Date Night: Antique and Garden 2013

This post is directed to my male followers (or for women to share with their guys) looking for a creative date idea. Centering it around shopping can actually be fun...if you do it right. Luckily, just in time for a bit of Valentine romance, the Antiques and Garden Show has arrived in Nashville. Hundreds of vendors with fabulous goods all under one roof only arrive once a year. And, starting tomorrow-- it's available for the entire weekend in the heart of downtown.

Tim finding lights at Antiques and Garden Show.

One of the booths at Antiques and Garden. Inspiration on tap!

I found that Tim Nichols actually enjoyed the experience. I attended the preview primarily to snap photos for Nashville Lifestyles and do a little reporting, but convinced him to come along on my assignment so we could have a bit of time together. We ended up finding the perfect trio of antique lights to go over our kitchen table (at an unbelievable price to boot) and running into fun friends along the way. If you are seeking furniture, garden art, lights, jewelry or rugs.. this is the place to go. It's a celebration of all things classic and beautiful for the home with one of a kind artistic displays at every turn.

Designer of Heritage Handcrafted, James with his lovely sister, Elizabeth. 

One of the most interesting stops was James Broyhill's Heritage Handcrafted booth. From custom 'celebration boxes' to whiskey barrel crafted coffee tables, my husband was hooked. I think we found all of our Christmas and birthday presents for music industry friends in this spot. James' display alone is reason enough to visit the show. That and the lovely Louisiana folks who hooked us up with fab fixtures while they were simultaneously filling out an order for Sheryl Crow.

The Hemingway Cocktail at Etch...so delicious! 

To make the night an actual 'date', I knew there had to be more than shopping to keep things interesting, so we bellied up to the lively chef's bar at Etch Restaurant for a bite to complete the evening. We took advantage of the happy hour to sample creative cocktails and then ordered my favorite dish, the Ratatouille salad along with chef Deb's unbelievable short ribs. The crowd was hopping, but the service remained on point and the food was outstanding.

Short Ribs are beyond amazing with special sauces and Deb's perfect veggies

If you're seeking a fun way to spend time with your significant other this weekend, I suggest a trip downtown to browse the vendors at the Antiques and Garden Show followed by a meal at Etch. Or, start here to build energy for some serious power shopping.

Do share your finds from A&G here on the Southern Sophisticate!