Trip Review: Nashville Points Redemption
I just got back from Nashville last night after a weekend away with my buddies for a ‘guy’s weekend’. Arriving in Nashville on Friday afternoon we planned a buys weekend that would see us fly back to Toronto on Monday.
My squad does a guys trip like this every year that usually revolves around going to an NFL game, TopGolf and something cultural. We’ve done Las Vegas, Buffalo, and Miami and Nashville looked like a great option with lots of fun to be had.
We saw the Titans beat the Colts, played some golf and had the most fun ever doing the Broadway bar crawl. If you haven’t been to Nash-Vegas, you owe it to yourself to make the trip.
Nashville is the perfect getaway for every type group: we saw lots of bachelor and batchelorette parties, couples and groups having a great time. Whether you’re there for music, football, hockey or history, Nashville has something for everyone.
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I booked my flight from Toronto to Nashville on Air Canada with Aeroplan points by doing a 1:1 transfer from my American Express Platinum account. My return flight to Toronto was on Delta with a connection throught Detroit that allowed me to burn up some very old Delta Skymiles I had sitting in my account for years.
| Aeroplan Points Booking
Transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan is fast and easy, taking just a couple of minutes to complete in real time.
Flight taxes are higher in Canada which explains the $68.68 cost to book the flight with points, compared to the $5.60 cost of the Delta flight(below). The flight down was on a CRJ900 with a 2-3 seating plan. It’s a small plane so everyone needed to book quickly to make sure we would all fly together.
| Delta Skymiles Flight Reward Booking
I was about 2500 Skymiles shy of the total need for this flight so I transferred some more Amex MR over at a 1 to .75 transfer rate. Not ideal, but it was only couple thousand points.
I normally wouldn’t do a MR transfer to Delta unless I was a) desperate or b) the flight deal was epic.
The Delta flight left later in the day on our last day (Monday) leaving us time to do some additional exploring without being rushed.
My friends paid cash for their flights so we can see how my points redemption worked out. The AC flight was C$471.07 putting the value of my 23,000 Aeroplan points at 2 cents / point. Points redemptions below 2 cents are considered expensive or poor value, so I was just on the edge. Normally you can find AC flights to the US for as little as 12,000 points if you plan well.
The Delta flight cost C$238.50 putting that redemption at 1.76 cents. Not great but these two flights were my only options on the days and times that I needed them so I bit the bullet.
| NEXUS Experience
I’m the only traveler in our squad with a NEXUS card. Despite horrific wait times earlier this year I breezed through Security and Customs in about 5 minutes. My friends were only a minute or two behind me thanks to the new Mobile Passport Control app now being used by US Customs & Border Services.
NEXUS gets me TSA-PRE on my boarding pass that puts me in the fast track to clear security. This was a major benefit in Nashville as the regular security lines were quite long.
| YYZ Lounge Experience
Getting spoiled in airport lounges is a big part of why I love travel so much. But the only American Express Platinum Lounge available in Pearson Terminal 1 was the Plaza Premium Lounge. It’s a small-ish, older lounge that isn’t going to impress. It was also full when I arrived, so the squad sat down at Hearth Bar and Grill and enjoyed a quick meal with beers before getting on the plane.
| Nashville Muse AirBnb
There’s lots amounts of AirBnb options in downtown Nashville. But the secret is to book well in advance to have the best price and location.
Paul found a great condo with 3 king beds, 2 twins and a sofa bed that was perfect for our group of 6. With two full bathrooms, kitchen and a rooftop deck the Muse property is top-of-the-line. Self-check-in was easy with digital codes to enter the building and the condo.
Muse is a newly built property that is 100% AirBnB units, located in the South Downtown area.
Walking distance from our condo to places we visited:
- Pinewood Social 11 minutes
- Crema Coffee Roasters 8 minutes
- Nissan Stadium 24 minutes
- Luke’s 32 Bridge 19 minutes
- Jason Aldean’s 20 minutes
A few times we walked up to Broadway (19 minutes) and a few times we took Ubers.
Our flights arrived in Nashville around 2pm, leaving us with a couple of hours to kill before we could check in. So we had our Uber driver drop us and our luggage at Pinewood Social where we could grab some food and drink and plan our first evening.
Pinewood Social (see separate review) is fantastic. A hip, urban eatery with outdoor lounge pools, a bowling alley and a great bar makes it a top spot to visit while in Nashville. They even have a large room to tuck your luggage away while you enjoy your meal.
| What to do in Nashville
Our guys trip revolve around NFL Football and TopGolf. And we try to squeeze in something cultural as well.
We found our NFL tickets on StubHub that put us in Section 226 (Club Level) with a great view of the field.
Ticket tip: Book your seats in Row A and you’ll be front row in with a great view.
Hopping from bar to bar (Aldean’s, Lukes, etc) is an easy way to lose track of time. Every one of these places is 4 or 5 stories with a different band playing on each level. The music is beyond incredible and the people you meet will have you making new friends in no time.
We tried to get a morning tee off time at one of the local municipal courses, but they fill up early and we had to go about 30 minutes from downtown to play at Pebble Creek Golf Club. A decent public course with no frills that cost about $70 for a round and was good enough for us duffers.
It took us all of 5 hours to play our round, getting us back to Downtown Nashville in time for dinner. Food at the various Broadway bars is nothing to write home about, so we booked a table at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
The highlight of the trip (next to the NFL game) was riding electric scooters to the Parthenon.
Wait. You didn’t know there’s a full size replica of the Parthenon in Nashville? Indeed there is!
We rented Lime scooters (they’re lying around everywhere) and rode about 20 minutes to Centennial Park. Admission to the Parthenon Museum is $10 and worth every cent. Inside there’s a 40 foot tall replica of the statue of Athena that would have graced the original temple in Athens.
We learned all about Nashville’s history as “the Athens of the South” and it gave us another on this amazing city.
And the scooter rides were a blast.
| Nashville Luggage Storage
We had about six hours of free time after checking out of our AirBnB so we had to find somewhere to store our luggage.
We found the Stow Station just one block north of Broadway at 1st Ave and Church Street. Super convenient location and friendly service.
Stow Station isn’t fancy: it’s just a cube van parked on the side of the street but they are reliable, good value and efficient. They’ll even send you an automated text message to remind you it’s time to pick up.
For 3 bags I paid about $50 and I was happy to leave them a 5 star Google review. We highly recommend StowStation if you need luggage storage in Nashville.
| Smart Passport Tip
On the morning of our departure one of the guys couldn’t find his passport. A major headache for anyone flying international.
After turning the AirBnB upside down several times he has resigned himself to the fact that it was gone. Plan B was now in effect: see how far you can get on airplanes using “other ID”.
With many hours to spare before heading to the airport, he made a few phone calls hoping he may be able to locate it. Did he leave it in the Uber that picked us up at the airport? Did he leave it in a bin at Security in Toronto. Nope. Both were dead ends.
Since our first stop in Nashville once we arrived was Pinewood Social he decided to call them on a whim. Sure enough they had his passport tucked away securely in their safe. We hadn’t eaten breakfast yet so we headed over with our luggage to thank them profusely for saving the day.
It made us wonder: why doesn’t your passport have some sort of contact info in it? I’ve always had a little sticker with my first name on they outside of my passport so I don’t grab the wrong one by accident as I’m heading out the door.
So when I got back to Canada I used my label maker to print a little sticker with my name and cell phone number on it. If I lose my passport abroad and someone finds it, at least they’ll be able to call or text me to let me know. I made a sticker for my friend, too. Who knows? It may just save his next vacation!
| Nashville Trip Summary
Just 2 hours from Toronto, Nashville is a modern, exciting city with something for everyone. Whether you’re a sports fan, music lover, shopper or foodie you’ll find what you’re looking for here in the Athens of the South.
Southeners are a friendly, genteel lot and their amazing hospitality will be the icing on the cake for your trek to Tennessee.
We’re definitely planning another junket to Nashville! Go Titans!