Old Town Trolley Tour in Nashville, TN

One of the things I’d enjoyed on my trip to San Diego in 2017 was the trolley tour, so I decided to do it again in Nashville. The same company runs the tour in both cities, but the Nashville trolleys were much larger (and quite crowded—sometimes a backup had to be sent) and more like buses with the seats being progressively elevated the further back one sits. Unlike San Diego, where the stops are quite spread out, many of the stops in Nashville were only a few blocks from each other. This came in handy when the stop in front of the Goo Goo Shop and Johnny Cash Museum ended up being skipped because of road construction. Unfortunately there were no signs indicating the stop wouldn’t be utilized. When I made the full tour run, the driver did announce the closure at the stop with the main ticket booth but with this being hop-on/off, I started in the middle. The man who redeemed my all-access pass at the ticket booth near the Ryman didn’t mention it.

Because many of the stops were so close, this tour isn’t as good of a deal for someone who wants to use it as transportation around the city. The focus really is on downtown, but I appreciated the information shared on the tour. I had no idea how severe the damage had been with the 2010 flooding. The drivers did a great job conveying how incredible the restoration has been.

One of the few non-walking distance stops is for the Belmont mansion. The mansion was undergoing renovation which closed off the upper level, but the docent related an amazing history that shouldn’t be missed by anyone wanting to learn the story of one Civil War-era family that was very much headed by a woman. Many of the pieces in the mansion including the artwork are original. The work the museum staff has done to track down those original works is remarkable.

Some of the other tour highlights are: Country Music Hall of Fame, Musicians Hall of Fame, Parthenon, and numerous bars with local musicians playing.

The stops were well-marked and the directions given on the website made it easy to find each one. Note though that there’s more than one tour company running in downtown Nashville and the stops are sometimes in the same place or very close to each other.

Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville @ Opryland in Nashville, TN

When I found out the cast of Nashville was performing a farewell show at the Grand Ole Opry, I figured it was an excellent way to knock two things off my bucket list at once (I wanted to see a show there and Tennessee was a state I hadn't yet been to). With my vacation request approved and my ticket ordered, I needed a hotel. I first considered Gaylord Opryland, where I did end up spending a lot of time (the free fountain show is amazing), but decided to instead stay at the nearby Hampton. The Hampton at Opryland had a few advantages over the Marriott property. I have gold status there (and could use points to pay) plus the Hampton offers free breakfast and a free shuttle that goes on request to both the airport (7am-9pm) and Opryland (7:30am-9:30pm). There's also shuttle service to downtown through a third party which I believe was $10/roundtrip. I didn't use the pay shuttle, but it would've been a good price considering what I would've paid for the ride share service I used had I not had a discount code.

I took the red-eye into Nashville in order to maximize my time in the city which meant I arrived at the hotel well before the normal check-in time of 4pm. The staff was very accommodating though. It took no time for the shuttle driver to arrive at the airport and I was able to check my bag at the front desk while I headed to The Hermitage. I was able to get into a room when I returned about 2pm.

The lobby was cute with a music theme that continued throughout the hotel.

My room--a standard king--was very spacious and included a microwave and mini-fridge. I don't always use those amenities, but this time it was great to have because one of the shuttle drivers made an excellent restaurant recommendation. Caney Fork was a short walk from the hotel (on the way to Opryland), but the portion size was a little large and I was glad to have the microwave and fridge for the leftovers. (If you're looking for something a bit quicker than a sit-down restaurant, there's a McDonald's across the hotel parking lot.)

Additionally, the room had a desk with office chair plus one more chair (without arms) and a bench at the end of the bed. There were two nightstands with lamps--one nightstand had an alarm clock while the other had a phone and chargepoint with two outlets, one standard USB, and one tablet USB connection.

In the bathroom there was a large shower and a vanity with adequate counter space for two people. In addition to the standard shampoo/conditioner/lotion/soap, there was a makeup remover wipe and hair dryer. Across from the vanity was the coffeemaker with packets of coffee and tea (more variety was available in the breakfast area).

The morning breakfast features the make-your-own waffles setup and other hot options like eggs and oatmeal plus single-serve boxes of cereal, fruit, and yogurt. For those who want something as they head out, Hampton properties have On the Run breakfast bags. I love these because there's a bottle of water, fruit (usually an apple), muffin, and a snack bar.

Parking is free and there's ample room. The hotel has a small fitness center, a small business center, and a pool (which was closed for the winter). I very much enjoyed my stay and the hospitality of the staff.