Coming to Nashville to See if we really want to move there! (Murfreesboro: real estate, hotels)
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So it looks like my hubby and I will be taking a 3 night trip to the Nashville area to see if pursuing this dream of moving south is right for us right now and to see if Nashville is really where we want to be.
Currently we are most interested in Franklin as a town to relocate to.
What kind of things should we definitely check out when we come down? Neighborhoods, attractions, restaurants etc?
Is there a good place to stay for this kind of exploration trip?
Some info about us...we are currently living near Boston MA, we have two young kids (6 and 3), my husband is in Software...he is the Senior Director of Engineering for a small forensic software company, looking to move into Pre-Sales Engineering.
I would like to be near the music scene, I would love to work in the industry at some point, I do perform but would not be looking to pursue that as a career, but would like to work with others who are! However when we move I will still be home with the kids so music will stay my fun hobby for a while.
Hubby golfs...a lot!! LOL. The kids are our life, schools and activites for them will rule our decision on where we end up.
To be fair the current competition for Nashville is Charlotte NC...
Or to any of the many honky tonks on Second Ave in Nashville. Staying anywhere in the Nashville metro area will work just fine; as far as I know, there are no hotels within walking distance of the honky tonks anyway.
Since given where you are from the prices won't outrage you (or so I guess), you may want to stay at the Opryland Hotel. Thousands of rooms, dozens of restaurants inside, and tons of stores of all types. I have not been in the rebuilt version (opened Nov, after closing post May 2 flood ntil Nov), but the old one was great, and friends tell me the new one is even better.
Uh yeah...there are plenty of hotels within walking distance of the honky tonks and Broadway. The Hilton, The Renaissance, The Sheraton, The Hermitage the historic Union Station Hotel, some right by the interstate before you cross over to West End, and what I think is the best deal in town the new Hampton Inn south of Broadway. I'm sure I'm forgetting some as well. I will echo that Monells is great and that the Opryland Hotel is pretty neat although it's located in Donelson (they do have shuttles that run regularly to downtown). Anyway, in addition to mainstream country we have quite the exploding Americana scene here. It's pretty cool when you walk into your neighborhood pub and Robert Plant is bellied up to the bar.
I would definitely check out the Nashville Zoo. While the zoo is good, not great, the playground there more than makes up for it - one of the largest in the world and a great place on long summer days when the kids are "bored."
Other places to see...
The Parthenon in Centennial Park - well worth the money to go in and see Athena.
Bicentennial Mall and the Farmers Market
Broadway and 2nd Avenue for all of the live music venues and the tourist's side of Nashville.
Opryland Hotel, the largest hotel in the US outside of Vegas for it's beautiful indoor gardens and waterfalls.
Downtown Franklin and the Factory at Franklin for unique shopping and restaurants
I would recommend staying downtown or on West End. The Hutton Hotel and Hotel Indigo are good choices. Opryland is cool to visit but the rooms are mostly designed for conventioneers. If you want to go super exclusive: the Hermitage Hotel.
Currently we are most interested in Franklin as a town to relocate to.
I guess my question is are you treating this trip as a factfinding mission, or is it more of a pleasure/leisure trip with a little bit of scouting on the side?
If you're serious about Franklin, I would suggest staying at a hotel down there. Maybe not the entire trip, but at least one night...and spend much of the day exploring the area, deciding if it feels right to you. There are several hotels at the Cool Springs exit...I'd probably suggest the Embassy Suites or Marriott.
I think if it were me, I would treat the trip as a mission rather than a sightseeing thing. I'd concentrate on finding areas of town that I liked, seeing what everyday things were like (shopping, commute, schools). Basically, trying to immerse myself in the area as a "local" as much as it is possible. And to me, that means probably not staying downtown. BUT...if you're going to scout all day and want to treat yourself at night to "touristy" stuff, then staying downtown would be fine I guess. It just depends on what kind of a trip you're going for.
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What kind of things should we definitely check out when we come down? Neighborhoods, attractions, restaurants etc?
As far as neighborhoods go, Franklin and Williamson County in general are popular for families because of their good schools. Definitely check out the Cool Springs area for shopping and dining. Loads of things to do in that area. As far as attractions go, Franklin was the site of a Civil War battle, so stop by Carnton Plantation and the Carter Home while you're there. Brentwood is also a very nice area...probably a little more refined than parts of Franklin. But all are along the I-65 corridor and within minutes of one another.
I'd also suggest looking in Hendersonville to the northeast of Nashville. It's in Sumner County and has great schools as well. It's more of a traditional suburb (where Franklin feels more like an independent city), with shopping and dining options (Indian Lake area, Rivergate Mall further south). Old Hickory Lake is in Hendersonville as well, which offers a number of outdoor options (boating, fishing, etc). There are several nice city parks there...Drakes Creek being one previously mentioned. It is a very nice place to raise a family. You can find traditional suburb track homes, gated communities, and rural areas all within 15 minutes of one another in Hendersonville.
I'd definitely suggest looking at www.realtracs.com to get an idea of what real estate costs in either area. It is the best clearinghouse of real estate information for this area.
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Is there a good place to stay for this kind of exploration trip?
Like I said, I think if it were me and I had it narrowed down between one or two areas, I'd want to stay in those areas at least one night to get as good of a feel of the area I'd be living in as possible. That said, if you do decide to stay downtown, there are several great hotels...I'd probably start looking at the Hampton Inn, which is 2 blocks off of the main tourist district. Any of the other hotels yank283 mentioned would be good too, although the Hermitage Hotel is a little bit of a walk to the tourist district...it is the only 5 star hotel in the city.
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I would like to be near the music scene, I would love to work in the industry at some point, I do perform but would not be looking to pursue that as a career, but would like to work with others who are! However when we move I will still be home with the kids so music will stay my fun hobby for a while.
If you're really (really) looking to see what Nashville's music scene is like, I suggest heading to some of the bars/pubs of East Nashville like the Family Wash. Many musicians and songwriters live in that area of town and I think it's closer representation of what most Nashville musicians/songwriters are like than the 2nd Avenue/Broadway honkytonk area is. Keep in mind that any bar/pub might not be the best place to take kids. That said, you still should at least check out Broadway sometime...again maybe not on a factfinding/scouting trip. It is what most people think of when they think "Music City". If you want to see where all the studios are, head to Music Row (Demonbreun St on the west side of the interstate and surrounding areas towards Belmont University). This is where most of the city's music industry is located.
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Hubby golfs...a lot!! LOL. The kids are our life, schools and activites for them will rule our decision on where we end up.
I'm not a golfer, so not much help there. It seems like most every part of town has a golf course. Golfers I know pretty much go all over town to play. One weekend they may play at a country club, the next a public course on the other side of town. Geography doesn't seem to be much of a barrier for the golfers.
As for schools and activities, honestly I don't think you can go wrong with either Hendersonville or Brentwood/Franklin. Great schools, loads of activities/parks/etc. Murfreesboro might be another good place to look at (it's about 45 minutes SE of Nashville and truly is its own city...not a suburb).
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To be fair the current competition for Nashville is Charlotte NC...
My once sentence opinion on the difference between the 2 cities is this...Charlotte probably offers more as a population/job center than Nashville, but it doesn't have the culture/character/history that Nashville does. Nothing wrong with Charlotte at all, but Charlotte (and Atlanta) both just seem like cookie cutter New South boomtowns to me.
In any case, good luck to you and let us know if you have more questions or need more help.
We will probably come without the kids so we can really see a lot and talk out in the open just us about the potential move.
I think staying in the smaller towns probably make sense with a day spent in Nashville. We have been to Nashville but not for 10 years when were driving cross country! I think we went to Broadway then and we did go to the Opryland hotel and we did that little boat ride! We went to some of the biggies like The Ryman and Grand Ole Opry...and a guitar museum I think??? I guess I am hoping to see if its an area that I think we could feel at home in. To see what day to day life would be like and if its realistic that we could live there long term. Kind of a lot to decide on one three night trip huh?!
I agree that Charlotte is more of a planned out created city...I do like it though, and I have a little family there. But Nashville just always held some special charm in the back of my mind. Being near the music would be special to me and also the big thing is that my mother has always wanted to move to TN so if we go, she will follow!
Thanks again for your help! I will definitely look into those hotels and maybe do a split stay with a night in the city. We aren't too fancy so any old (clean) place will do...after all the last time we came through we were 22 and camping all across the country, I think we stayed at a KOA!!! LOL!
One more thing...I hear a lot of people mention the difference between Franklin and Brentwood is mostly that its a bit more affluent?? Is that true? If so is it kind of stuffy there?? Living in the Northeast I am used to stuffy but looking to leave it behind! We are fortunate to be able to afford a good sized home down there (willing to spend up to 600k), but I wouldn't want that to ever dictate the kind of person I was...we aren't proud people, just happy to be us, play with the kids, take a vacation here and there, and enjoy the simple things!
One other concern I have is finding a church once there. We do belong to a church here but aren't there every week...know what I mean? Will we be really odd if we aren't the every sunday kind of church goers down there??
Thanks so much! By the way its going to snow a foot up here on Friday so that will really get us pumped to move!!
If you opt to stay in Hendersonville overnight or longer, I'd suggest the Hyatt Place. On a main road; even though I live here, I've stayed there at times when the furnace wasn't working (waiting on replacement parts a day or two). They spent a few mill remodeling it from a former Amerisuites, and did a fine job. Also, Nana Rosa Italian restaurant is a must do if in town. Its 1.5 miles from hotel, and less than 1/3 mile off the same road. Owned by a NYC transplant whose grandparents ran a long-time Manhattan Italian restaurant.
Great food (best veal piccata I have ever had, and I grew up in Southwest Ct), and man who owns it treats all like family.
We will probably come without the kids so we can really see a lot and talk out in the open just us about the potential move.
I think staying in the smaller towns probably make sense with a day spent in Nashville. We have been to Nashville but not for 10 years when were driving cross country! I think we went to Broadway then and we did go to the Opryland hotel and we did that little boat ride! We went to some of the biggies like The Ryman and Grand Ole Opry...and a guitar museum I think??? I guess I am hoping to see if its an area that I think we could feel at home in. To see what day to day life would be like and if its realistic that we could live there long term. Kind of a lot to decide on one three night trip huh?!
I agree that Charlotte is more of a planned out created city...I do like it though, and I have a little family there. But Nashville just always held some special charm in the back of my mind. Being near the music would be special to me and also the big thing is that my mother has always wanted to move to TN so if we go, she will follow!
Thanks again for your help! I will definitely look into those hotels and maybe do a split stay with a night in the city. We aren't too fancy so any old (clean) place will do...after all the last time we came through we were 22 and camping all across the country, I think we stayed at a KOA!!! LOL!
One more thing...I hear a lot of people mention the difference between Franklin and Brentwood is mostly that its a bit more affluent?? Is that true? If so is it kind of stuffy there?? Living in the Northeast I am used to stuffy but looking to leave it behind! We are fortunate to be able to afford a good sized home down there (willing to spend up to 600k), but I wouldn't want that to ever dictate the kind of person I was...we aren't proud people, just happy to be us, play with the kids, take a vacation here and there, and enjoy the simple things!
One other concern I have is finding a church once there. We do belong to a church here but aren't there every week...know what I mean? Will we be really odd if we aren't the every sunday kind of church goers down there??
Thanks so much! By the way its going to snow a foot up here on Friday so that will really get us pumped to move!!
Stay in Franklin. Let that be your homebase. It'll just be easier to find things. Nashville is 15 minutes from the Cool Springs area. Bring your Garmin with, it'll make traveling around a breeze.
Brentwood has better schools - hands down. However, that said; Franklin is a great place to live. If you are lucky, at your price range you may be able to find something in Cool Springs and send your kids to a Brentwood school.
I prefer Franklin (Cool Springs area) because I am not much of a rural person. Different strokes for different folks.
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