Nashville, Tennessee
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West End Avenue eventually leads into ritzy Belle Meade, where many music celebrities and politicians reside. There are a couple of notable museums in this area, including the Greek Revival Belle Meade Plantation, once the site of a 5,300-acre Thoroughbred breeding farm, and Cheekwood, a 1925 Georgian-style house on whose grounds you'll find the Tennessee Botanical Gardens & Museum.

Dining in Nashville has become increasingly sophisticated of late. In a railway and warehouse neighborhood on the edge of downtown, you can dine at one of the city's current stars, Radius10, a snazzy, white-on-white restaurant with exposed air vents and an unfinished cement floor. Top dishes here include Kobe beef short ribs with black-truffle grits, and halibut with andouille sausage, dirty rice, and crawfish. A more traditional option is long-running Merchants, which is set inside a masterfully restored 1892 brick building downtown and serves tasty American fare.

Two neighborhoods that have developed increasingly gay followings in Nashville in recent years are East Nashville and 12th Avenue South, and both have a slew of great restaurants, too. Along 12th Avenue South, sexy and sophisticated Mirror restaurant serves Mediterranean-inspired tapas, such as smoked-lamb gyros with cumin sauce, and saffron ravioli stuffed with shrimp, mushrooms, and brie. Nearby Rumours Wine and Art Bar is fun for dinner or just to snack and sip wine - there's a popular branch of Rumours in East Nashville, too. For an unusual and refreshing dessert, pick up one of the oddly flavored popsicles (chai tea, cucumber-pepper, chocolate-wasabi) sold at Las Paletas.

East Nashville eateries with superb food include lesbian-owned Margot, which turns out delicious French bistro fare. This is the place in town for Sunday brunch (reservations are a good idea). The same owners run the nearby coffeehouse and bakery, Marche, which serves up all sorts of tasty snacks. For sweets, check out Pied Piper Creamery, whose playfully named and concocted ice cream flavors are a big hit - order a scoop of "Trailer Trash" (packed with assorted candy parts), or tuck into a dish of "The Professor" (toasted coconut, almonds, pecans, and cashews).

Additional worthwhile dining and shopping opportunities await in funky Hillsboro Village, near Vanderbilt University, which offers an intriguing selection of stylish boutiques and distinctive restaurants. Here you'll find Cabana, which serves crispy and delectable fried chicken, along with several inventive takes on down-home Southern food. Caffeine addicts get their fix at Bongo Java, in a turn-of-the-century house filled with local art. Bongo Java earned international infamy as the home of the "nun bun," a cinnamon roll that bears an amazing likeness to Mother Teresa. The same owners also operate a cool coffeehouse and restaurant in Hillsboro called Fido.
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