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While most of us may be going back home or going on Alternative Spring Break trips next week, there are quite a few of us staying on campus. If that’s you, here are the top five ways you can enjoy your spring break and turn it into a vacation! You can even make some friends by asking housemates or acquaintances if they want to do these activities with you and have fun while you’re at it!

5. Catch Up On Movies & TV

If you haven’t watched A Star Is Born already, this is the perfect time for you to check it out, as it’s available on iTunes and most digital platforms. Or you can binge a Netflix series like Black Mirror or Ozark, or fire up your Fire Stick and watch Jack Ryan or Sneaky Pete on Amazon Prime.

4. Have a Picnic

As the weather’s picking up, Spring Break may be a great time for you to lay on the grass, read and maybe get ahead by studying while pretending like you’re basking in the Cancun sun. Plus, Commons and Alumni Lawn won’t be as crowded during Spring Break as it usually is. If you’re looking to get slightly off-campus, pack your bags and take a walk to Centennial Park to get comfy on the grass.

3. Explore Food Places in the Heart of Nashville

Challenge yourself by going farther than Jeni’s for ice cream and Satay for Thai food. Search on Yelp for some solid food places in Nashville, such as Mike’s Ice Cream, Woodlands Indian Vegetarian Cuisine, Otaku Ramen, Miss Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant, Mas Tacos, Korea House and more! Grab a friend or go by yourself and when your friends get back on campus, express them with your knowledge of delicious food places in Nashville.

2. Explore Nashville Itself!

Spend your break geeking out over amazing art at the Frist Center, virtual reality and science (the cool kind) at the Adventure Science Center, or the various music museums we have in Nashville (Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Country Music Hall of Fame, etc)! It’ll be just like vacationing in Nashville itself. Additionally, if you want to save some Uber money, Spring Break may be the perfect time for you to try taking public transportation (free with your Commodore Card) to save some money!

1. Give Back to the Community

There are ways to enjoy yourself and give back even as you watch your friends pack their bags to go on ASB trips. By going on https://www.hon.org/calendar, you can sign up for volunteering events that happen almost everyday during Spring Break and make your Spring Break as productive as it can be!

5. The Hip Zipper

https://www.hipzipper.com/

Hip Zipper is a slightly more reasonably priced vintage shop which offers an even wider variety of dated clothing. From Bowie-esque sunglasses to floral overalls and daredevil onesies, this critically acclaimed shop offers a surprise in every corner.

4. Brentwood Skate Center

http://brentwood.skatecenter.com

Want to reconnect with your parents jiving generation while speeding uncontrollably down colorfully lit dance floor? Then Brentwood roller skating rink is for you! Engage in an activity which has spanned decades of American cultural history while feeling like a little kid just 15 minutes from campus.

3. Robert’s Western World

Looking for a true old-timey nashville feel? Go to Robert’s Western World and get an authentic country experience. If you want to go, schedule your trip for an afternoon since the doors close at 6pm for anyone under 21! Still, with no cover, this place place is a hidden gem to newbies on the Nashville scene.

2. Smack

https://www.facebook.com/smackclothing/

Smack is a local 70s and 80s vintage store with an overwhelming amount of style and sequins. Although pricey, if you’re willing to spend a little extra you can get all the roller skating outfits, neon jackets and bedazzled bras you want. Still, if you’re like me, you might just roam through this museum-like store in awe instead.

1. The Soda Shop

http://thesodaparlor.com/

Located in Five Points Nashville, the Soda Parlor offers a vintage soda parlor experience with the modern twist of being in a mason jar. Besides sweet creamy drinks, the parlor offers small batch sodas and a variety of (free) vintage arcade games to play.

Yeah, yeah, we know … right now you are swamped with work, trying to knock out three papers and study for a couple of exams that your loving profs dumped on you between Fall Break and the Thanksgiving Break. But hey, everybody needs a stress reliever from time to time, and, you know, all work and no play, right? So here at MCL we’ve compiled the Top 5 things you should do in Nashville before it gets too late and you’re packing up to head home for the semester break. Here goes …

5. Eat some hot chicken

If you haven’t already tackled this uniquely Nashville culinary experience (and we don’t mean that KFC hot chicken mess), now is the time. Yes, it’s hot, says so right there in the name. But what better time to eat some hot food than when the weather is turning colder. I mean it will be turning colder at some point, right? Anybody have Al Gore’s cell number? Anyway, visit one of the many local restaurants specializing in hot chicken. MCL recommends Party Fowl in The Gulch or Hattie B’s in Midtown, just a short walk from The Commons. And yes, you can get the mild, but you’ve gotta give hot chicken a try just so you can tell everyone at your holiday dinner that “this is good, but it’s not Nashville-hot-chicken good.”

4. Check out the Opryland Hotel

Yeah, we know, this seems like a total touristy Mom & Dad thing to do. But honestly, this hotel is pretty amazing any time of year. Then add two million holiday lights and you’ll think you’ve fallen asleep on your Chem text and woken up at the North Pole. While you’re there for a few extra bucks you can take a carriage ride, ice skate in an outdoor rink, or even go snow tubing. The holiday festivities are available now through January 1st, and the lights get cranked on at 4 p.m. every day.

3. See a movie at The Belcourt

So sure, you can go see the latest huge box office superhero/alien/fast car/Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movie at the megaplex if you want, that’s cool. But if you want a slice of Nashville history along with your choice of the best independent, documentary, world, and classic cinema, then The Belcourt Theatre is where you want to be. It’s walkable from The Commons, and they offer a student discount with your ID. Just a glance at future film offerings includes the cult classic The Room, a Humphrey Bogart black & white movie, and Queen Anne era costume drama The Favourite with Emma Stone.

2. Go Country

Now you know when you go home for break that everyone is going to ask you about living in Nashville and country music. You know that, right? So even if you think Carrie Underwood is how you properly transport logs (see what we did there?), you should make the effort to get your country on. And lucky you, there are SEVERAL options. If you want to broaden your overall country music horizons and understand the history of the music, you can’t beat a visit to the County Music Hall of Fame and Museum. If live music is more your speed, but you still want a little history lesson, we recommend checking out The Grand Ole Opry. Or if you want to understand what makes Nashville tick, get at the heart of the songs with the songwriters themselves at The Bluebird Cafe. Then when Uncle Bob asks if you’ve met any country stars you can say “yep, saw Jason Aldean at the Opry,” like a boss.

1. Get some Nashville merch

By now you’ve likely embraced that Nashville is your home for the next four years. But are you really invested in Music City? At MCL we’re encouraging you to live like a local, and that means supporting all things Nashville. Sure, you love your home town teams, I mean who doesn’t? But while it’s cool to rock your Chicago Cubs jersey around campus, it’s every bit as cool to rep your new temporary home with some Titans or Predators gear. And it may not just be an ironically cool purchase, these days the Nashville sports teams are pretty decent. So jump on that bandwagon now, add powder blue and gold to your color wheel, and tell everyone in your home area code that the 6-1-5 rocks.

We often forget we are in a city of almost 250 years of history. A lot of people have come and gone during those years, and Music City has no doubt seen its own share of odd happenings. All these dead people and the mysteriousness of some of these deaths make a potent recipe for ghosts, which just happen to be the subject of this Top 5: The most haunted places right here in this fine city. Thanks to Haunted Places, Ghostvillage.com, HauntedPlacestoGo.com, and Ghosts of the Prairie, all sites that deal with reporting and detailing supposed paranormal experiences, I was able to get the inside scoop on which places in Nashville offer the richest haunted experiences. Get ready for some serious thrills, because we are going to go strange places that no Top 5 has ever gone before!

1. Union Station

A railroad terminal that opened in 1900, Union Station is now a posh hotel just west of downtown Nashville. With such tragedies as the Great Train Wreck of 1918, resulting in the deaths of at least 101 people, and, according to A Gothic Curiosity Cabinet, the suicide of a young woman in Room 711, there are definitely same negative vibes floating around this place, man. According to internet posts of people who stay at this place, the squeals Phantom steam locomotives, loud thumps, and ghosts goofing around with the electricity are all hallmarks of Union Station. Throw in whispered tales of Satanic sacrifice, and you have yourself quite a paranormal stew. While not as suffocatingly frightening as other haunted hotels, it still has its grim mysteries lurking in the corners of rooms and darkened hallways.

Address: 1001 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

Phone Number: (615) 726-1001

2. Ryman Auditorium

Ryman Auditorium, also known as the Grand Ole Opry House, is an ideal ghost habitat, considering that this building has been standing since 1892, and its history as the “Cathedral of Country Music.” According to HauntedPlacetoGo.com, sightings include the wizard of country music, Hank Williams Sr., whose short and troubled, means that he just HAD to become a ghost once passing through the veil. There are also many sightings of a mysterious Gray Man, a special entity who is often observed sitting seen sitting in the balcony area, watching the stage. Usually only seen by maintenance workers and security guards, it makes its appearance long after the performance has finished and the audience has gone home. In general, people have reported incidents of poltergeist activity, and the original Captain Ryman is still said to wander around keeping a watchful ghostly eye on the place.

Address: 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219

Phone Number: (615) 889-3060

3. Tennessee State Prison

A former correctional facility located on Bomar Boulevard, Tennessee State Prison was opened in 1898, and stayed open for almost an entire century, before it closed its doors in 1992. A majestic building in its own right, the description and the comments for this place at Haunted Places contains many instances of unexplained sounds, such as doors slamming, voices, and footsteps, no doubt caused by the restless spirits of prisoners, who are still imprisoned in this plane of existence. Thrill seekers occasionally catch sight of these prisoners, ghostly apparitions whose violent lives in prison have left them wandering around, seeking some sort of mysterious justice. Unfortunately, due to structural instability, one cannot actually visit the prison, but still it has to be include as a place of significant paranormal activity here in Nashville. As you might have guessed, there is no contacting this place by phone, and if you are the sort of person who likes to live dangerously, a visit here would preclude getting pass the guards, and after hoping the structurally unstable building does actually collapse on top of you.

Address: 100 Bomar Blvd, Nashville, TN 37209

Phone Number: (615) 350-3309

4. 2 Rivers Mansion and Golf Course

A historic mansion located North of Nashville International Airport with various amenities, such as tennis courts and, of course, a golf course, attached to it, 2 Rivers Mansion was built in 1859 and in the intervening 158 years, it has developed an intriguing amount mysterious activity.  According to the description on Haunted Places, the golf course is supposedly on the site of what was a civil war battle ground and a Native American burial ground, so it’s no wonder that at least according to the testimonies on that website speak of shadow figures often wandering around the golf course in the middle of the night. Strange noises and orbs are often reported as being heard and seen around both the mansion and the golf course as well. On top of all this, unexplained difficulties with modern electronic equipment is apparently a common motif here. This is a place that is inconvenient as well as fright-inducing.

Address: 3130 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN 37214

Phone Number: (615) 885-1112

5. Tennessee State Capitol

The Tennessee capitol building has a place on this list more for its history than for its ghosts, but still there are many rumors of a particularly interesting sort of haunting. Completed in 1859, the Tennessee State Capitol stands atop the highest summit in the city, this building is home to a never-ending argument between the ghosts of William Strickland and Samuel Morgan, who were not the chummiest fellows when they were alive. What makes it odder was they were not even politicians, Strickland was the architect who built the Capitol, and Morgan was the overseer of the operation, and was supposed to keep Strickland within budget. Haunted Places states that they decided to take their very many arguments about the construction of this iconic building into the afterlife. It does not really help that these two are buried on the property.

Address: 600 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN 37243

Phone Number: (615) 741-2692

Well, it’s that time of year. The time that it seems like just about every first-year on campus gets hit with the “Commons Plague.” The Plague is a horrible combination of a scratchy throat, sneezing, congestion, being tired, and a general feeling of sickness. So throw on your hazmat suits, grab a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and keep reading to figure out how you can survive the Plague.

5) Sleep

We’ve all been through basic biology and learned that our bodies repair themselves during our sleep at night. While we’re catching our ZZZ’s our immune system is working overtime to make sure that all the pathogens we encounter every day don’t harm us and make us sick. So by pulling all nighters back-to-back-to-back, you’re just asking to get sick. It’s recommended that you get to 7-9 hours of sleep a night, or if you’re an engineering student 1-2 hours between your lab and the deadline of Mastering Chemistry.

4) Get Your Own Drink

We’re all surviving on the caffeine in coffee at this point, and someone is bound to ask you for a sip of yours. Even though you’re a really nice person, you’ve got to say no to that request. Drinking after other people is probably the MOST common way that the Commons Plague is spread, so just tell your friends to get their own drinks.

3) Go Outside

Being cooped up with everyone who’s sick is a for-sure way to get the Commons Plague. Not only is the weather absolutely beautiful right now, but the air is a fresh break from indoor spaces and close proximity to potentially contagious friends. The best way to get out is to grab an Eno or blanket and just study on the lawns.

2) Wash Your Hands

Straight-up, just wash your hands.

1) Make (Smart) Moves When You’re Out

Going out is great an all, but that girl/guy you just met may very well be patient zero for the Plague. So maybe try holding their hand or just talking (JK, we’ve all be there, but honestly just think twice and make sure that you really want to possibly subject yourself to this illness). Also, going back to No. 5, don’t stay out until 4 a.m., try and make it home early so you can have some time to dream.

Yeah, yeah, we know … right now you are swamped with work, trying to knock out three papers and study for a couple of exams that your loving profs dumped on you between Fall Break and the Thanksgiving Break. But hey, everybody needs a stress reliever from time to time, and, you know, all work and no play, right? So here at MCL we’ve compiled the Top 5 things you should do in Nashville before it gets too late and you’re packing up to head home for the semester break. Here goes …

5. Eat some hot chicken

If you haven’t already tackled this uniquely Nashville culinary experience (and we don’t mean that KFC hot chicken mess), now is the time. Yes, it’s hot, says so right there in the name. But what better time to eat some hot food than when the weather is turning colder. I mean it will be turning colder at some point, right? Anybody have Al Gore’s cell number? Anyway, visit one of the many local restaurants specializing in hot chicken. MCL recommends Party Fowl in The Gulch or Hattie B’s in Midtown, just a short walk from The Commons. And yes, you can get the mild, but you’ve gotta give hot chicken a try just so you can tell everyone at Thanksgiving dinner that “this is good, but it’s not Nashville-hot-chicken good.”

4. Check out the Opryland Hotel

Yeah, we know, this seems like a total touristy Mom & Dad thing to do. But honestly, this hotel is pretty amazing any time of year. Then add two million holiday lights and you’ll think you’ve fallen asleep on your Chem text and woken up at the North Pole. While you’re there for a few extra bucks you can take a carriage ride, ice skate in an outdoor rink, or even go snow tubing. The holiday festivities are available from Nov. 11 – Jan. 1, and the lights get cranked on at 4 p.m. every day.

3. See a movie at The Belcourt

So sure, you can go see the latest huge box office superhero/alien/fast car/Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movie at the megaplex if you want, that’s cool. But if you want a slice of Nashville history along with your choice of the best independent, documentary, world, and classic cinema, then The Belcourt Theatre is where you want to be. It’s walkable from The Commons, and they offer a student discount with your ID.

2. Go Country

Now you know when you go home for break that everyone is going to ask you about living in Nashville and country music. You know that, right? So even if you think Carrie Underwood is how you properly transport logs (see what we did there?), you should make the effort to get your country on. And lucky you, there are SEVERAL options. If you want to broaden your overall country music horizons and understand the history of the music, you can’t beat a visit to the County Music Hall of Fame and Museum. If live music is more your speed, but you still want a little history lesson, we recommend checking out The Grand Ole Opry. Or if you want to understand what makes Nashville tick, get at the heart of the songs with the songwriters themselves at The Bluebird Cafe. Then when Uncle Bob asks if you’ve met any country stars you can say “yep, saw Jason Aldean at the Opry,” like a boss.

1. Get some Nashville merch

By now you’ve likely embraced that Nashville is your home for the next four years. But are you really invested in Music City? At MCL we’re encouraging you to live like a local, and that means supporting all things Nashville. Sure, you love your home town teams, I mean who doesn’t? But while it’s cool to rock your Chicago Cubs jersey around campus, it’s every bit as cool to rep your new temporary home with some Titans or Predators gear. And it may not just be an ironically cool purchase, these days the Nashville sports teams are pretty decent. So jump on that bandwagon now, add powder blue and gold to your color wheel, and tell everyone in your home area code that the 6-1-5 rocks.

As we all know by now, food is a big deal in Nashville. There are so many delicious places to eat near campus, and in the city as a whole. Going to brunch seems to be a particular trend right now for many young adults. So this upcoming weekend, check out these Top 5 brunch spots within walking distance of campus:

5. Frothy Monkey

Although the furthest option, Frothy Monkey serves brunch until 5 p.m. It is located on 12th South Avenue and is a great place to go on a Sunday to get some work done and grab a cup of coffee.

4. Proper Bagel

Proper Bagel sells kettle-cooked bagels with a ton of homemade cream cheese options. If you are craving savory, they have a roasted garlic and rosemary cream cheese; on the other hand, if you have a sweet tooth, they make their own cookie dough cream cheese. Proper Bagel is a must-try!

3. Fido

For all of you Taylor Swift lovers, this is said to be one of her favorite spots in Nashville. This converted pet shop features delicious food and gourmet expresso drinks. It is located just around the corner from campus on 21st Avenue South.

2. Bread & Co.

Not only is the food at Bread & Co. delicious, but something all Vanderbilt students love to hear: it is on the card! Bread & Co. accepts meal money, so if you are feeling a little low on cash but you still want a delicious omelet or avocado toast, go check out Bread & Co.

1. Pancake Pantry

Nashville’s famous Pancake Pantry is one of the most popular brunch spots in the area. Since it is so popular, you may want to try and go early to avoid the long lines. However, word on the street is that the delicious pancakes of all kinds are well worth the wait!