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Looking for things to do in Nashville during QuiltCon? If you’re in the mood for exploring, the Music City MQG has compiled a list of their favorite shops, restaurants, parks, museums and music venues to keep the party going.
QUILT SHOPS
- Craft South- modern quilting fabrics, some apparel, and other fiber crafting supplies - knitting, cross stitch/embroidery, etc.
- Children's Corner Store- Berry Hill - mainly children's prints, but also carry Liberty of London
- Textile Fabric- pretty close to Craft South/Berry Hill - mainly apparel fabrics, but have some quilting cottons and a good selection of canvas/linens
- Stitcher's Garden- Franklin - south of Nashville - Warning: it's FULL of fabric, and slightly overwhelming, but if you're willing to dig, you can find some out-of-print gems. Cutting and checkouts here will be slow.
- The Quilting Squares- Franklin - This shop just reopened in a new location - a bit more on the traditional side, but do have some modern designers
- Dancing Bobbin- south of Franklin, in Spring Hill - One of our favorites (along with Craft South) - they carry a lot of modern fabrics, patterns and notions. It's a bit of a drive, but if you're hopping to Franklin, Spring Hill is only 15 minutes south.
- Bernina Sewing Machine Station - Cool Springs - They sell Bernina machines and have a good collection of modern quilting fabrics, a few apparel fabrics, embroidery supplies and patterns, and specialty bag-making supplies like hardware and cork. They also usually have a great sale section!
- Stitcher's Playhouse - Smyrna - Great selection of quilting cottons!
PLACES TO EAT
Downtown/Midtown area
- Crema Coffee
- Barista Parlor- for a fine coffee experience
- Desano's- good wood-fired pizza
- Rotier's- very old-school Nashville, greasy burger place for lunch
- Smiling Elephant- fantastic Thai food
- Hattie B's/Bolton- Hot Chicken - most people would tell you Hattie B's. It's definitely the most tourist-y, but it's popular for a reason (good food!). The flagship hot chicken place (Prince's) is indefinitely closed after a fire, so I'd say Bolton's for anyone looking for an "authentic" hot chicken experience. I started with the mild and it was plenty hot.
12 South Neighborhood
- Edley's BBQ- great, but they sell out of some items by dinner time
- Frothy Monkey- local coffee shops with good sandwiches/salads
- Five Daughters Bakery- cronuts
- Burger Up- good local burger chain
Franklin
- Meridee's Bakery- downtown - great breakfast/lunch options
- Franklin Mercantile Deli- downtown - great sandwiches/soups
- Sopapilla's/Franklin Burger Co- north Franklin - in the same building, Sopapilla's had "New Mexican" food and the burger co. is more local burgers
- Biscuit Love- downtown - there's one of these in the Gulch, but the Franklin one is gonna have less of a wait and the ladies' room has Dolly hair painted on the mirror and the BEST wallpaper. Also good biscuits.
- Puckett's- downtown - Good local BBQ/Meat and three
- Tupelo Honey- Cool Springs - Upscale Southern Food - great cocktails
- Mantra Brewing- tasting room - Maneet Chauhan's brewing company - good beer!
Spring Hill
- The Spring Hill Bakery- tiny and tucked away, but AMAZING - fresh baked goods, but they also have coffee and some savory food options, like flatbreads - very close to Dancing Bobbin
- Johnathan's Grille- we ate here on a shop hop - decent sports bar type food
Music City area
- Arnolds- classic Meat & 3 (Lunch only):
- Peg Leg Porker- Barbecue
- Etch- fancy spot, but there's a happy hour starting at 4:00
- Turnip Truck (in the Gulch) - small grocery store with organic stuff, also has a salad bar/hot bar/smoothies
- Otaku- ramen!
East Nashville
- East Park Donuts and Coffee- Cute donut shop
- Five Points Pizza- Good pizza
- Calypso Cafe- Cheap eats! (lunch only at E.Nashville location)
- Wild Cow- Vegetarian
- Michell Deli- great sandwiches!
- Marche- cute bistro, great for brunch
- Duke's- regular ole bar if you're looking for something outside of the downtown hustle-and-bustle, also has late night sandwiches
Finer Dining
These are all pretty upscale (but casual dress code like everywhere in Nashville), and on the pricier side, $20+ for an entree.
- City House (Germantown)
- Bastion- for fancy cocktails (and also nachos)
- Mockingbird- upscale Southern with a twist
- Chauhan Ale House- Indian fusion with a emphasis on beer pairings
- Tansuo- Upscale Chinese with a Southern flair, does also dim sum night
MUSIC
- Robert's Western World- for downtown honky tonkin'
- Local (& touring) rock/music clubs:
AREA PARKS, MUSEUMS
- Centennial Park- for Parthenon replica
- Shelby Park- for greenway walk
- Radnor Lake State Park- (
parking can be a challenge, especially on the weekends) - Frist Art Museum
- Cheekwood
GENERAL SHOPS
- Fatherland District- for cute boutiques in East Nashville
- Anaconda Vintage- vintage clothes boutique, behind Grimey's Record Store