As much of the country is hunkering down and practicing social distancing, we know that those who are suffering the most are small business owners and those who can't work from home such as food service workers.  But there are still many amazing ways to "shop & eat local" while staying safe and healthy and we wanted to share with each of you a list of what is open, open with limited service, or closed in the 12 South neighborhood.  We'll do our best to keep this list updated, but as always, things change quickly and this list of businesses is long, so we apologize if we miss something! 

As always, purchasing gift cards to be used later on is always a great way to support these businesses and their employees in these uncertain times!

At roughly 12:45 this morning a tornado touched down in Nashville, TN and brought mass destruction to so many neighborhoods primarily Germantown, East Nashville, and then on to the Mt. Juliet area just east of town.  As I write this, the death toll is listed at 25 people with many,  many more that have lost their homes, property, electricity, etc.  I woke up this morning to over 100 text messages from friends checking on our family, group texts of friends checking on each other, sharing reports, etc. 

It's been a sad, emotional day here.  The images of destruction and the stories of those who have lost so much are staggering and hard to process.  But the images and stories of strangers and neighbors pulling together and serving one another have been equally powerful in a positive way.  Today has shown me that people can be kind, helpful and selfless.

All of you who have checked in with us today have wanted to know two things:
1) Are you ok?  and 2) How can you help?
So I wanted to answer both of those questions here.

Yes!  We are ok.  We are located in the 12 South Neighborhood and the path of the tornado went a couple of miles North and then East of us.  There was no property damage in our neighborhood from the storms and the iconic locations like Burger Up, Draper James, Frothy Monkey and the "I Believe In Nashville" mural are all still alive and well (although the East Nashville Burger Up location and Nashville mural were damaged.)

For those of you looking to help out, there are many ways that you can do that, but I've listed a few key options below.

HELP OUR FRIEND TANNER & HIS ROOMMATE TY
These two amazing guys both work for an incredible ministry and the house they rent was completely destroyed with them inside it last night.  They are amazingly unharmed, but they didn't have renters insurance and have lost all their belongings.  This gofundme account will help them get back on their feet.  Donate by clicking HERE

HELP ERIC PETERS AND HIS FAMILY
Eric is an incredible artist and he and his wife and two kiddos lost their home in the storms last night.  He also lost his studio and the inventory of a rare book business that he runs.  You can help support him and his family by clicking HERE

SIGN UP AS A VOLUNTEER
If you'd like to sign up as a Disaster Relief Volunteer, register with Hands On Nashville ​by clicking HERE

PROVIDE FOOD FOR THOSE IN NEED
If you would like to provide food for those in need, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is a great organization who will steward your gifts well.  It has been noted that they are particularly in need of bottled water at the moment.  You can get info on how to give including the address of their distribution center where you can bring food items by clicking on their website HERE

MAKE A FINANCIAL DONATION
The Community Foundation of Middle TN has activated their Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund and is a great place to donate funds.  You can do so by clicking HERE

GIVE MATERIAL ITEMS TO THOSE IN NEED
If you prefer to give items, the Community Resource Center is currently accepting personal hygiene items, bleach, trash bags, gloves, box cutters, baby food & formula, baby and toddler clothes, and batteries.  These items can be dropped off at 218 Omohundro Place, Nashville, TN 37210.

In May of 2010, Nashville experienced a devastating flood that crippled the city, but we linked arms and rose from the waters a stronger, kinder and united city.  And I know it will be true as we overcome this storm as well.  We are grateful for your thoughts, prayers and donations for all those affected, and we look forward to hosting you next time your travels bring you to Music City.

​~ Bethany

RIVIVE! NASHVILLE FOX
2814 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204
(on the side of the Iyengar Yoga Center of Nashville building)

This mural isn't just another pretty picture!  Painted in conjunction with the water conservation focused non-profit  Rivive!Nashville, this mural raises awareness about the importance of protecting Nashville's River systems.  If you want to see this mural in person, we recommend visiting sooner rather than later as the building is slated for re-development and we can't promise that the painting will survive the renovation. 
@rivivenashville #rivivenash ​@mobeoner

HALCYON BIKE SHOP - DRINK WATER
www.halcyonbikeshop.com
2802 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204
(on the side of Halycon Bike Shop)

The folks at the Halcyon Bike Shop are just as passionate about art as they are bikes and the nieghborhood is all the cooler for it.  On the side of the building is the "Drink Water" mural featuring the anatomy of a bicycle.
@halcyonbike #halcyonbikeshop​

HALCYON BIKE SHOP - JUNGLE SAFARI
www.halcyonbikeshop.com
2802 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37204
(on the back of Halycon Bike Shop)

One of the lesser known murals in town, due to its somewhat hidden placement, also happens to be one of my favorites!  This incredible jungle safari-scape is on the back of the Halcyon Bike shop.  So once you get a pic of that "drink water" mural, just turn the corner and go on a photo-safari!  We've also posted pics below that show both murals to help you find both!
@halcyonbike #halcyonbikeshop​

This weekend we took a quick trip to see my parents that live on the Tennessee/Alabama line.  For lunch we decided to head a few miles down the road to Elkmont, AL and I thought I'd share a couple of great photos from three worth-the-stop local spots.

​Our first stop was for lunch at The Red Caboose Cafe and everything was delicious Southern cooking.  Our waitress was very kind and helpful (dining with a 15-month-old is always an adventure, right?) and the sweet tea was just as it should be.  The cafe itself was adorable, and kiddos will love being able to see an actual red caboose just across the street.  You can check them out on their Facebook Page where they post daily specials and menus.  

Next we headed across the street to Fromagerie Belle Chevre, a goat-milk creamery.  We stopped in their tasting room and picked up some fantastic goat-milk hand cream and were amazed at all the ice-cream & cheese products available to taste and purchase.  While we didn't have time to do the tour (which includes getting to meet and pet some of their herd of goats), it's definitely on our list to go back and do that soon. (see more info in the yellow box below)

The Children's wing & Storytime at the Downtown (Main Branch) Library are a fairytale in and of themself.  We've heard their praises sung for years and I truly don't know what took me so long to get there, but we're now hooked. The photo below doesn't even begin to do justice to how awesome the show was, but it's hard to capture the space, and also I found out after I took it that I wasn't supposed to have my phone out, (oops!) so I gave up on getting a better photo.

Way more than a storytime, this is an all-out production.  Two actors/librarians/storytellers/lovely humans wove together hilarious dialogue with big-kid vocabulary words, puppets, songs and stories.  The whole thing was masterfully orchestrated in such a way that I couldn't tell if it was brilliant off-the cuff improv, or the result of hours of meticulous memorization. They closed out the show with a song and moment that I found so touching I actually teared up.  
As awesome as the storytime was, I'd be remiss if I didn't give a full report on the rest of the children's wing.

I waited for a quiet moment so I wouldn't invade the privacy of any families, but just a few minutes prior to this photo, this play-center was crawling with kiddos.  There's also a mini rock-climbing wall (!!!) for the older kiddos, and a Ryman Auditorium shaped puppet show theater across the room in the toddler section. All in all, you need to get this on your calendar, whether you can make it for storytime, or if you're going anytime the library is open to enjoy the space and oh yeah, check out some books!  In fact, you might find us there almost every afternoon from now on that it's too rainy/cold/hot to be outside.  
Check out the know-before-you-go box below with helpful tips, and we'll see you there!

The Children's Gallery is a huge room decorated with amazing murals of Nashville, Tennessee wildlife, song lyrics, factoids or things to look for (like the one our racoon friend is sharing below.)  The floor is an incredible mural as well; a giant map of the state of Tennessee with cities and landmarks.  At one end of the room is a set of bookshelves with favorite children's stories plus some blocks and a few toys for smaller kiddos.  At the other end is a table with crayons and colored pencils with coloring pages featuring current museum exhibits so you can " #ColorOurCollections " (see photo below).

Curator Matt was on hand the entire time if we had questions and very graciously let Clare carry around a clipboard featuring a scavenger hunt of objects and locations to find hidden among the murals and activities to do when you found them. The website recommends the children's gallery for ages 3-8 and I definitely think that we were a little young to get the full experience of reading the facts, doing the scavenger hunt and coloring the printouts.  However, Clare absolutely LOVED running around the map and stopping to point out various rivers and places and brightly colored animals.  We also colored and read several books that were new to her (and Mama!). The bluegrass music they had playing was also a hit, and she frequently stopped what she was doing for a dance break. 

All in all it was definitely a fun way to blow off some steam indoors on a chilly afternoon!  We didn't venture into the rest of the museum today, but it's absolutely worth visiting as well.  
Be sure to check out the "Know Before You Go" box below for info - we hope you enjoy your visit!