A downside of this whole adulthood deal has to be moving away from the friends you also had the chance to have a three year long spend the night party with.

So this summer, when my we found out that Jack Johnson would be coming to town during the same week as our best friend was getting married, Elizabeth and I immediately began scheming for how to work out a bit of a road trip to accompany it all.

While Jack would be coming to Atlanta to play at the Fox Theatre (one of the coolest things about his From Here to Now tour is that he is only playing in small and intimate venues), we actually decided to risk our cards and vie for tickets (the tickets are running on a lottery system) to his show in Nashville at the historic Ryman Auditorium.

So here’s what our weekend looked like:  Atlanta – to Chattanooga (where Elizabeth lives) – to Nashville – to Atlanta – to Hiram (bridal brunch) – to Piedmont, AL (wedding location) – to Atlanta. In three days.

For illustrative purposes only, clearly, we took a much more direct route.

I hadn’t been to Nashville since high school, so it was quite the treat to see it in a whole new light. We were welcomed to town in rather appropriate fashion, as a Big and Rich music video was filming just as we walked up after checking into our hotel.

Per suggestions of multiple friends, we grabbed dinner at Merchant’s. The restaurant is separated into a dressier upstairs and slightly more casual downstairs, but rest assured, all delicious. Another perk of vacationing with your BFF? Splitting meals to try a little of everything on the menu.

From there, the Ryman and Jack certainly didn’t under deliver. Stunning. I cannot say I have EVER heard acoustics so lovely in my life. We danced, we swooned, it was definitely better together.

We made a few stops the following morning, like a run through Vandy’s campus and Hatch Print Shop, before making a slight trek north to the Southern Living Idea House. I visited last year’s house in Senoia, Georgia, and we couldn’t come all this way and not stop to dream swing for a little on this front porch.

From Nashville, we made a quick stop in my hometown for bridal activities and from there it was onward to Alabama. The best part of a road trip is always the roadside attractions and in our book that means cheesy state line photo shoots and an antique warehouse of course.

I nabbed quite a few goodies, including two yards of designer home fabric and three bud vases, along with a few other odds and ends for a grand total of $7.00. Don’t let anyone tell you the middle of no where isn’t any fun.

Wedding day arrived, it was beautiful and we got to stand by the side of one of our best friends as she said I Do on the shores of Terrapin Creek. We made the most of every moment of the weekend, even spending time wading in the creek on wedding morning. Just like a front porch swing, we could have stayed on a rock, with our toes in the water, chatting all day long. We may have even squeezed in a mid-day Coke float to match. I’m not sure it gets more perfectly southern than that.

After three days, three states and nearly 14 hours in the car together, we headed back to our separate homes. While I’m certainly a fan of trips far and away, it’s nice to find a set of adventures close to home.