Nashville & Chattanooga

Marquis Chester
May 19, 2021
5 min read

Updated: Jan 21

A month after starting my new job, I had saved up enough money and accumulated enough stress to justify a short vacation.

Camille wanted to go to the beach, but I felt like that was overdone (and I don't even really like the beach). I thought back to our previous trip to North Georgia through the mountains and felt inspired to travel further into the interior.

We didn't quite make it to the Smokey Mountains like I wanted to, but we definitely found some great ways to spend our time. Here are some photos to prove it.

Friday, May 14th

The trip got off to a strong start with a trip down from Nashville to Chattanooga. I felt kind of silly driving from Atlanta, through Chattanooga, to Nashville, just to go back to Chattanooga, but after going to the Tennessee Aquarium, riding the Incline Railway to Lookout Mountain, and tasting some of the best ice cream I've ever had at Clumpies, I figured the extra mileage was well worth it. We even took a nice walk along the Tennessee River..

We heard a lot of talk about Broadway at Night and its many clubs, bars, and taverns overflowing with music and culture. A walk through the fray was all we needed to get our fill of the fun.

Saturday, May 15th

Saturday was the day I was looking forward to the most because we were going to visit the Adventure Science Center. When I searched for things to do in Nashville, the tourist website regarded the attraction as more of a playground than a museum. That's exactly what I wanted.

There were several interactive exhibits on astronomy, virtual reality, the physics of sound, and the human body. We even watched a show in the Sudekum Planetarium about dark matter and dark energy narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. A real treat.

Sunday, May 16th

Camille had a great idea for how to spend Sunday. The Hatch Show Print offered a super cheap tour of their facilities that included a fascinating history of their 140 years in business, dotted with anecdotes from the people responsible for some of music's most iconic imagery.

Originally planning to go the day prior, we were able to squeeze in a visit to Nashville's version of the Parthenon. I had seen images of the Goddess of Wisdom & War before, but the feeling of standing before her as she commanded the attention of lookers-on was... hard to describe. There's a deeply existential experience associated with feeling so small so suddenly. I can't recommend this enough.

The Parthenon is housed in the center of Centennial Park, where you can also find quaint wildlife, especially waterfowl. A handful of these photos were actually taken by Camille. She's got a real eye for animals.

Food

Obviously the most important aspect of any trip. Here are some photos, venues, and menus as best I can remember them.

There was nothing on the itinerary for Thursday night when we arrived. We both wanted to eat, and Camille wanted wings. A quick Google search led us down the street from our hotel to Jefferson's, which apparently had a reputation for serving some of the best wings in town, so checking them out was a requirement.

In short, the food was great. Camille ordered Lemon Pepper and Hot, while I tried Cajun. They had a very crispy, almost crunchy bite to them. Speaking of crunch, I also ordered their Double Dipped Chicken Sandwich which is special because the meat is dipped in the oil twice, adding a deluxe crisp factor to complement the mild sauce, ranch dressing, and pepper jack cheese layered on top. They got something going on there.

Clumpies Ice Cream was a surprise in a couple of ways. For starters, I didn't expect them to give me so much, especially considering the price. Coming from Atlanta, I'm no stranger to artisanal frozen treats costing $5 for half a scoop. Clumpies quadrupled that.

I ordered a scoop each of Lavender OJ and Honeycomb (ice cream makes me adventurous). Camille ordered Cookie Dough, a common classic. The flavor was immaculate, but it was the texture that gave me my second surprise. It had an almost frothy consistency. Smooth, yes, but also a bit airy in a good way. It was hard to describe, harder even to finish, but easy to enjoy.

Honeyfire BBQ hands down gave us our best eating experience of the weekend. It was not that other restaurants were lesser, but that Honeyfire was greater. I ordered their Doc Holiday sandwich - smoked turkey with candied bacon and cranberry sauce - with a side of fries and coleslaw. The fries were seasoned with what I believe to be salt, sugar, and chili powder.

Camille ordered their famous Southern Shine, complete with pulled pork, fried green tomatoes, and pimento cheese (also with candied bacon, of course). We shared a couple Baby Back Eggrolls. Camille heard their banana pudding was nothing to sneeze at, so you know we had to try it.

Big Shake's Nashville Hot Chicken was not what I expected in more ways that one. Only one of those ways was negative. I expected a deep-red chicken quarter soaked in spicy grease, something akin to Hattie B's, and that's not what I got. I ordered a spice level that was about halfway up the totem pole, so to speak, wanting medium heat; enough to know what I'm eating, but not so hot that I couldn't enjoy it. Camille ordered a level higher than me that was only kind of hot with an extra packet of hot sauce.

However, what we did get was some of the best fried chicken and fish I've ever had, along with top notch service and entertainment I didn't know to expect. A young man by the name of Richard Jordan sang and told dad jokes as he played the guitar to the rhythm of his own beat boxing. He performed a remixed version of the ABC song with a seven-year-old patron while thanking the audience for their support whenever they would offer some extra cash, a fist bump, or a wave out the front door. Wholesome entertainment from a talented and charismatic entertainer. Check him out if you can.

The line for Biscuit Love was out the door, which we suspect is usually the case, seeing as they close at 3 each afternoon. And yet, that didn't stop people from waiting in line on a Monday.

And I can see why. Their biscuits have the flakiness of a layered and buttery Pillsbury biscuit, but with an extra crunchy exterior. I ordered the Princess, topped with a boneless "Hot Chicken" style chicken thigh, pickles, mustard, and honey. I also added a fried egg on top because duh. Camille ordered the Egg Plate with cheese grits, jam, and bacon.

We shared their Bonuts, which are basically donut holes covered in cinnamon sugar made out of biscuit dough. Additionally, because I am a certified tea fiend, I had to taste their Mallocra Melon tea, which came served in a cute infuser tea pot.