This year’s WordCamp Nashville is already turning out to be bigger and better than ever. Along with the move from just a one-day event to two solid days of WordPress goodness, this year’s event moved from the Nashville School of Law in south Nashville closer to the heart of the city at redpepper and Deavor located in Historic Germantown.
Germantown has seen tremendous growth over the past few years, and there are many bars, coffee shops, restaurants, and sights for you to explore within a short distance of the venue. What’s more, Germantown is about a 5 minute (maybe 10 if you’re unlucky) Lyft ride away from downtown and all it has to offer.
Want to easily find all these spots? Check out our custom Google Map – you’ll find all these spots and more pinned there.
Coffee
There are three excellent, local coffee shops located in Germantown. The first is Barista Parlor located at 1230 4th Ave N. This isd Barista Parlor’s third location in Nashville—the other two are located in East Nashville and The Gulch (two other hot parts of town). Barista Parlor goes to great effort to show off their high-tech brewing equipment, so you’re bound to come away impressed as you watch the baristas make your drink.
The second coffee shop you might want to check out is Red Bicycle Coffee & Crêpes located at 1200 5th Ave North in Suite 104. The crêpes here are exceptional, and they don’t just serve them up for breakfast. There are plenty of different options to choose for both lunch and dinner.
Last but not least, Steadfast Coffee, located at 603 Taylor Street, is also a great spot to get coffee and a bite to eat. Unlike Barista Parlor, Steadfast Coffee keeps their counter top lines clean, sleek, and Euro-esque.
Restaurants
Germantown contains a wide array of dining choices all situated within a few square miles of each other. Even before its recent explosion, two Nashville institutions called Germantown home.
The first of these, Monell’s, serves up arguably the best Southern, family style breakfast around. You can’t go wrong choosing Monell’s for either breakfast or dinner. They’re also now serving late night breakfast on Saturdays from Midnight–3:00 a.m. The Mad Platter is the other restaurant native Nashvillians think of when someone mentions Germantown. They’ve been serving up New American cuisine since 1989.
Now that we’ve covered “classic” Germantown spots, there are loads of new kids on the block that are turning the area into a foodie destination. The oldest of the newer restaurants to call Germantown home is City House, helmed by recent James Beard Award winning chef, Tandy Wilson. 312 Pizza Company (Chicago Style Pizza), 5th & Taylor (American), Butchertown Hall (more meat than Arby’s), Cochon Butcher (Butcher & New Orleans Sandwiches), and Rolf and Daughters (New American/Mediterranean) all opened within the past four years. You might want to call ahead to see about reservations for a few of these places.
Bars
The bar scene in Germantown tends to focus itself around many of the restaurants listed above. With that said, there are a few extra opportunities for craft beers and cocktails around the area. For beer lovers, you have a choice between a local craft brewery, Bearded Iris Brewing, that opened within the past year, and one of WordCamp Nashville’s sponsors that recently passed the one-year anniversary mark in the neighborhood, Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint. For fans of fancy cocktails, Tempered Café & Chocolate transforms from a chocolatier into an absinthe bar and cocktail lounge known as The Green Hour after 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
Hot Chicken
For some, no trip to Nashville would be complete without eating some of Nashville’s namesakes hot chicken. The closest place to get your fix is Helen’s Hot Chicken at 1801 Jefferson Street. Alternatively, you can head out north of the heart of the city to Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack —the originator of the fiery fowl. There is also Hattie B’s not too far away in the Midtown area close to Music Row and Vanderbilt University.
Sites
There are a few historic sites and parks within a short walk from the venue. The first is the Bicentennial Capitol Mall. This park offers great views of downtown and 19 acres of walking history to explore. Attached to the Bicentennial Mall is the Nashville Farmer’s Market, home to many restaurants and food vendors. Another exciting point of interest located in the area is First Tennessee Park—the home of the Nashville Sounds AAA baseball club. The Sounds made the playoffs for the first time since 2007, so they might be playing on September 16, 17, and 18 depending on how their first series plays out.
Hopefully this listing helps you explore some of the exceptional sites, sounds, and tastes Nashville has to offer. While we want you to get your fill of WordPress knowledge, we don’t want you to leave town without making some kind of memory outside of the event.
Photo credit: wareagle90 via flickr
Name: Bonita Kolb
Name: Shelby Webb