My husband and I took a short trip to Nashville recently and I came back refreshed and inspired. It was a great mix of work, rest, and play.

It was my first time experiencing Nashville and I fell in love with the city. It was full of art, culinary innovation, culture and charm—oh and, of course, music!

If you ever find yourself in the lovely city of Nashville, here are a few spots we really dug:

1 // Driving through the West End, Hillsboro and Bellmead to take it all in.

2 // German Town which houses the incredible City House restaurant.

3 // If you love letterpress, walk through the Onmi downtown and visit Hatch Show Print.

4 // Downtown’s Southern Restaurant and Mike’s Ice Cream are perfect walking distance. To me, this feels like quintessential Nashville!

5 // We also hiked for three hours through Edwin Warner Park. The trails were breathtaking!

As a graphic designer, I find it really inspiring to observe design in other places, spaces and cities. Some of the things I like to look for (and you can, too!) are classic design that has been there forever, what is hip and trendy right now, and how different businesses are really capitalizing on the value of a good design to market and carry their brand. Because of my love and intrigue for typography, I had a field day with some of the branding I saw in Nashville at The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden, The Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and over at Hattie B.

Are there any other Nashville treasures I should add to the list for next time? I would love to hear about them!