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What to know about tickets, hotels, restaurants for the Music City Bowl
Call it a rematch. The University of Iowa football program heads to the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Iowa faces the Kentucky Wildcats in a rematch of last season’s Citrus Bowl that Kentucky won in the final minutes. The game between the 7-5 Hawkeyes and 7-5 Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference takes place on New Year’s Eve at 11 am CT at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. ABC will television the game.
For Hawkeye fans interested in traveling to Nashville to watch the game in person, here’s everything you need to know.
more:Iowa football heading to Music City Bowl, where the Hawkeyes’ 2020 game was canceled by COVID
Tickets
On ticketmaster.com, Music City Bowl tickets range from $25 to $139 based on seat location. A few sections are sold out.
How do I get to Nashville?
Airlines flying into the Des Moines International Airport unfortunately do not offer direct flights to Nashville. American Airlines, Delta, United and Southwest all offer connecting flights. According to Google Flights, a nearly four-hour flight with a connection that leaves on Friday, Dec. 30, and returns Sunday, Jan. 1, would cost close to $530.
Des Moines road trippers can hit the road for a 10-hour drive southeast across Iowa and through Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky to Tennessee. According to the AAA gas calculator, a vehicle that gets 25 miles per gallon can expect to spend about $164 roundtrip for the nearly 1,400 miles between Des Moines and Nashville.
more:How to watch Iowa football vs. Kentucky in the Music City Bowl
Lodging
Nashville has a range of hotels, and depending on how close to the stadium you want to stay, a price to match the convenience. Hotels near Nissan Stadium include the Conrad Nashville, Studio 154, Dream Nashville and Hyatt Centric in downtown Nashville, while a Comfort Inn and La Quinta are less than a quarter mile from the stadium.
more:Love hanging with cats, on a roller rink or on a farm? Join us in exploring Iowa’s Off Hours
Where to eat and drink in Nashville
Nashville can go toe-to-toe with any excellent dining city in the country. The Tennessean has it’s own list of essential restaurants that includes Audrey and June from chef Sean Brock with tasting menus that explore Southern flavors (try his burger restaurant Joyland for chicken and biscuits at a lower price point), chef Philip Krajeck’s Folk with pizzas and seasonal dishes, or The Catbird Seat, which the Tennessean calls “an extraordinary three-hour culinary adventure.” Go for the real deal Nashville hot chicken at Hattie B’s.
Listen to just about every type of music imaginable in Nashville as well. Head to the Springwater Supper Club & Lounge, one of the oldest bars in Nashville, for a honky tonk with pool and beer. At Attaboy Nashville, just tell your server your mood and the bartender will conjure up a drink. Check out the Tennessean’s list of good cocktail bars as well.
What else is there to do?
If you bring the kids, head to SoundWaves, an upscale indoor-outdoor water attraction at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Here find more than four acres of slides, a wave pool, FlowRider wave simulator, rapid and lazy rivers, an adults-only area, and more open year rounds.
For the history buff, go to The Hermitage, the home of America’s seventh president Andrew Jackson. The attraction sits on more than 1,000 acres and includes a mansion, gardens and grounds, and the Jackson family tomb.
The shopping buff will enjoy Fifth + Broadway, where they can check out the 55,000-square-foot National Museum of African American Music as well.
Head to the “Smithsonian of country music” aka The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for 350,000 square feet of artifacts, two performance theaters, and rotating special exhibitions. Stroll through “Sing Me Back Home” for a history lesson on country music.
Have you really been to Nashville if you don’t go to the historic Grand Ole Opry? See music stars of past, present, and future or take a backstage tour for a glimpse inside the Opry’s 18-themed dressing rooms.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitteror Instagram, or drop her a line at [email protected].
Where to find a holiday pop-up bar in the Charlotte, NC area
Billy Sunday Charlotte’s Tinseltown pop-up bar will run through Jan. 2, but is closed Dec. 24-25, and Dec. 31.
Seasonal pop-up bars have arrived in the Charlotte area, providing another festive way to celebrate the holidays.
Expect lights, decor galore and, of course, themed cocktails you won’t find the rest of the year. (Don’t forget to put on your best ugly Christmas sweater to set the tone for the evening.)
Ring in the holiday season with good cheer and a seasonal cocktail at one of these Charlotte-area pop-up bars:
158 on Main’s Miracle on Main
Location: 158 N Main St., Mooresville, NC 28115
The vibe: This Mooresville spot transformed with festive yet kitschy, holiday decorations.
The drinks: The menu includes a cocktail list with drinks like vodka Christmapolitan and cognac Jingle Balls Nog. Beer and wine are available, too.
What to know: Entries are first-come, first-served. Tables are limited to two hours.
BackStage Lounge’s Miracle
Location: 2433 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203
The vibes: The halls are decked out Griswold-style, and there’s a slate of inventive drinks.
The drinks: Offerings include the Bad Santa, served hot with aged rum, velvet falernum, mixed spiced butter, oat milk and nutmeg, and the Elfing Around, with prosecco, gin, mulled wine reduction, grapefruit shrub, aromatic bitters and orange bitters.
What to know: Unlike last year, there are no reservations.
Sippin’ Santa at Thigs Cocktail bar
Location: 21234 Catawba Ave., Cornelius, NC 28031
The vibe: Think tropical mixed with Christmas, and you’re there. You can also visit its sister spot at The Royal Tot in Charlotte.
The drinks: The Jingle Bird cocktail combines bourbon, pineapple rum, Campari, lime, pineapple and a secret jingle mix, while the Yule Tide includes tequila, applejack, lime and maple-cranberry syrup.
What to know: Reservations are required, as are tickets for nightly events such as a Christmas ornament painting class ($25) and private Christmas mixology class ($40) offered on multiple dates.
Sippin’ Santa at The Royal Tot
Location: 933 Louise Ave Suite 350, Charlotte, NC 28204
The vibe: The Royal Tot will transform into the Christmas bar Sippin’ Santa, with weekly events and a holiday-themed menu.
The drinks: Rudolph’s Rum Rhapsody, meant for sharing, features Jamaican and Puerto Rican rums, lime, orange, pineapple, passion fruit, falernum, honey, ginger, angostura aromatic bitters. Other offerings include the Sippin Santa (with aged Demerara rum, amaro, lemon, orange and gingerbread mix) and the Kris Kringle Colada (with Dark Jamaican rum, amaro, allspice liquer, lime, pineapple and cream of coconut.)
What to know: All services will be walk-in only.
Tinsel Town at Billy Sunday
Location: Billy Sunday, 1115 N Brevard St UNIT 1, Charlotte, NC 28206
The vibe: Billy Sunday will transform into a holiday bar with themed cocktails, a decked out space and a Kris Kringle pop-up market.
The drinks: There’s 16 options, including Shitt*ers Full (an eggnog with bourbon, cream, egg and nutmeg), Yippeeee Kyay Motherf*cker (a hot buttered rum with gingerbread spices and brown sugar) and This Side of the Nuthouse (with Maker’s Mark bourbon, pie spice and apple butter bitters).
What to know: It’s first-come, first-serve. The Optimist Hall spot will also hold movie nights, cocktail classes and s’mores on the patio throughout the season.
Ugly Holiday Sweaters at Superland Speakeasy
Location: 1212 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205
The vibe: Speakeasy attendees are encouraged to dress in their best ugly holiday sweater and enter a contest for a chance to win a $100 Supperland gift card by posting a photo of themselves on Instagram using #supperland. The restaurant will choose a winner in January based on creativity and holiday spirit. (Note: Your Instagram profiles must be public or your photos won’t be seen.)
The drinks: A four-cocktail tasting menu features gin, spiced whiskey, aged rum and tequila. Each drink — created by head mixologist Colleen Hughes and bar manager Rhea Buck — will be paired with a dish created by chef Chris Rogienski and the Supperland culinary team.
What to know. Advance ticket sales are required. The event runs through Jan. 7, on Wednesdays through Saturdays at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm The price is $140 plus tax and tip.
Heidi Finley is a writer and editor for CharlotteFive and the Charlotte Observer. Outside of work, you will most likely find her in the suburbs driving kids around, volunteering
Brooke Shields doesn’t cook for the holidays because she’s ‘busy doing Christmas movies’
Brooke Shields tells daughters Rowan and Grier she doesn’t cook for the holidays because she’s ‘busy doing Christmas movies’ in fun Rachael Ray clip
Brooke Shields has revealed what she tells daughters Rowan. 19, and Grier, 16, when they ask why she doesn’t cook during the holidays in a candid new interview on the Rachael Ray show.
In a teaser for the episode the actress, 57, said she retorts: ‘I’m sorry, I’m busy doing Christmas movies for you to watch!’
Dressed in a glittering gold long-sleeved top and black-rimmed aviator eyeglasses, the star said, ‘They are always complaining to me… “How come you don’t cook? Other mothers cook.”‘
Funny: Brooke Shields has revealed what she tells daughters Rowan, 19, and Grier, 16, when they ask why she doesn’t cook during the holidays in a candid new interview on the Rachael Ray show
Shields shares her daughters with her husband of 21 years, Chris Henchy, 58.
The entrepreneur said she yields kitchen duties to her screenwriter spouse during the holiday season.
‘The tradition that happens now is my husband smokes brisket and pork shoulder and all of that,’ she dished.
Pride and joy: Shields shares the teenage girl with her husband of 21 years, Chris Henchy, 58
‘We have to bring them through security. You’re traveling with meat, and they know and they’re like “Brisket? Brisket again? Really?”
‘They see us coming and then you see the little pork shoulder go through the x-ray. That’s our tradition,’ she told the talk show host with a laugh.
Ray opened the segment by noting that Brooke’s daughters ‘do love it’ when she cooks, although the former child model thinks she can’t.
The New York-born entertainer will also discuss her new film Holiday Harmony on Tuesday’s episode of the long-running show.
Mom’s duties: Ray opened the segment by noting that Brooke’s daughters ‘do love it’ when she cooks
The family-oriented superstar covers the holiday edition of Hamptons Magazine with her daughters.
‘Inside the Hamptons Holiday issue, Brooke discusses building the platform and community @BeginningIsNow, her upcoming role in HBO Max’s “Holiday Harmony,” and celebrating the simple things this Holiday with her family,’ read a caption on the publication’s Instagram account.
Shields showed appreciation for the opportunity as she also took to social media to post photos from the shoot.
She wrote in a caption to her 1.6 million followers: ‘Tis the season for family and gratitude ✨ Loved doing this shoot for @hamptonsmag… and I loved my girls being there with me even more.’
Sentimental: Brooke gushed to Rachael about her family, who she referred to as ‘my heart’ in a recent Instagram post
Guest star: Brooke will appear on Tuesday’s episode of the long-running TV show