Wanna Girls Night Out?
Man! I feel like a woman, and since girls just wanna have fun…all my single ladies, put your hands up.
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Yeah, there’s a copious amount of girl power anthems in the pop culture stratosphere (none as ballin’ as vintage Destiny’s Child – but WHAT is that fedora, Bey?). However, in February, the powerful force that is the Single Ladies dance can take a backseat. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it can be easy to let the focus shift to your love life (or lack of love life – and that is a-ok. You do you.). Every part of your fabulousness deserves attention, including your romantic relationships. BUT….we want to make sure you celebrate Galentine’s Day. What is Galentine’s Day, you ask? Only the best day of the year. It’s a time when you get your girlfriends together and let loose, basking in the warm glow of your awesome, badass lady friends and telling them how great they are. The fellas don’t get to have all the shenanigans. So here we go! This one’s for the girls…the best Nashville GNO’s to:
Cut A Rug:
Get Your Marvin Gaye On At BBKing’s
Dance like no one/a ton of older tourists are watching.
IF YOU LIKE:
Jammin’ to your parents’ “Best Of The Tempations” CD growing up, people watching, fried pickles, the Cupid Shuffle, singers who riff on one note for like…at least 5 minutes, sharply dressed men who can play the trumpet, bathroom attendants with a great lotion/hairspray selection
WHERE:
Downtown Nashville, yo. Right off of 2nd Ave!
WHY:
Whether you look like this when you dance, or an awkward shimmy in your chair is more your style, you and your gal pals will have a BLAST at BB King’s. We highly suggest you get a Lyft if you’re headed downtown (unless you have a high-rise loft that’s within walking distance #blessed). We have done that over the past few weekends and our drivers are always just the nicest (shout-out to James & Eli – whoop!). Parking is no issue, and it leaves you footloose and fancy-free. If you wanna save some cash, roll up right before 9PM – the cover charge will be $5 instead of $10. The wait isn’t too bad, and as soon as you’re seated…you’re gonna want to order those fried pickles. Seriously. You need to get some food in ya before you start dancin’/cocktailin’! You’ll feel extra girly when you order one of their rum cocktails – complete with blue dye and a little umbrella, it’s like you’re sitting on the beach. If the beach was a crowded, mood-lit dance floor filled with old men in zoot suits holding canes (no really…we’ve seen several men with canes there…for style, not function). If you think girly rum drinks are the liquid equivalent of sugar rock candy (respect), their well drinks are just strong enough – grab yourself a gin & tonic. Now you’re ready to start your BB King’s adventure, which may include the following: a couple in matching leopard outfits doing the butt-bump, a middle aged man with a fanny pack being invited on stage to dance to “Let’s Get It On”, the singer of the BB King’s All Stars having all the women sing “oooh weee Kertshaw” (that’s his name), or a woman doing the splits to “Mr. Big Stuff”. Yeah. All those things have happened before. So you should have gone, like, yesterday.
Feel Like A Kid Again:
Jump Your Heart Out At Sky High Sports
Jump around! Jump Around!
IF YOU LIKE:
Gettin’ mad air, bright colors, Sour Patch straws, reckless abandon, yoga pants, recess was your favorite subject in elementary school, getting mildly sweaty, concession stand food, CRAZY FUN TIMES
WHERE:
Right around the Harding Pl. and Donelson intersection!
WHY:
We want to take you back. To a time when family dinners meant talking about how you’d aced your time tables and gotten M&Ms as a prize…not how many years you have left before you need to freeze your eggs and beat the biological clock. A time when your lived in your imagination with Justin Timberlake as a bleach-blonde, curly-haired boy band member, not in a house with a dude who falls asleep covered in Dorito dust (but you know what? We don’t hate it. Love knows no bounds). When you got a skinned knee and cried for two seconds and then got up and started playing again. A time when you created sub-plots for Dawson’s Creek and acted them out with your Barbie dolls (that couldn’t have been just us…). Coming to Sky High sports will feel like you’re at your BFF’s 10th birthday party in the best way possible. Tons of young adults go there and have a BLAST. It’s a room covered in trampolines so you can literally bounce off the walls for $12/hour (price cuts in half for the second hour). There’s also a ball pit that you can rope-swing in to a la Tarzan (or P!nk at the Grammy’s). Come mentally prepared for that ball pit though…if you haven’t forgotten, it’s quite difficult to get out once you’re in. But channel your Backstreet-lovin’, fruit-punch-drinkin’, bobby-socks-wearin’ inner child and you can muster the strength. Or, you know, have one of your awesome Galentines extract you.
Beautify Yourself:
A Day Of Pampering In Music City
Maybe she’s born with it – maybe it’s Maybelline/a day of mimosas & manicures.
IF YOU LIKE:.
Boozy brunch, any Jennifer Lopez movie where she has a sassy mother-in-law, bottomless mimosas, In Style magazine, Ryan Gosling (that could apply to every single one of these activities though, let’s be real), sparkles, funfetti cupcakes, face masks
WHERE:
From Hillsboro Village to Green Hills area!
WHY:
Sometimes, you just need to be pampered. You and all yo ladies have had a year filled with ups and downs – graduating college, adopting a dog, having your first child, your kids starting to text and roll their eyes and join Justin Bieber Internet fan groups. This is a complicated life. Let it all wash away and fellowship with your favorite females. Start the day off with $10 mini facials at Babe Beauty Bar (and get some faux eyelashes if you’re feelin’ sassy). Grab some killer brunch at the fairly new Boca Loca (bottomless mimosas on Saturday, because all is right in the world) and round up the troops – you’re going on a mani/pedi mission! Head to Green Hills Mall for some fresh n’ funky nails! Posh and Venetian are both winners – complimentary hand massages, soothing sounds, an endless array of polish colors, and complimentary wine, y’all! Once your nails have dried, it’s time to do a little retail therapy. Check out Designer Finds for the most uppity (in a good way) resale in town! Country stars take their award show best to the shop. You also want to check out Hill Center and maybe pick up some goodies at The Cosmetic Market. If you’re hungry, we love the hibachi grill right behind the mall, Tokyo! You can watch someone else cook for a change. Woohoo! If you’re still not done, mosey on over to Regal Cinemas (attached to Green Hills mall) and see one of the truly amazing films in theaters. We’re glad it’s Oscar season! Our favorite right now is “Her”, but we also encourage the ladies who love Will Ferrell (there are more of us than you think) to see Anchorman 2. We might have seen it 5 times already.
Have A Fabulous Night At Home:
Beer, Takeout, & Dolly Parton
“Yes to love, yes to life, yest to staying in more!” – every woman’s spirit animal, Liz Lemon.
IF YOU LIKE:
Party games, building forts, playing drinking games during television events, wearing your fat pants, messy buns, slightly inappropriate puns, Liz Lemon gifs, Jennifer Lawrence, snuggies
WHERE:
In the privacy of your own home (or your friend’s home). Sweatpants up! (the lesser known, Galentines Day-approved version of “Suit Up!”)
WHY:
It’s okay to just kick it, y’all. Yes, Wannado is all about adventures out in the city, but we also think you can bring that local love and community into the confines of your precious, Pinterest-approved chalkboard walls. Invite the girls over (even postcard invitations would be precious – you can get some great Nashville-themed ones at Pangaea in Hillsboro Village) and get to chillin’. Oh, and we’re about to tell you something that will change your life – The Pharmacy has take-out. So you’re gonna want to get on that. Once you have secured your burger feast (or if you’re feelin’ Thai, The Smiling Elephant has a great pick-up order system too), head to The Filling Station in 12 South and fill up your growler with everyone’s favorite beer (our personal fave is any Yazoo brew or Duck Rabbit Milk Stout). After your Galentines arrive, it’s time to let loose! We suggest a spirited game of Cards Against Humanity or, for the less brave but equally as awesome, Heads Up! End the night on a lovably kitschy Nashville note and have a private screening of the Dolly classic, 9 To 5. If everyone feels like crashin’, set up all your comforters and pillows in the living room and fall asleep to the sweet sounds of Dolly Parton (bonus points if you have a record player and can play the vinyl). So much fun!
Get Over Your Case Of The Mondays:
Start A “Bachelor” Fantasy League & Do The Twist
Juan Pablo. Pimm’s Cup. Dancing to Motown music. Repeat.
IF YOU LIKE:
Reality TV, sociology, big groups, meatball small plates, fine dining on a dime, cocktails and suspenders, East Nashville, Soul Train, drink specials, The Great Gatsby-type parties, hangin’ out in a crowd, jammin’
WHERE:
Mostly East Nashville!
WHY:
You don’t watch The Bachelor? Okay, the viewing of The Bachelor isn’t totally necessary for this activity, but we think this year’s lucky man – our favorite Spaniard Juan Pablo – will add some flavor and honestly compelling conversation to your night. If you want to make it competitive, grab your best Galentines and watch the show together, forming a Fantasy league. Who says the football lovers get to have all the fun (although we know plenty of ladies who dominate in fantasy football)? After you’ve watched the Latin lova give “besos” to his 15 girlfriends (yeah, we know, it’s pretty terrible), head to Holland House Bar & Refuge in East Nashville! You can split the small plates between the group, and you’re going to want to try everything! Their happy hours are pretty much discontinued, but don’t let that get you down – they have happy hour prices around the clock now! Whoop! End the night (though you’ll be there for awhile, it’s the main event) at The 5 Spot in East Nashville. It is seriously the most fun we’ve had in Nashville, and a GREAT place to Twist & Shout with your gal pals. There’s a huge screen showing old Soul Train videos and drink specials all night. You cannot be bummed out here. It’s impossible. Truly.
So there you have it, Nashville…girls just wanna have fun! Celebrate the wonderful women in your life – whether it’s by talking Gosling over mimosas, watching tourists break it down to James Brown, gorging on burgers and beer, or trying not to get seriously injured while throwing yourself into trampoline walls. We are women, hear us roar. For all the lady-centric events in town (and other stuff too, of course), check out Wannado. We’ve got your back!
– Your local guide.
