I’m not sure about you, but I feel like summer 2025 flew by so quickly! I’m currently sitting in my Raleigh apartment, reminiscing on all the fun and productive things I did in the last 3 months. First, let’s recap my summer 2025!
I took a 4th of July weekend trip to the Catskills in upstate NY with my boyfriend, where we hiked, shopped in antique stores, and watched fireworks.
I worked an internship with the New Jersey State Police and got to learn a lot from my experience there. I had amazing opportunities to visit the State Police Forensic Science Lab, the FBI Newark field office, the Regional Operations Intelligence Center, and the Crime Scene Unit. I also got to do a boat tour with the Marine Services Unit on the Hudson River and watch the Aviation Unit do a helicopter landing!
I volunteered at a forensic science summer camp where I got to help teach kids about science, law, and true crime.
I had many pool & beach days, day trips to NYC, and chill days at home.
But one of my favorite memories of the summer was my trip to Nashville, TN, with my family! The nightlife in Nashville is so much fun, so I’m going to give my top recommendations for bars/restaurants and things to do in Music City!
1. Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa
2. Shopping at the Gulch and Fifth + Broadway
Although Nashville is known for its nightlife and bar scene, there are still plenty of other things to do there! One of those is shopping at the Gulch and/or Fifth + Broadway. The Gulch has plenty of restaurants and shops. Some shops are Urban Outfitters, Nashville Boot Co., Blush Boutique, and more. Fifth + Broadway has Sephora, Ray-Ban, Free People, and more!
3. Luke comb’s category 10
4. Luke bryan’s 32 bridge
5. Jon Bon Jovi’s
If you don’t like country music as much and maybe prefer rock, I would recommend JBJ’s! I like a lot of genres of music, including some country, but rock is my favorite genre. I had a blast at Jon Bon Jovi’s bar, and the band that night played classic rock hits like “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains, “Crazy on You” by Heart, “Hot For Teacher” by Van Halen, and so many more! If you’re into that and plan on visiting Nashville, JBJ’s is the place for you!
6. the country music hall of fame
If you’re a Swiftie like me, you’ll love the Country Music Hall of Fame! They have a Taylor Swift education center and have some of her stage outfits and guitars!
7. Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up
8. Bayou Keys
Bayou Keys is a super cool dueling pianos bar underneath Lainey Wilson’s bar!
Here are some things I wish I had done while I was there:
1. go to the grand ole opry
2. Go to the Bluebird Cafe
I wanted to go to the Bluebird Cafe so badly when I was in Nashville, but unfortunately didn’t get to go. As a Swiftie, it is a bucket list place to visit because it is where Taylor Swift performed at 14 years old and got discovered by Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records. She was signed to the record label shortly after and then catapulted into stardom.
3. walk around centennial park
Another Taylor Swift monument to visit in Nashville is Centennial Park!
“Green was the color of the grass where I used to read at Centennial Park”- Invisible String
If you ever plan on visiting Music City, make sure to check out these locations! I hope that I’ll get to go back soon!