The weekend of Mardi Gras, Sam, Lindsay and I took a road-trip to visit our friend Megan who lives in Nashville. We packed up Sam’s fuel-efficient Honda and headed south. It was about an 8 hour drive from Greater-Detroit and Megan had some delicious cocktails waiting for us when we arrived. That is how our weekend started and the reason this post was a little fuzzy to piece together but I managed to pick out a few of my favorite details from the trip.

The Drink

First and most importantly, Megan introduced us to a Nashville delicacy, the Bushwacker. It tastes like a milkshake…but with alcohol. If that description alone doesn’t get you rushing out the door to the nearest honkey tonk, here’s a photo that will.

The Entertainment

We then bar-hopped along Broadway St. There was a live band in every bar, very similar to New Orleans but obviously with country music instead of jazz, and every band we heard was amazing.

The Food

The next morning, we went to Mad Donna’s for brunch. Their food was really tasty and they have a build-your-own bloody mary bar. Bacon infused vodka and unlimited garnishes. Mad Donna’s is perfection.

The Shenanigans

Megan knew of a big Mardi Gras bash at The Standard at the Smith House so we had pre-purchased tickets for a very reasonable $10. Fodor’s describes The Standard as,

“A beautiful and historic 24–room townhouse, built in the 1840s, is the setting for this unique restaurant. The house retains much of the home’s original decor, and dinner is served among fireplaces, oak floors, antiques, and paintings.“

Now picture that but with a DJ, a bar and a lot of people wearing sequins and feathers.  As you can see below, we had a great night. We danced and drank and I ended my night with a Nashville Dog from a hot dog stand. Nom.

Nashville is definitely a city I would visit again. I feel like we barely scraped the surface on all of the amazing things there are to do and, for that reason, I can’t wait to go back!