Exploring Alone: A Curious Girl’s Guide

I have never been one to sit back and wait for the world to come to me. Blame it on my ADHD or the anxiety, but I have a lot to see and I’m not always going to wait around for someone else. When I go on trips, even if it’s with a lot of other people, I always find a way to spend some time alone; to really take in everything for myself because I’m not going to take the time and wait for someone else to do what I want.

This solo exploring is different from solo traveling, when every single moment is spent alone and making choices by yourself. But solo exploring is also an amazing way to see a place for yourself, learn more about who you are, and take stock in your own feelings and thoughts.

These moments alone when seeing a new place, can be critical in how you experience it. Even if it's just a few moments or a meal by yourself, exploring alone is a must-do.

Home: The first frontier

Your hometown is the first battlefield; the first place you can conquer your fears of being alone. I have lived in my medium-sized city for the past seven years and each day, a new adventure presents itself. 

You have to be willing and able to explore your home city by yourself. You’ll have to get used to being okay with those moments of silence and eating lunch without company. You’ll have to learn how to take in your city like a tourist, like someone who had never seen it. 

Take an afternoon or a night to go to that restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to; head to a concert that your friends don’t want to attend, or spend some time walking around the new museum exhibition which just opened. 

These are the basic tools you’ll need for your future adventures, no matter where they take you and once you’re comfortable with being alone, it’s time to head out and explore.

Lessons along the way

While I haven’t done a lot of solo traveling, and as I start to prepare to do more, I’m thinking back on the lessons I learned from my time exploring alone. I’m thankful for these small moments which allowed me to be myself in a place I’ve never been before. I’ve learned to love places in ways I didn’t expect. I think about my time in Nashville, and how being alone actually made me happier than a lot of the times I’ve been with groups of other people. 

These cities open up to us when we’re alone. We’re not on someone’s agenda. We’re not trying to make others happy. 

I’ve found self confidence I didn’t know I had when I went exploring alone in Florida. I learned how to put myself first while walking through the streets of Denver. I also figured out how to use chopsticks at a Milwaukee restaurant, all alone. 

I’ve also learned a lot of tough lessons when traveling by myself. I learned from solo exploring in North Carolina that I was following the same horrible habits in a relationship that had been following me since I was 16. I learned while solo exploring in Portland that maybe my friend group didn’t have my best interests at heart.

I think what’s wonderful about solo exploring is every lesson, every experience is going to be different for everyone. It all depends on the person, the place, and the timing.

I hope you find yourself out there. I hope it’s all wonderful.

My tips for Broadway in Nashville

Broadway in Nashville in June of 2021.

The street of neon lights and music pouring out of every single bar. This is the mecca for country music fans and young partiers across the country. Bachelor and bachelorette parties make up most of the clientele every single night; the alcohol pouring out of bottles constantly for the young people celebrating. 

This is Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, and for some, it’s the place to be and for others, it’s their worst nightmare.

I love Nashville. Between being a 20-something-year-old woman and because of my general love of that city, I’m down there multiple times a year for bachelorette parties or just because my soul is calling out to go back.

When people think of Nashville, they usually think of the bustling city of bars and live music. Broadway has become the place to go when visiting Music City. But I won’t lie, it can be a lot to take in, so here are some of my tips to surviving Broadway.

Favorite stops

First, let’s discuss the basics. Broadway is a street in the middle of Downtown Nashville, consisting of multiple blocks of bars, restaurants, gift shops, museums, and more. It has an old history in the world of country music, with the Ryman Auditorium being a fixture in the middle of the street. Music has been the epicenter of this city and Broadway is in the heart of it all. 

When visiting Nashville you can tell this is where all the tourists flock to. You can go to any other neighborhood in the city and you will never see as many people as you do on Broadway on a given night. 

Which is why this place can be unbearable, but also a wild time. 

So when I’m o.n Broadway, I like to have a few rules I live by when there.

First rule: Go Up!

All the bars on Broadway have multiple floors, all with live bands and their own bars to get drinks at. Many of them also have rooftop bars. If you’re trying to ditch the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, find the stairs and start climbing. With each floor, you’ll usually find they’re not as busy, you can get a drink quicker, and the bands are just as good, if not better. So many people will stop on that first floor, but you’ll have a great time while being less packed on the other levels. 

I will say, most of the rooftop bars are usually busy in the summers, but in my experience, they’re still more tolerable than the first level of any bar. Plus you get to be in the open with the fresh air. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Second rule: Don’t Miss Tootsies

Stairwell at Tootsies in October of 2021.

I only have a few bars I will not miss when I go to Nashville, and Tootsies is one of them. This purple palace has a deep history and that’s one of the main reasons to go. It’s always busy, but if you go at off-times, hitting it up during the day and on weekdays, you might have a better time. 

Third rule: Take a Side Street Off Broadway

There’s this phenomenon I’ve noticed when it comes to Nashville: People come for Broadway and Broadway only. There are a lot of cool bars just blocks off of the main drag, again often less crowded and with better service. 

My favorite is Wildhorse Saloon. It’s not even a half-block off of Broadway and I’ve had some of the best times here. I’ve learned how to line dance and getting drinks is so easy here (plus there’s AC). Usually, if you’re looking for a place to relax for a bit, there are a lot of open chair and tables to take a quick break.

When it comes to Broadway, prepare for a mess down there, but just take it in stride and bring some patience. A lot of the time, it’s worth going out at least one night per trip.

Best times to go

It might be easier to list when not to go to Broadway. Summer nights are always busy. Weekdays, in my experience, have been a bit better, but it’s the luck of the draw. Most nights have crowds of young people partying on the strip. 

I haven’t been to Nashville in the winter, but I’ve heard from some friends that the crowds are less and it’s a bit more enjoyable. 

I can for sure tell you to avoid Nashville all together when a music festival or a country award show is going on. On my last trip for my cousin’s bachelorette party, we happened to go during CMA Fest. Not only did we wait in lines for nearly every bar, but every bar was just so busy that it was impossible to walk through a lot of them with a group so big. Prior to that trip, I’ve been to Nashville in the summer, but the crowds were the absolute worst I’ve ever seen.

This is where the get in and go to the upper-level bars comes in. 

I did enjoy going in October a lot. There were a lot of people still, but the crowds were manageable and the weather was still so nice. In the summer, some of the bars don’t have great AC, and they can be awful and hot with all of those people in there.

Music City, baby!

Broadway is all about the music, and there wouldn’t be the amazing live music without the bands who spend night after night performing for the hordes of tourists that come out to party. 

Many of these bands are trying to just make it in Nashville. If you think Nashville is an expensive place to visit, it’s an even more expensive place to live. So each night, these bands spend their time performing and getting their names out there as they try to live out their dreams.

If you’re going to do one thing when you’re visiting Broadway, it’s that you need to bring cash for the amazing bands. These bands deserve all the tips they can get. They don’t get paid loads of money to be performing for you all, so please show your support for these performers! And if you find a band you really like, make sure you follow them on social media and listen to their actual music, and not just the covers they’re playing to entertain you. 

The most important tip of all

My final tip for visiting Broadway is to not spend your entire trip on Broadway. I see so many Nashville trips done wrong when people only spend their time there. It may be wild to think, but Broadway is just a piece of Nashville, and there are so many better areas of Music City.

In fact, I would be totally okay skipping Broadway everytime I go to Nashville. Instead, I’d rather go to more of the residential areas surrounding downtown. If I’m going out, I’m heading to Midtown where you can still find great live music and a lively environment, but with a lot less tourists and better dining options. Or I’ll head over to Printer’s Alley; another great and historical part of the city with some awesome bars. 

I do believe if you’ve never been to Music City before, you should at least make one trip down to Broadway. This is why so many people come down to party, but it’s expensive and overwhelming.

Me on Broadway in October of 2021.

If you do go to Broadway, go during the day and take a tour of the Ryman Auditorium or visit the National Museum of African American Music. Go catch a Predators game. Even better, go to one of my favorites, The Johnny Cash Museum, which is just steps off Broadway. There’s a lot to do down there that doesn’t involve getting drinks spilled on you in packed bars. 

In conclusion: don’t miss Broadway, but don’t make it your entire trip. Venture out and see what else Nashville has to offer you. 

Four Trips that Changed My Life

I have wanted nothing more than to see the world throughout my lifetime. While some people were dreaming about having kids and being married by 25, I was dreaming about how I would travel and see the world by then. 

I’m currently 25, and it pains me to say that I haven't traveled the world. I’m not even close. For the past few years, I’ve been focusing my time, energy, and money on a lot of weekend trips across the United States. Due to tight schedules and budgets while being a full-time student and later a full-time journalist, getting to be the all-encompassing jet-setter I’ve dreamt of has been a little difficult. 

But, just because travel isn’t my full time job doesn’t mean it’s still not a priority. Yeah, I haven’t backpacked Europe yet, but I have a lot of tips, tricks, and thoughts because of the trips I’ve taken over the past few years. 

Which brings us to this post! There have been some amazing and surreal experiences I’ve had while visiting some of the US’s best travel destinations. This list will highlight why traveling doesn’t have to been some extensive months-long trip to be life changing, but instead, why it’s important to take the time to see the beautiful wonders that are local to us in the U.S. 

I know there are more beautiful, breathtaking spots across the U.S. that I don’t highlight here. These are just some of my own personal, and favorite travel destinations throughout our country.

1.Cannon Beach, Oregon

You start by walking down the sand embankments towards a foggy, west coast beach. Beachwood and bits of tourist trash line the human paved trail in the sand. You look up and finally see the otherworldly sight in front of you. What seems to be a set for a sci-fi movie set, these giant rocks are placed just off the Oregon coast, taking you away from the world you knew before and into this new planet.

Cannon Beach was never on my “must-see” list, but there are some trips you never plan on taking that become so impactful. Now I crave to go back.

As I stood on the sand, I kept FaceTiming my family to show them the wonder that was directly in front of me. How was any of this real, and how was I so lucky enough to see it in my lifetime? 

Getting to Cannon Beach from Portland isn’t difficult, but you’re going to need a car. As you drive through the dense rain-covered forests of northern Oregon, you finally come out of the trees to the coastline. A small, sea-side town greets you as you come out of the Twilight-esque woods.

My biggest regret of Cannon Beach was that I didn’t get to spend more time in the town. I was visiting with other people who were eager to get back to Portland, but I wish I could have stuck around and had a drink at the brewery in town, or walked around to some of the shops. I will say, there wasn’t a lot open when I went at the beginning of March, but I could see how the town probably flourishes in the summer months.

I take this all as a sign I just need to go back.

2. Hiking in Arizona

Off the top, I need a caveat on this one. I’m not talking about one specific hike and I completely realize there are way cooler hikes in Arizona I could do, and I will do eventually. This is my list, after all, and this honestly was a life-changing experience for me. 

I wasn’t in one of the national parks which draw so many people out west, but instead, just hiking around some of the recreational parks outside of Scottsdale. There were cacti and plants and animals and landscapes I had never seen before. A midwest girl wasn’t used to seeing such magnificent landscapes dotting the Earth in front of me. 

Before this trip, I liked hiking. I had a good time doing it in my home state of Wisconsin, but hiking back home was nothing like it was out west. This was a different game. Back home, I find Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo to be a beautiful challenge, but after you hike it 10 times, the steep inclines and packed trails aren’t as worth it. 

Arizona woke something up inside of me. The love I once had for nature was sitting idle for months, maybe years. But here I was, out in the middle of it all, enjoying it again. I was excited for every steep climb and every new creature I saw on the trail. As we looped back to the car, every switchback made me happier and happier. I wasn’t ready to be done by the time we were dumping the excess sand out of our shoes. 

This wasn’t some wild adventure, but instead, a beautiful, easy hike with family. This was just a hike that reminded me of the girl I once was; of who I could be again.

By the end of the night, I had a REI membership and was already pricing my first pair of hiking boots.

3. Salem, Massachusetts 

Much like my hikes in Arizona, Salem took me away not because of the insane beauty of it all, or anything grand. Instead, every piece fell into place to get me there when I went and the small town captured my heart.

As my friends and I got off the train from Boston into the infamous witchy town, the late October air hit us. It was a chilly, rainy day in Salem, but there was something infecting all of us as we walked from the station to the main part of downtown. Halloween lovers from across the region and country had made their way to get a taste of the holiday magic Salem offered. 

It was always a dream of mine to visit Salem, but I never expected to go so close to my favorite holiday. Some of the streets were shutdown for festivals and booths. People were dressed up and sporting their best holiday garb. Every other shop offered New Age products and witch memorabilia. The museums teaching the dark and sad history of Salem were busy, but every line we waited in was worth it.

We got caught in rain storms and ran around the town with a broken umbrella. We were shivering down to our bones, and not because of how spooky it was. A lukewarm cup of coffee barely warmed me up, but the conversations over lunch, the jokes we made while running through puddles, the history we learned; somehow it was better than I could have ever expected. 

Experiences like this are why I travel. Where everything is out of your control, but somehow you still are finding the silver linings in a shit storm. You’re living out a dream of yours all while laughing over how wild this life is. Every place doesn’t have to be wildly beautiful and rich and perfect. They just have to be worth all of the things that could go wrong.

4. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

My best friend and I had been driving south on HWY 285, way over the four hour mark we wanted to hit on our way from Denver to the park. We were told the Dunes just come out of nowhere. That all of a sudden you’re on a nearly empty road and there in front of you, are massive sand dunes at the bottom of the mountains.

We kept trying to guess where they were as we got closer and chased the sunset. The goal was to make it to the dunes and watch the April sun set behind them. We knew we had to be close. We were off the major roads and the GPS was starting to lose signal. There still wasn’t a massive pile of sand waiting for us though. 

Turning back north, we finally found it. We took a picture with the National Park sign and drove as quickly as we could into the park. The mountain of sand stood in front of us and there was nothing stopping us from running out onto the dunes, and enjoying the last few moments of sunlight on them.

We danced on the dunes as others started their hikes to the very top, probably to spend the night under the dark sky, observing the cosmos above. 

This place was magic. From its formation to the memories we created here. You don’t have to hike to the very top to experience everything the park has to offer. The dunes were a wonderful reminder of how beautiful and wicked this world was; how wild Mother Nature could be. 

I’ve never appreciated the world more as I did in those moments on the dunes.