Joni, we (two couples) were there in June. We stayed at the Abe Martin Lodge at the Brown County State Park. We liked the lodge – a little rustic, as you might expect, with large rooms, an on-site restaurant, and an indoor pool/play area. It’s a few miles outside of downtown Nashville. The park has an outdoor pool that looked nice, but we didn’t go in. The park has hiking trails and see link below for other details.
Just outside of town (close to the State Park) is the new Hard Truth Distillery that offered tours, which we took. They have a beautiful tasting room where you can sample their offerings and get cocktails. There is a restaurant next to the distillery – we ate there, and the food was good, but the service was slow as they were dealing with staffing issues that seem to be plaguing many such places. The whole complex is highly recommended. If you want the guided tour, I suggest booking in advance. We were there during the week, but it looked like the kind of place that would be extremely busy on weekends.
There is also the nearby Bear Wallow Distillery that had a fun tasting room but did not offer tours. Decidedly downscale from Hard Truth but also still recommended.
Breakfast at the Brown County Inn was fun and delicious. The fried biscuits with apple butter are famous, but I didn’t indulge. iYou could consider staying there, too – looked pretty good.
The Big Woods Restaurant group has several places around town, including the Quaff On! Pour House and a pizza place (where we ate). They started as a micro-brewery and offer their beers at the restaurants. The group owns/manages the restaurant at Hard Truth, as the distillery, the brewing outfit, and the restaurants are all affiliated.
Downtown Nashville seems to be mostly about shopping (I call them “shoppes”), but there are several restaurants and cafes. We took an open-air trolley ride around town that was a good intro to what’s available in the town.
All-in-all, it was a fun two-night trip within easy driving distance.
Here are some links to places I mention.
https://hardtruthdistilling.com/https://www.bigwoodsrestaurants.com/nashville/https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/inns ... tate-park/https://www.browncountyinn.com/dining-drink/https://www.bearwallowdistillery.com/plan-a-visit