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The Imogene + Willie Guide to Nashville

Cofounders Matt and Carrie Eddmenson on where to antique, eat, and catch the Next Big Thing.

By Matt & Carrie Eddmenson

7:30 a.m.: First stop: CREMA, A Coffee Brewtique. It's not on our weekly morning route, so we try to always get here on the weekend. Matt loves their cortado: Half espresso, half steamed milk. They recently expanded and have started roasting their own coffee on the premises. (Photo courtesy of CREMA, A Coffee Brewtique)

 

8 a.m.: Nashville flea market, held the third weekend of every month at the Tennessee Fairgrounds. We're both big flea market junkies and have picked up some great things here. The key to working any market is to get to know the vendors and tell them what you like; once you develop a relationship and become a regular, they'll start holding things back for you. Matt's made some big scores this way, including a "Big E" Levi's trucker jacket from the '60s that he got for only $20. (Photo courtesy of the Nashville flea market)

11 a.m.: Start the drive to Leiper's Fork, a great little country town about a half hour south of Nashville. We'll have lunch at Puckett's Grocery, a meat-and-three that has live music at nights, and a pale ale from local brewers Yazoo is always a good call. After that, we'll head across the street to visit with friends like Alex Cirimelli at Serenite Maison, an antique store with a "picking corner" (left) where local musicians—and there are a lot of them in Leiper's—come to try out new songs. We could sit there listening for hours. Our final stop is Joe Natural's Farm Store and Cafe to buy some locally made provisions for the week. (Photo courtesy of Serenite Maison)

3 p.m.: Head home on the historic Natchez Trace Parkway, which, depending on your perspective, starts or ends near Nashville. It's one of Matt's favorite routes to ride on his motorcycle. About 30 miles of the Trace run between Leiper's and Nashville. It's heavily wooded, and you have to drive pretty slowly because there's always a lone turkey or a family of deer slowly crossing the road. (Photo courtesy of NPS Photo)

  


4 p.m.: Swing by the antique store Wonders on Woodland in East Nashville. The owners, Deb and Wayne, have a great eye and great prices on midcentury furniture. We've never taken anyone from out of town there who didn't buy something to be shipped home. (Photo by Chad Davis)

 

 


6 p.m.: Early dinner at City House, where our friend Tandy Wilson is the chef. On "Sunday Supper" nights, the menu is always a surprise: You never know what you're going to get until you see the menu. We always hope for pork meatballs; they're amazing. (Photo by Beall + Thomas Photography)

 

 

7:30 p.m.: The older we get, the earlier we are home. But we always try to fit in a movie at Belcourt Theatre, the only place in Nashville to catch art-house films. They have a curated listing of acclaimed indie movies and host fun premieres and Q&As for local filmmakers like Harmony Korine. Carrie thinks the Belcourt has the best popcorn in town—and the most comfortable seats, thanks to the Nashville community that supports this gem of a place. (Photo by Pierre Vreyen)


9 p.m.: Drop by The Basement, a small live music venue that's famous for hosting soon-to-be-huge acts like Alabama Shakes. It's owned by a great man, Mike Grimes, and is the best place in Nashville to catch an intimate show by singer-songwriter friends like Jesse Baylin, Karen Elson, and Mikky Ekko. (Photo by John Brassil)

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