After a few more hours of gas station junk food, radio karaoke, and the freedom of the American open road, we finally arrived at our destination: Nashville, Tennessee. Known to many as the epicentre of country music, Nashville - or Music City, USA - is like a Southern Las Vegas. Lit up with flickering neon lights advertising barbecue to boots, Broadway is the main thoroughfare in downtown Nashville. No matter the time of day, Broadway is packed with people spilling in and out of the legendary country bars that line the strip: Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Honky Tonk Central, and Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge, to name a few. It's an unbelievable sight to see, and dare I say, quite exhilarating even if you are not a fan of country music.

During our stay in Nashville, we rented a charming home in 12South, one of Nashville's most popular neighbourhoods. Located only steps away from the lively 12th Avenue, we enjoyed brunch at Frothy Monkey, a local favourite, and stopped by Five Daughters Bakery for freshly baked donuts. The most anticipated event of our two days in Nashville, however, was the Country Music Crawler Pedal Tavern. Essentially a party bicycle, the Pedal Tavern is the ultimate Nashville experience, and a fun way to explore the city. On a pre-determined route, you hop on and off the moving bar counter to visit famous country bars for flavoured moonshine, live music, and music history. It was by far the highlight of our trip. To end our day, we went to Jack's Bar-B-Que for traditional Nashville fare followed with a night of dancing at the honky tonks on Broadway - only in America!

On our last morning in Nashville, we headed to the Gulch, a trendy new neighbourhood not too far from Broadway. Composed of mixed-use development and revitalized heritage buildings, the Gulch is home to a series of stunning wall murals by local artists - street art so beautiful, people actually line up to take pictures. In Midtown, we discovered an amazing restaurant called Caviar & Bananas, a gourmet market-meets-café with a gorgeous white and gold interior and bright, happy atmosphere. There is so much more to Nashville than cowboy boots and country music, and I'm looking forward to visiting again.

Louisville, Kentucky was the next stop on our road trip to Nashville, and in hindsight, my favourite place by far. Although we only spent a couple of hours in Kentucky, both on our way to and from Nashville, within minutes of arriving in Louisville I knew this city was for me. I guess it was love at first sight!

Louisville is an all-around awesome city: with hip breweries and distilleries, trendy neighbourhoods, and distinctive red brick buildings, the vibe in Louisville is young, creative, and alternative. During our afternoon in Louisville, we enjoyed delicious beer and BBQ at Against the Grain Brewery (which was much better than the one near us in Toronto) located at the Louisville Slugger Field, and explored NuLu, (also known as “New Louisville”), which is an emerging neighbourhood with art galleries, specialty stores, organic restaurants, and small-batch coffee shops. My favourite spot was Please & Thank You, a coffee house known for their famous chocolate chip cookies - I liked their coffee so much I even brought home a bag of their coffee beans.

For many, Kentucky stands out for a particularly “spirited” reason, so it would be silly to drive through Kentucky without making a stop on the legendary Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and on our way home from Nashville, we did just that. The Jim Beam American Stillhouse is located in Clermont, Kentucky, on a beautiful property comprised of winding roads, old farmhouses, and colourful landscaping. Despite arriving shortly before close, we could not have chosen a more perfect day to wander throughout the grounds for photo opportunities. Without a doubt, a return for the entirety of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail has made its way onto my bucket list.

With our road trip winding down as we made our way back to the Canadian border, we adventured to one final Kentucky pit stop at the Seafood Lady, a Louisville institution as featured on the Food Network gospel: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Authentic Southern po' boys, hush puppies, and Cajun fries were the ideal sign-off from my new favourite state, and my irrational love affair with all things Kentucky.