My sister and I recently road tripped from Michigan down to Nashville for our second annual sister trip! We were there for a long weekend and aside from spending time on Broadway, which is a must for every Nashville trip, we also wanted to explore some of the surrounding neighborhoods. The Gulch is one of Nashville's fastest growing areas located between downtown and Music Row and is home to chic hotels, trendy boutiques, and drool-worthy restaurants.

​This area has only recently become popular within the last several years but now it seems like there are new shops or restaurants popping up on every corner. And be warned, when I say popular, I mean really popular! If you go on a weekend you're likely to see lines for almost every restaurant and mural and it can be a bit overwhelming. If possible try to go on a week day, or even a Sunday, for a much more enjoyable experience. However, even with the large amount of people flocking to this area the parking is ample with multiple garages within walking distance of the sites below. The garages also offer your first hour of parking for free if you're just stopping in to a couple shops or reasonable rates per hour if you plan to be there for longer.

You could easily spend an entire afternoon here - and we actually ended up going back three different times over the course of our trip. Here are some of the highlights:

If you have a sister, you know what a special type of bond it creates. That's why when mine suggested we go on a trip together last spring - I couldn't say no. This was the first time we would be traveling just the two of us and it didn't take us long to decide on our destination: the most magical place on earth (no, not Disney World) Magnolia Market! It was an extended weekend trip - Saturday to Tuesday - so I set out to create an itinerary that would allow us to make the most of our time together. Waco, Texas is located in the middle of Dallas and Austin about and hour and a half from each city. After researching flights (I love Google Flights or Hopper app) I found a good deal on a flight from Chicago to Dallas. Although, I've heard great things about Austin as well so the next time we go back that will likely be our home base. You could certainly spend your entire trip in Waco but we decided to explore Dallas for the first half and drive to Waco just for the day. We booked an AirBnB in Lakewood near White Rock Lake which was only a short drive to downtown Dallas. 

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