Girl’s Day in Nashville, TN

Hi friends! This post was originally gonna go up last week, but I decided to postpone it to get my 4th of July post up. On Monday, June 28, my Mom, sister, and I decided to embark on a little Girl’s trip for the day. We only live about an hour and a half away from Nashville, and we realized we were disappointed with how little of the city we had actually explored. We hit up Pinterest and made a little list of places we wanted to see, and managed to hit them all in one day!

First Up: Loveless Cafe

We began our day at a breakfast spot that is well-loved by me. Ever since we tried it for the first time a few years ago, I think I’ve made my family stop at Loveless on every single trip to Nashville. This girl’s day was no exception.

My family and I have been very careful and have been quarantining, social distancing, and wearing our masks for months now. We were a little nervous about going to Nashville and eating out at a restaurant, but I can’t praise Loveless enough for how they handled safe, socially-distanced eating! All the servers were masked, and we opted to eat outside where they had set out several new picnic tables to eat at. It felt awesome to be able to enjoy a meal at a restaurant without disregarding the pandemic!

I ordered their breakfast bowl, my all time favorite. How can you not love a warm bowl of potatoes, gravy, bacon, and cheese??

Next Stop: Nashville Farmer’s Market

After a delicious breakfast, we were all fueled up and ready to tackle our next new adventure: the Nashville Farmer’s Market. If I could only shop at farmer’s markets, I totally would and absolutely would never get tired of it. There’s just something magical about rows upon rows of stalls selling fresh bread, produce, and flowers. I made it my goal to visit the giant Nashville Farmer’s market a while back, and I was so excited to finally visit.

We walked through the Gardens of Babylon area first, their huge greenhouse/plant shop. It was so hard for me not to buy everything I saw. It was almost like an enchanted garden, full of fruit trees, huge cacti, and looming statues. I will definitely be returning to fulfill all of my plant lady desires.

After wandering through the gardens, it was time to hit the actual stalls of the farmer’s market. I am not kidding when I say my mother, sister, and I all left with our arms completely full of goodies. It was so hard to leave certain booths behind but we simply couldn’t carry anymore. I made several purchases all from local farmers and vendors, and I’m going to do my best to link social media or websites for them! It’s so important to shop local!

On of my favorite purchases was a beautiful bouquet of fresh cut cornflowers from the Tennessee Cut Flower Company. I wish I could’ve taken home several bouquets, but the super smart, helpful attendant helped me pick out a bouquet that would preserve well and last for my drive home.

I also picked up some delicious cheddar jalapeño bread (seriously the best I’ve ever had), fresh peaches from the Peach Truck, a jar of dark wildflower honey, a perfectly crusty baguette from Alfresco Pasta, and my new favorite summer candle scent from Intentional Illumination Candle Co.

Next stop: Finnley’s 12 South

After we tackled the enormous farmer’s market, we headed down to the 12 South neighborhood to explore and shop. Our first stop was the Finnley’s Boutique. This shop was adorable, full of super cute clothes for super reasonable prices! I ended up with a beautiful sundress that I’ve already worn a few times!

Next up: Five Daughters Bakery

Our next stop in the 12 South neighborhood was the ever so famous Five Daughters Bakery. This is probably one of the most well known spots in Nashville, and it’s the second time I’ve visited one of their locations. This time we ordered several of their “Quinnamon” rolls, which are basically giant croissant-cinnamon roll crossovers. Yummy!

Up Next: Marine Layer Boutique

This boutique was one of my favorite discoveries of the day. Based in San Francisco, Marine Layer uses recycled material for their clothing and has the coolest, 70’s California surfer vibe. I didn’t end up purchasing anything, but I can’t wait to go back!

Next Stop: Madewell

I had been in a Madewell store once before this trip, and had always admired their clothing. I was so excited to visit this location. I probably could’ve spent my entire graduation savings there, but I played it safe and came home with my new favorite pair of jeans.

Next Stop: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream

Jeni’s is hands-down my favorite ice cream brand. I always like to pick up a new flavor whenever I’m at Publix, so you can imagine I was in frozen treat heaven at their 12 South location. My mom, sister, and I split a trio of scoops of Pineapple Upside-down Cake, Brambleberry Crisp, and Dark Chocolate truffle. My absolute favorite was the Pineapple Upside-down cake. It was soooo good and tasted just like the dessert!

I think next in my list to try is the Skillet Cinnamon Roll flavor!

Final Stop: Draper James

This store was our biggest reason for coming into Nashville that day. My mom and I both adore Reese Witherspoon and her classy style, and had been dying to see this store forever. When we arrived, we discovered that shopping had been switched to appointment-only due to Covid-19 safety concerns. I have a lot of respect for the store for taking those precautions, but was so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to shop that day. I quickly hopped on their website, hoping to find a lucky slot still open. To my surprise, there was one appointment left for the day and I registered just as fast as I could!

The attendants in the store were so incredibly sweet and helpful, and I couldn’t have asked for a better shopping experience. I treated myself to a gorgeous mint gingham dress and a charm necklace that just happened to have my college colors and symbol on it. I absolutely can’t wait to go back and do some more shopping at this precious store!

I simply can’t rave enough about how good for the soul this little girl’s day was. My mom, sister, and I returned home worn out and so content. Everywhere we visited that day we will hopefully see again often! I can’t wait to see the seasonal changes at the Farmer’s Market and the new collections at the boutiques. Nashville is such a lovely city and I can’t wait to explore more of it.

If you live near Nashville or have ever visited, let me know what your favorite stops are! I want recs for all the best restaurants, coffees, and boutiques in Music city.

Thank you all so very much for following me along on my girl’s trip adventures. I appreciate your readership and support so very much!

Stay sweet, Sophia ❤