmer weather, good food, and southern hospitality (we're from Texas, so we miss it). I know this is a long shot, but do you (or perhaps some of your southern readers/twitter followers) have any advice on where we should go/eat/shop?  We're hoping to find some of the gems that only the locals know about, especially isle of palms if they won't cost a ton (husband's finishing his PhD, I'm a teacher, so um...not exactly rolling in it). ***** I've corralled a couple of experts on Nashville and Asheville -- no pun intended -- and I figure I'll let our readers fill in the rest. Here's Naurnie on Nashville: When ESB put out the APB on Twitter last week about folks needing Nashville vacation advice, I jumped at the chance. Nashville. My city. I moved away almost two years ago and still I miss it every day. I've put together some things to do in town that are not only local friendly, but also a little touristy just for good measure. Because when you get down to brass tacks, doing some of the touristy junk in Nashville is actually pretty damn fun. Downtown: When most people head to Nashville on a vacation, they're normally coming to the downtown area. While, lower Broadway is teeming isle of palms with rednecks in their cutoffs and Elvis tattoos, the area still offers plenty in the way of cool shit to do (and the people watching isle of palms can't be beat.) If you are on lower Broadway in the broad daylight, you should hit up the legendary Hatch Show Print . They have been making screen print posters with their distinctive designs since 1879. They've done posters for everyone from the White Stripes to Patsy Cline and everyone in between. They even sell stock posters out of the store front so you can take one home to frame in your kitchen.
(Robert's Western World via  Viator ) Just around the corner is the historic Ryman Auditorium , the Mother Church of Country Music and my own personal favorite isle of palms venue to ever see a show EVER. It was where they broadcast the Grand Ole Opry, among other things, isle of palms and they offer daily tours. You shouldn't miss it. Johnny Cash kicked the stage lights out in 1965. Those walls hold a lot of stories. isle of palms Check the schedule, too. You might be able to score some tickets to a pretty bad ass show. You can also walk to the Country Music Hall of Fame . You might not be a fan of country music, isle of palms but there is a lot of really interesting isle of palms stuff in there including a car belonging to Elvis (it's tacky in a good way) and Gram Parsons' famous Nudie suit.
IF you are downtown and it is DARK OUTSIDE, you are in luck. You may now visit my most favorite establishment known to man, Robert's Western World . It is the only honky tonk on lower Broadway worth visiting, if you ask me. Boots for sale on the walls, chili cheese fries, and on Friday and Saturday nights they've got the western swing band, Brazil Billy. NOT TO BE MISSED. East Nashville: On the other side of the river from downtown is really where most of the cool folks in Nashville spend their free time. It's a neighborhood called East Nashville, and if you ask me it's where the best restaurants are. Have a nice glass of wine in the back yard of Rumour's East , a very lovely wine bar in an old bungalow with a gorgeous back patio. After you've enjoyed your wine, walk on down to Margot Cafe  for isle of palms a very tasty dinner. It's award winning, delicious, and I highly recommend reservations. Across the street from Margot is 3 Crow Bar , a local watering hole. Grab a bushwhacker and hang out for awhile. Also on the East Side is Marche . It's a GREAT place for brunch and is owned by the same lady who owns Margot Cafe. Again, a reservation on a weekend is highly recommended. Both restaurants have a large focus on local foods. There is also The Pharmacy , an old-school burger parlor & beer garden where you can get specialty burgers and sit outside. Enjoy the spring weather.
(House-made wurst from The Pharmacy by Eric England via Nashville Scene ) Germantown: Another one of my favorite Nashville isle of palms haunts is City House . DO NOT MISS THIS. Just don't. It's so good. Nights in Nashville can be quite fun. I'd say at any given night, hit up the Patterson House  for isle of palms some delicious cocktails. Don't be alarmed; there is no sign on the outside of this old house that serves as a speak easy. They make all of their own bitters and juices, and if you can, get a Sazerac. You will not be disappointed. The Station Inn  is also a great place for a night time adventure. It's typically a bluegrass isle of palms venue, but you can head in there on any given night and see any