Breakfast at the Heartbreak Motel

Today we got to the much anticipated Loveless Café for breakfast. We took what felt like a short drive a little bit south of Downtown Nashville, passing by lots of greenery and the Belle Mead Plantation. The area we were in is actually called Belle Meade, as it was once part of the 3500 acres owned by the Harding family.

The massive rice krispy treats we got 

The Loveless Café was really easy to find due to its pink and green neon sign and high volume of people surrounding the plot. We walked in before checking out any of the surrounding parts of the motel-turned-into-shops. There was a significant line outside but we didn’t expect to have a 1 hour and 20 minute wait to get breakfast; everyone comes to the Loveless Café for some fresh delicious biscuits. They gave us a buzzer and told us we could walk around the area until we got called.

We worked our way around the lot starting with the Country Market shop that sold hams, jams, and several other original Loveless products. It was very cute and authentic inside and outside and it smelled delicious like peaches and smoked ham. We browsed around the very small shop and saw some massive rice crispy treats that came in a variety of flavors such as peanut butter chocolate, s’mores, and cookies and cream.

After, we walked over to the outfitters that was about the same size but didn’t have so many things in it. It mostly sold Loveless Café t-shirts and some really quirky socks; Evan bought some that had GRUMPY down the sock. There were also accessories like necklaces and bracelets.

Some of the art in the store

The next store was a handmade art store, probably my favorite of the stores. There were things from blown glass to pottery and prints. That too was tiny and almost scary to walk around without bumping into a very expensive item. The cashier named Becca was super sweet to us and gave us several tips about things to do and just chatted us up.

Those were the main three stores but they also had a small post office that sold their original preserves and postcards. Cammie and I decided to buy some postcards for our friends back home and mail them straight from the Loveless Post Office. The worker there was extremely friendly as well and asked us how we liked Nashville so far and a bit more about our plans. Halfway through writing on the postcard, the buzzer went off, and we were very thrilled to be getting some of that highly praised food.

The famous biscuits

The restaurant was even fuller when we got back to it. The lobby makes things seem tighter due to its size but the restaurant itself fits a whole lot of people. We were seaedt right by a window, where we could see the people suffering—I mean waiting. The wooden table had one of those classic white and red picnic table cloths. Despite the wait to be seated, the service was rather quick and efficient. Cammie and I both got chocolate chip pancakes. I made an attempt to switch my biscuits for sweet potato fries, a big no-no, which afterward I totally understood.

Before our meals arrived we were served 10 biscuits with blackberry, peach, and strawberry preserves. They were fresh and warm and we dove right in. There was butter on the table but with those preserves, we didn’t even consider adding butter. We finished them rather quickly and soon enough the waitress was back with another five; it was too much to handle. Our food arrived and I realized Cammie and I should’ve just shared pancakes because it was a stack of three for each. They were about an inch thick probably but the best type of thick, and the homemade maple syrup (not the processed kind) just got absorbed by the pancakes. No matter how delicious they were, I was only able to plow through one pancake and half of the sweet potatoes. I was very satisfied with my meal and the whole atmosphere of the Loveless Café and would probably eat there all the time if I lived in Tennessee.

The amazing pancakes

With our hearts and tummies full we decided to take a tour of the Belle Mead Plantation just 6 miles up the road. The drive there consisted of a karaoke rendition of Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey and soon enough we were at the visitor center getting tickets. The gift shop offered several things but nothing that I personally found appealing.

One of the information posters inside the cabin

Ten minutes later we were standing outside of an impressive house with columns and rocking chairs outside; the rocking chairs definitely made us happy. We were then led into a room with thick carpeting and several frames with pictures of horses in them. The guide informed us that the Belle Mead Plantation was owned by the Harding family and wasn’t a cash crop plantation. They focused on other industries such as thoroughbred racing, hence the number of horse photos. We were given a lengthy history of the Harding family through five generations, from the original 32 acre purchase to its 3500 acre expansion and the fall of the family.

The mansion was sold in early 1900s but the people who privately own it decided to restore it to its original form with the help of donations from descendants of the Harding family: portraits, silverware, clothing, and several other things on display throughout the mansion. It was an incredibly experience getting to see all of it and hearing what life was like for the Harding family. Outside they had other original buildings and the one that was the cabin for the slaves contained some African-American history, which is very well deserved.

We walked some more around the 32 acres that the mansion now sits on and came across some beautiful horses that are actually more like ponies. There was Lieutenant Dan and Whispers. They didn’t pay us much attention until we pulled out apples from the hotel this morning; they seemed very happy and keen on us afterward. Eventually, we had to leave since we really wanted to get into the famous Bluebird Café even without reservations.

The sign so many people take photos of

The oh-so-famous Bluebird Café was located in a rather shabby strip mall, to our surprise. There wasn’t anything else around it that seemed even remotely impressive, yet so many people were stopping by to take photos of the sign and in front of it. Not too many people were willing to wait for two hours in the scorching sun to get into the Bluebird, which is understandable but we really wanted that live music experience. Most people said that they came to the Bluebird because of the show Nashville, that I‘ve never watched but probably should. Others were actually there tonight to see some of the artists/songwriters that were playing the intimate venue.

Although it seemed like it was a long wait, once they started letting people in we were very excited to have been the first in line. People with reservations were guaranteed a table but we didn’t mind sitting and having our dinner in pews. There’s no real fee for sitting and watching the show but each person has to spend at least $10 in food or drinks, which was no problem for us hungry kids. The inside wasn’t extravagantly decorated or anything; it actually looked like someone has just put a roof on top of two shingled roofs to connect them. The stage that wasn’t really raised had some Christmas lights hanging behind it and the signature bluebird neon light. Covering the walls were signed pictures of famous artists who had performed in the small space throughout the years.

We ordered our food so we could eat before the show officially started and I was more than content with my chicken quesadilla with spicy ranch. I don’t think anyone can mess up a quesadilla but they definitely did this one right.

I was done eating by the time the artists/songwriters began introducing themselves. I didn’t personally know any of them but the crowd seemed to recognize some of the songs they’ve written, most being #1 hit songs. It started out kind of slow but because it’s such a small venue when they gave us some background behind the songs it seemed very personal. They performed several rounds of songs going down the line of the 4 people performing tonight. One of them, Bruce Wallace, was actually really funny and the stories behind the songs he’s written were really interesting. One song he got from some wise words a cab driver gave him and another from a girl ranting at a bar, right across the street from Bluebird. All of them were impressive singers and songwriters, even Jaron Boyer who kept on saying it was his first time performing a song he wrote 4 years ago. Honestly, it was an incredible experience hearing new music, especially country.

All of the artists plus the visible Bluebird sign

Almost towards the end Phil Barton called up one of the guys in the crowd from Hollywood who apparently writes song and scripts for movies but is very behind the scenes. He started it off by dedicating the song to a girl he was with tonight. He said he wasn't a singer but he sounded awfully good to me. The song was catchy and sweet since it was all about how much she meant to him. As if it wasn't an exciting enough yet, he started singing about taking a knee and I let out a very loud gasp. He proposed to her in front of everyone and that was the cherry on top of the whole experience tonight. It was so amazing to see that happen.

Ecstatic from the amazing time at Bluebird we decided to try to take some group photos for our banner, which took us a lot of walking and exploring around the campus. Maybe getting a little lost like that will help us in the future to get around.