A Long Weekend in Cookeville, TN: Coffee, Concerts, & Cascades

Hi friend,

One of the perks of having family in another state is that every visit doubles as an excuse for a little getaway. My brother has been living in Cookeville, Tennessee for a few years now, and I try to make it out to see him as often as I can. This past weekend, my husband and I packed up the car for a long weekend full of family time, good food, beautiful views, and a few adventures along the way.

From local coffee shops and a concert in Nashville to hiking and a day trip to Chattanooga, here’s a recap of our weekend.

Day One

Arriving in Cookeville, TN

I grew up in a road trip family. We traveled a lot but rarely flew to any of our destinations, so I’m no stranger to long days spent in the car. Honestly, I enjoy it! The first day of our long weekend was mostly spent on the road, with bathroom breaks and fast food stops along the way.

The one stop that I insisted on making was a tiny Hawaiian shave ice shack that I discovered on our last trip. Ever since my husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii, we’ve been on the hunt for shave ice that reminds us of what we had on the islands – it quickly became our favorite evening treat while we were there. This little shack is unassuming and the last spot you’d expect to find authentic shave ice. It actually sits in a gas station parking lot in Glasgow, Kentucky! Despite the odd location, it’s the closest I’ve found to the real thing. I was so excited when I first stumbled upon it!

We both ordered the blue cotton candy with cream (the cream is a must have!) and stretched our legs while we ate before getting back on the road. I wouldn’t recommend eating it while you’re driving, unless you’re feeling up for a challenge. As it melts, it gets incredibly messy. Trying to navigate winding roads while catching dripping shave ice is a recipe for disaster – learn from my mistakes.

We pulled in just before 10 p.m. and were wiped after a long day of travel, so we had a pretty uneventful first night. After unpacking, we met my brother’s roommate, caught up for a little while, and then called it a night so we’d be ready for a busy day on Friday.

Day Two

Morning Coffee Stop

We made the most of every minute during our first full day there. We woke up early to grab coffee before heading out for a hike, then spent the evening in Nashville with some of my brother’s friends for a concert.

Our coffee stop for the day was Longhorn Coffee Bar, which I think has to be my favorite coffee shop in the area thus far. One of my favorite things about Longhorn is that they place a signature chocolate-covered espresso bean on the lid of every drink. It’s the perfect little touch! They have a few locations – a couple of mobile coffee trailers, and their newest being a brick-and-mortar location.

We stopped by their newly opened sit-down location (which was CUTE and such a vibe!) and ordered some food and coffee to go. I ordered the Awesome Eagle, which was basically caramel latte heaven, and my brother ordered the Blazing Saddles. I’m not going to lie, his reaction to the first sip was hilarious and I don’t think it will be something I forget anytime soon. He completely underestimated how much of a kick that drink packed. If you like something with some heat, he’d recommend this, but avoid it if you’d rather have something sweet or a basic black coffee.

Hiking

We fueled up with breakfast and our much-needed caffeine on the drive to Fall Creek Falls State Park to do some hiking before getting ready for a night out in Nashville. This is one of my favorite hikes that I’ve done while visiting my brother, and since it was my husband’s first time in the area, we had to show him what all the hype was about. It has lots of things to love about it – the difficulty level is challenging enough to be rewarding, the views are gorgeous, the soothing sounds of waterfalls follows you along the trail, and it’s dog friendly! We hiked about 2.5 miles, worked up a good sweat, and then headed back to get ready for Nashville.

Nashville

My brother had been trying to convince me to come down for a concert for months, so when one popped up that fit my schedule, it made my decision to visit an easy one. From the moment we purchased our tickets, we were all counting down the days until the trip. We knew that The Turnpike Troubadours would put on a good show, and it helped that they had two great openers joining them too – The Creekers and Muscadine Bloodline.

My brother ended up getting a group of his friends to join us for the concert, so it was nice to be able to meet “his people” during our night out. My husband and I have been to Nashville multiple times (and actually got engaged there!) so we’re no strangers to the area, but it was nice to go with a group of people that are more local and know the ins and outs better than us. Our perks: they found free parking, which I didn’t even know was possible in the city, and they got us into a rooftop bar without a wait! We didn’t have too long to wander Broadway before the concert, but we made the most of it. We were still able to enjoy the two things that just feels quintessentially Nashville – sipping down a few drinks and appreciating the live music that pours out of every bar.

The concert was at the Ascend Federal Credit Union Amphitheater and it turned out to be a great venue! The ambience of an amphitheater fit the show perfectly, and we had a great time despite sitting through a little bit of rain. I enjoyed the openers just as much as the main show, dancing and singing along no matter who was onstage.

Day Three

Breakfast Stop

After a late Friday night, we enjoyed a slow-moving Saturday morning before heading out to Chattanooga for the afternoon. We had breakfast and coffee from Soul Craft Coffee before heading out, and we all really enjoyed our meals there. My Maple Ave breakfast sandwich was divine with its crumbly biscuit and rosemary cream cheese (that I added on). My Whiskey Caramel Latte was good, but I could have personally used a little more flavor. I’ll be the first to admit that I like my coffee on the sweeter side though, so for someone who doesn’t, it’d probably be perfect.

Day Trip to Chattanooga

The drive to Chattanooga was gorgeous with some overlooks to view some impressive landscapes as we drove into the Appalachian Mountain range. We traveled to the city with the main purpose of visiting the Tennessee Aquarium, and I would visit again in a heartbeat! Admission isn’t cheap at about $40 per person, but I honestly thought it was worth every penny.

They have a fun outdoor area for kids to get wet and burn some energy, and then have two main buildings to visit – your admission fee covers entry to both. The huge buildings contained an “Ocean Journey” and a “River Journey” and housed many immersive exhibits with some that had an interactive feature where you could even touch some of the species. I convinced my husband to touch a stingray at one of these! We spent about two and a half hours wandering through the exhibits and enjoying the views of lemurs, sharks, fish, turtles, and more.

I think my favorite part of the entire visit was the jaw-dropping Secret Reef that spanned multiple floors and was the biggest aquatic tank I have ever seen. Some quick fun facts to put it into perspective – the tank is 32 feet deep and holds 618,000 gallons of water. The massive size of the exhibit and abundance of viewing windows made me feel like I was immersed underwater in a way I’ve never experienced before.

Before heading back, we made a quick stop for ice cream at Clumpies Ice Cream Co. to hold us over until dinner. You’ll never catch me complaining about having dessert first!

Evening in Cookeville

After we returned to Cookeville, we had a late dinner downtown at Crawdaddy’s – I’ll be dreaming about this meal for a while. The New Orleans-inspired restaurant had a cozy atmosphere with multiple floors and an adorable outdoor seating area. I’m not big on spicy food, so I was worried I wouldn’t find many good options on the menu, but they have a great variety so that everyone can find a meal they’re happy with! The three of us ordered drinks and split the blackened scallops while we waited for our entrees to arrive. I ordered the grilled shrimp with fried okra and Cajun rice and enjoyed every single bite. To put it simply – the food was to die for.

We ended the night with a spur-of-the-moment trip to see The Odyssey. My brother and his friends had been raving about it, and since I don’t make it to the movie theater very often anymore with a toddler at home, we figured, why not? It kept me on the edge of my set the entire time, despite the late showing.

Day Four

Heading Home

Another long day spent driving as my husband and I headed home. Before we hit the road, my brother whipped up some delicious breakfast burritos for us. He’s turned into an amazing cook over the years, so I jump at any chance to have him cook something up. After eating and packing up, we made one last stop at Longhorn Coffee Bar so I could grab my favorite caramel latte for the road before making the long drive home.

The best trips aren’t always the ones with every minute planned out. Sometime the most memorable moments come from the spontaneous decisions – the coffee shop you decide to give a chance, the movie you weren’t planning to see, or the roadside stop that turns into a tradition. This weekend was a perfect mix of all of these things. We spent quality time with family, discovered a few new favorite places, and came home already talking about our next trip back.

Until next time, Tennessee. I’ll be back.🤎