Specialty & Boutique Shopping in Nashville
When we come to Nashville, we always carve out a few hours to hit the specialty shops and boutiques that we just don’t have access to in a mid-size city like Lexington. Fact is, few cities have the level of shopping that Nashville affords.
For Jackson, our train loving son, it is always a “must stop” at Opry Mills Mall (a walk across the parking lot from our Gaylord Opryland Resort) to the Lionel Trains Company Store. Lionel has been the name in toy train hobby since 1900. They are based in Charlotte, North Carolina along with their one and only store UNTIL the second store opened here in Nashville. Everything trains and diecast NASCAR under one roof and even if you are not a diehard collector, that’s ok…but every Christmas Tree should have a Lionel “Polar Express” running under it, so it should be a stop, regardless. Lionel is the very best and we are delighted to have their second retail store in Nashville and within easy distance from our home in Lexington, Kentucky. It’s an experience.
For Lyssa and me, Nashville gives us a shot at actually seeing and trying on all of the boutique labels we can only shop online at home. The great California designers like 70’s and 80’s retro inspired Aviator Nation and Marine Layer – their shops are just as fun as the togs and a sight to see. Also on the block, the softness and quality of Faherty, the cool factor of STAG Provisions, and the iconic designs of NYC’s Todd Snyder…just to name a few. You will find them all on 12th Street in downtown Nashville in a fun and trendy neighborhood known as “The Gulch” that was practically a demilitarized zone for decades. Disaster no longer and a crown jewel for downtown.
As easy as it is to lock yourself away for days on end at Gaylord Opryland Resort, you must break away for a few hours to downtown Nashville for a shopping experience you will not find many other places…and this is just one neighborhood!
