University of North Carolina Athletics
The Complete Nashville Travel Guide
December 7, 2010 | Football
Dec. 7, 2010
Below is a complete guide to your stay in Nashville for Carolina's bowl game vs. Tennessee. This guide originally appeared in Tar Heels Today, a free weekly e-publication exclusively for Rams Club members.
By Adam Lucas
Game time: Dec. 30, 5:30 p.m. Central, ESPN
Location: LP Field, 1 Titans Way, Nashville
Tickets: Available through TarHeelBlue.com. Rams Club members should sign into their online account to ensure ticketing priority. Note that the Music City Bowl is one of the few bowls that does grant quality seats to the participating teams (other bowls sell most of the prime locations to corporations and early ticket purchasers).
How to get there: Anthony Travel has arranged several travel packages for Tar Heels coming to Nashville. Southwest has a variety of flights from RDU to Nashville, but it's worth checking some of the other airlines, which will sometimes try to undercut Southwest. If you're willing to travel on the day of the game, American had some flights through Washington, D.C. below $250 roundtrip as late as Monday evening. Team hotel: Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Other places to stay: Downtown hotels, some of which can put you within walking distance of LP Field, are not cheap. The best combination of rate and reliability might be the Holiday Inn Express Downtown, which is approximately a mile from the stadium. The Sheraton is slightly closer, but also more expensive. The Hilton Nashville is probably downtown's prime property.
Other events:
The Rams Club & GAA are sponsoring a Pregame Party at the Wildhorse Saloon on Dec. 30 at 11:30 a.m.
Other bowl events include the MusicFest and Battle of the Bands--Dec. 29, 5-7 p.m. An outdoor party held at the corner of 2nd Ave. and Broadway that includes the band and cheerleaders from both participating teams.
Gameday pep rally--Dec. 30, 1:45 p.m. The Carolina band and cheerleaders will be downtown on Lower Broadway at the Court of Flags (1st Ave. and Broadway).
Pregame FanZone--Dec. 30, 2:30 p.m.-kickoff. Located in the South End Zone Area Lot R, includes interactive games for kids.
Getting to the game: Gray Line of Nashville has a $10 roundtrip shuttle that picks up at the Renaissance downtown, Greer Stadium south of downtown, and other select hotels throughout Nashville. Shuttle pickup begins at 4 p.m. Contact Gray Line at 615-883-5555 for more information.
Parking: LP Field parking lots open at noon local time. Parking permits can be purchased through the bowl for $15 by calling 615-743-3130 or by purchasing online. A very useful map of the 50 closest parking lots to LP Field can be found online.
Things to do: Be forewarned that the Gaylord Opryland Hotel is also the site of the Cheer Nationals at Opryland from Dec. 27-30. Basically a giant youth cheerleading convention, the event has the reputation for dominating the hotel during game week. Be prepared for the hotel to be very crowded.
If you're in town early, you can catch the Nashville Predators against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 28. On Dec. 29, the Zac Brown Band is in concert at Bridgestone Arena.
It's Nashville, so you're morally obligated to see some country music. Hit the Country Music Hall of Fame. For live music, you can go big at the Grand Ole Opry but be forewarned that although you can still see the Ryman Auditorium, the only show during game week is Dec. 31. Or you can go small(er) with the Bluebird Café, which has launched numerous singers to country stardom.
Where to eat: You don't go to Nashville for haute cuisine. You go for good, Southern-inspired, diner-type cooking. In that case, try the Loveless Café or Prince's Hot Chicken Shack (123 Ewing Dr., 615-226-9442), which looks like a dive but is worth a visit for the best chicken this side of Gus's Fried Chicken in Memphis.
For more refined palates, try the Midtown Café or Allium, which is within walking distance of LP Field. Other restaurants near the stadium, which usually means you'll have to walk across the bridge: Hard Rock Café, McFadden's Saloon and the Wildhorse Saloon.
