For two decades of my life, I was horribly lonely. Obviously, being lonely had never been part of the plan — After all, I’d spent a lot of time and energy trying to make friends when I moved to the suburbs twenty-odd years ago. I joined moms’ clubs and book clubs and Bible studies, volunteered […]

For more than two decades, The Covenant School has been woven into the background of my everyday life. Nestled in the woods of one of Nashville’s wealthiest neighborhoods, you probably wouldn’t even notice it unless you happen to know someone working or attending school there. It’s small – only kindergarten through sixth grade – but […]

Every December since 2005, famed Nashville pianist Jen Gunderman (and by ‘famed’ I mean she just played with Brandi Carlile on SNL) and her friends have played the entire Charlie Brown Christmas album in concert. It’s one of my favorite holiday events, and I was lucky enough to get to go with some of my […]

Between pop-up bars, light shows, concerts, holiday markets, and more, we have scores of entertainment choices here in Nashville when Christmas rolls around, and every year the options seem to get bigger, brighter, and a whole lot more expensive. Case in point: Enchant Nashville. Billed as ‘The World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze & Village,’ the […]

One of my favorite things to do before I travel is find out all the best secrets about the place I’m headed. Is there a restaurant the locals love? A time of day or week to visit an attraction and beat the crowds? A tour with the best guide ever? TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT. […]

I never went to camp as a kid and I’ve always regretted it. I wanted in on the kind of lifelong friendships that are born from sweaty summers spent singing ‘On Top of Spaghetti” around a campfire, splashing around in a muddy lake, and checking each other for ticks. As a sort of consolation prize […]

Supposedly, everyone’s in Europe right now, which is fine with me because it means the lines are shorter at Holiday World. America’s first theme park happens to be just two and half hours from Nashville in (heh) Santa Claus, Indiana. It is big, with both a sizable amusement park and an equally impressive water park, […]

When you think of Franklin, Tennessee, your mind probably goes straight to its historic downtown, filled with shops and restaurants and Civil War-era homes and buildings. Much has been written about the downtown area and I’m definitely one of its biggest fans — but there’s so much more to do and see in Franklin and […]

In a city where dining out now means being charged $200 a head for doll-sized plates of freeze-dried zucchini and macerated eel belly, I find myself longing for simpler times and simpler meals. And lo! My wish has been granted. I’ve discovered a place that takes two of our nation’s least complicated and most beloved […]

A couple of months ago, I was at a coffeeshop in L.A. when a man overheard me tell the barista I was visiting from Nashville. “You’re from Nashville, huh?” he said. “I heard Nashville is really cool. I heard it’s the place to be.” “It isn’t, though,” I said quickly. “I promise you, it really […]