How to Save Money, Earn Dreams- SamiCone.com
save money, frugal, lifestyle, living, travel, family, disney world discounts, travel deals, nashville deals
It’s the free museum weekend for May 2012 thanks to the Bank of America “Museums on Us” program.
This weekend, May 5-6, 2012, is free museum weekend. If you bank with Bank of America, just bring your Bank of America card and ID and you will get in to one of hundreds museums for FREE.
In TN, this offer is valid at the Country Music Hall of Fame & The Frist Center for the Visual Arts. (5 & under are free).
Visit Museums on Us for more info and to find participating museums in your area.
It’s the free museum weekend for April 2012 thanks to the Bank of America “Museums on Us” program.
This weekend, April 7-8, 2012, is free museum weekend. If you bank with Bank of America, just bring your Bank of America card and ID and you will get in to one of hundreds museums for FREE.
In TN, this offer is valid at the Country Music Hall of Fame & The Frist Center for the Visual Arts. (5 & under are free).
Visit Museums on Us for more info and to find participating museums in your area.
The wait is over – Opry Mills Outlet Mall is back and better than ever…so that the shopping deals may abound in Nashville again!
Closed since the Nashville Flood of May 2010, Opry Mills Mall officially opened on March 29, 2012 with a ceremony that included Mayor Karl Dean and country legend Pam Tillis singing the national anthem:
Watch the countdown to the actual ribbon cutting ceremony live on stage, confetti and all 
I also had the opportunity to opportunity Simon Properties’ spokesman, Les Morris, directly after the ribbon cutting to ask him exactly what went into bringing Opry Mills back to Nashville, the people behind the transformation and of course, what deals people can experience that set Opry Mills apart from other outlet malls. Here’s what he had to say:
The mall is beautiful – much higher ceilings, with more light and open spaces:
You’ll also want to be sure to pick up a coupon book at guest services just outside of Old Navy. It’s only $3 and they have coupons for many of the stores in the mall, including a $5 off $35 purchase at the LEGO store, which alone makes it worthwhile!
After closing due to the Nashville Flood of 2010, we get to celebrate the Opry Mills Grand Re-Opening with a Ribbon Cutting today, March 29, 2012 at 9:30 am.
I can only imagine there will be state and local dignitaries, along with a few notable country names, to kick-off the event. Immediately following, the doors will open for business at 10am.
What I’m most excited about is that they seem to have ‘clumped’ similar stores together in ‘districts’, most notably a fashion district & a children’s area, known as “Tennessee Treasures” (that will soon include a play area!).
Many of your old favorites will be returning, along with new outlet stores like Coach, Polo, Vera Bradley and, what’s sure to be the most popular in our house, LEGO.
Even if you can’t make it out today, don’t fret; the celebration will continue with a series of interactive and family fun events throughout the following five-week period, which will include:
I’ll update you later on details about the event, but if you want even more Opry Mills’ Grand Re-opening information, including a list of new and returning retailers, you can visit www.oprymills.com or check out the Opry Mills Facebook page.
Consider me your Nashville trip advisor if you want to do what to do in that extra day you’re spending here after Blissdom (or anytime you find yourself wondering what to do in Music City and only have a day to run around!
If you haven’t stopped by Broadway before you go home, you haven’t seen Nashville in my opinion! Drive down to Broadway & 4th Street, and you’ll find yourself in the midst of some of the most famous Nashville icons. On one side of the street, you can check out live music at Honky Tonks such as Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge or grab something to eat at the famous Jack’s BBQ. Of course, you’ll want to go down just a few blocks to tour the “mother church of country music”, the Ryman Auditorium (and don’t forget to stop back by Hatch Show Print on Broadway to pick up an iconic poster to remember your trip!)
Cross over Broadway and you’ll find the Convention & Visitors Bureau sitting at the front glass enclosure of Bridgetstone Arena. Even if you don’t stop in, walk behind the arena to Hall of Fame Park (think Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame” complete with stars in the sidewalk, but for country fans). After you walk the park, you’ll find yourself looking directly at the Country Music Hall of Fame, a great stop even if country music isn’t your favorite music genre.
You’ll notice they’re building our new convention center next to the Hall of Fame, but if you head to the east side of the park, you’ll enter into the Schermerhorn Hall, home to the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
If you go closer to Vanderbilt University, you’ll find two must-see areas:
-Centennial Park: complete with a full replica of the Parthenon (Athens, Greece is our sister city!)
-Hillsboro Village: a unique street filled with shops & restaurants – think college town meet artist’s village. Don’t forget to stop by Boookman/Bookwoman and eat at Pancake Pantry (just be prepared to stand in line!). If you have kids, make sure to stop by Fannie Mae Dees park (known to locals as the “Dragon Park”) with a lot of space to run, plan and connect with friends.
You may be in the South, but Nashville boasts more than just fried chicken and biscuits (though if you want great biscuits, head to my side of town to The Loveless Cafe, home of the late Carole Fay who battled Bobby Flay in a biscuit ‘Throwdown‘ on Food Network).
If you want a unique dining experience that will let you try a lot of different southern favorites, make sure to hit up Monell’s in Germantown. You’ll sit in an old home at a table with 12 other people and literally pass the plate as you feast on everything from pot roast and greens to cornbread and cole slaw! You’ll also be close to the state capital, Bicentennial Park and the Farmer’s Market, especially fun on a warm spring or summer day.
If you’re looking for the frugal food tour, check out one of my favorite posts, my Top 6 Nashville Food Finds under $6.
There’s so much to see & do here in Nashville that it really takes a few days to catch it all, but here are just a few other favorites you may want to look into:
West
*Cheekwood Botanical Gardens
North
*Fontanel Mansion
South
*Main Street in downtown Franklin
*Arrington Vineyards
East
*Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
*Grand Ole Opry
*Opry Mills Mall (Outlet shopping, re-opening end of March 2012)
Where are your favorite places to go in Nashville?
Love this new Gaylord Opryland deal: TN Residents can get an online rate of $149 for select days now through March 2012! If you are a Tennessee resident, now it’s even easier for you to celebrate a special occasion or plan a surprise weekend getaway for your family.
These are web-only deals and must be booked BOOKED ONLINE.
You all know how much we LOVE getting away to Gaylord Opryland Resort…in fact, we just checked in for their “Family Fun Night with Shrek & Friends”, so be expecting a lot of pictures and tweets coming from me in the next 24 hours!
There is another Gaylord Hotels deal! They are offering 400 rooms (across all 4 of their properties) for only $109 a night.
But hurry! These rates are only available today (Monday, December 13, 2011) or while the rooms last!
The deal starts at 9am CST and you have to BOOK ONLINE.
We just went to look at the Christmas lights at Gaylord Opryland again last night because we just can’t get enough! Your family will love making this a part of their holiday tradition (and who wouldn’t at this price?).
I love that even Gaylord Opryland Hotel has a Cyber Monday Christmas deal for us! We just got to experience the most “Christmassy” hotel in the country last weekend for their Country Christmas and new Dreamworks Experience and it was AMAZING!
For the next 48 hours (or while inventory lasts) take advantage of room rates from $109 or value rates on the DreamWorks Experience package. Book online now.
Trust me – this is an AMAZING price for an amazing place. I’ve also had a lot of you asking me for deals on ICE!…I’ll be bringing you those tomorrow.
If you live in Nashville, then you need to come out to Gaylord Opryland hotel on Thursday, November 17 to see their famous Christmas lights! The lighting ceremony will begin at 5:30pm and the public is welcome.
Not only will you get to see them flip the switch on over 2 million lights (an amazing sight to see!), but you’ll also get to “Celebrate the Sounds & Sights of Christmas”! Everyone will experience a music-filled celebration featuring Thompson Square, Point of Grace and some very special guests who will help us turn on our 2 million twinkling holiday lights!
Featured on HGTV’s Best of the Holidays Show last year, you will be stretched to find a more beautiful display of lights anywhere in the country.
I’ll be bringing you more soon on ALL that Gaylord Opryland has to offer for Christmas this year, including the new Rockettes show, ICE! featuring Merry Madagascar and the all new Dreamworks Experience!
My last two appearances on Talk of the Town, I’ve shared the stage with Bookman & Bookwoman.
What you haven’t heard of them? They are a Nashville icon!
Located in the must-see Hillsboro Village of Nashville, their iconic building sits across from one of our favorite breakfast joints, Pancake Pantry – both of which are included on any tour of Nashville we take out of town guests on when they come to visit us!
They are consistently rated as one of Nashville’s top book sellers and carry more than 100,000 new & used books in stock. If you have seen them on Talk of the Town, you know they NEVER agree on what books you should read, but they do so with such love & humor that their charm is infectious.
They caught me looking at the new Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible
While not everyone can walk in off the street and get a free book….kids can! BookmanBookwoman have a special cart FULL of kids book, and every time a child comes in their store, they can pick a book from the car to take home! Isn’t that fabulous???
Kariss picking out her free book at BookmanBookwoman
Oh, and if you do want a deal, they do offer 20% off the titles they feature on Talk of the Town
Whether you live in Nashville, or are just planning a vacation here, you really need to include a trip to BookmanBookwoman. Make sure to tell Larry & Saralee that Sami says hi when you go in 
