Hi! My name is Berlin Anderson.

My husband and I recently got back from our first trip to Nashville on points! When I first learned about traveling on credit card points, it seemed like something so far out of my reach, especially as a 21-year-old newlywed finishing college. But I told myself I’d do the little things to get myself started. About a year later, I found myself on a flight with my husband to celebrate our first wedding anniversary!

In short, traveling on points is possible for EVERYONE.

Here’s everything I did to prepare for my first vacation booked on credit card points and miles:

Where Did You Go?

We went to Nashville, Tennessee! I had lived there for a year-and-a-half before marrying my husband and literally craved Hattie B’s hot chicken ever since I moved back to Utah. In addition to the food, we visited to enjoy the various honkytonks on Broadway, embrace the countryside, and visit old friends of mine.

Using Miles to Nashville

To get to Nashville on points, both my husband and I separately opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card. Amber says this all the time and I’ll say it again… THIS IS THE BEST BEGINNER CARD! My husband earned 60,000 points through his sign-up bonus. When I got the card, they had an elevated offer of 60,000 points plus $300 to use in the Chase travel portal. I initially booked two roundtrip flights to Nashville through Southwest for about 65,000 points (plus $22 for security fees). As time went on, the rates for those flights decreased and I got refunded ~25,000 points.

Overall, we used about 40,000 points for our roundtrip flights to Nashville from Salt Lake City.

Using Points in Nashville

We booked 3 nights in a standard one king bed at Hyatt Centric in Downtown Nashville for 20,000 points per night (just over 60,000 points total and no taxes). On top of that, we used the $300 credit from the elevated offer in my Chase travel portal to cover the expenses for our rental car. We didn’t open the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, but I know it offers an annual $300 travel credit. The hotel had valet (which was soooo nice—it made me feel so much fancier than I actually am) and was located in the heart of Nashville. The nightlife entertainment was a short walk away! Having the rental car was perfect for getting out of the city to visit the countryside.

Itinerary

Day 1: Get settled

We flew into Nashville around 1 pm, so we had enough time to check in to our hotel, take a quick nap, then explore the city for the first time.

(Before arriving, I texted Hyatt and asked if we could check in early—they said we could check in early if our room was ready when we showed up… it was! Such a win.)

The best part about traveling at the beginning of May is that there’s always an NBA playoff game. Every. Single. Night. We set out to find a cool honk where we could listen to live music AND watch a game (spoiler… every single honky-tonk had both of those). There’s nothing better than becoming friends with random strangers while singing “Life is a Highway” and watching the Cleveland Cavaliers choke against the Indiana Pacers (Donovan Mitchell still KILLED it that game).

As we wrapped up the evening, we took a night stroll on the pedestrian bridge crossing the Cumberland river to get a perfect view of Nashville’s cityscape.

Day 2: Parthenon, the Zoo, and Hattie B’s

When I first learned about the Parthenon in Nashville, I asked, “Isn’t that in Greece?” Guess what? There’s an exact replica in Nashville. Surrounding the Parthenon is the beautiful Centennial Park. We bought breakfast and ate it on a nearby park bench, admiring the greenery all around us. After, we ran around the whole park, as well as toured parts of Vanderbilt across the street.

That afternoon, we visited the Nashville Zoo. Life tip: go to the zoo on a Monday after 4 pm. You will have the whole zoo all to yourself. I was excited to show my husband the zoo specifically for the hands-on kangaroo exhibit! You literally walk into a gated pathway where kangaroos can roam freely. If the kangaroo is on the path, you’re allowed to pet them! Literally the cutest creatures I’ve ever seen.

To end the night, I introduced my husband to Hattie B’s. When I say I’ve never tasted better hot chicken in my entire life, I’m not exaggerating one bit. There is NOTHING like Hattie B’s in Utah, I don’t care what you say! My husband and I stuffed our faces with food until we could barely breathe.

What you should order (for those who care): three chicken tenders (mild heat) with a side of pimento mac and cheese and crinkle cut fries or coleslaw. And don’t forget ranch on the side. Chef’s kiss.

Day 3: Goat Yoga, Martin’s BBQ, and visiting friends

We drove out to the countryside to a town called Nolensville for goat yoga (yeah, you heard me). You can sign up to do yoga where the cutest goats are trained to hop on you during different poses. It is messy, chaotic, and tons of fun! Note: if a goat pees on you, you get a free shirt. Trust me—I know.

Afterwards, we visited an old friend of mine who lived in the area then had lunch at Martin’s BBQ. You MUST order the BBQ Nachos. Thank me later.

The rest of the trip, we revisited our favorite honky-tonks, relaxed at the hotel pool, stuffed our faces with more food, and watched I Think You Should Leave and Pride and Prejudice. I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

What Was Your Favorite Part?

I want to say Hattie B’s was my favorite… is that lame? IT’S SO GOOD. Other than that, honky-tonk hopping and making friends with complete strangers has to take gold. Everyone is so friendly in the South and it’s a lifestyle I want to carry back with me to Utah! Additionally, the performers at every honky-tonk were so talented. My husband and I are suckers for rock music, so the Jon Bon Jovi honky-tonk took our breath away. We heard the coolest guitar solo and listened to the band play their set for over an hour!

Tips

If you order anything from a honky-tonk, be prepared to yell and/or repeat your order multiple times. You gotta fight to order your drink! There are also a million interstates that intersect around the city, so navigating directions can be tricky. Luckily, the drivers are ACTUALLY nice and help you merge wherever you need to go.

Final Details

Nashville on points was wonderful. Our flights were quite bumpy going into and out of Nashville due to some rough weather, but we got to fly on the new Southwest planes and they’re so nice! The Hyatt had great service (as well as complimentary cookies that we had WAY too many of) and Tennessee was more beautiful than ever. I can’t wait to see where points and miles will take us next!