The Bobby Bones Show – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Abby’s Rollercoaster Birthday, Morgan’s Bear Encounter, & Nashville Recommendations
Air Date: September 27, 2025
Hosts: Morgan & Abby

1. Episode Overview

This episode of The Bobby Bones Show features Abby recounting her action-packed birthday weekend full of rollercoasters and celebrations, Morgan sharing a recent bear encounter in Tennessee, and both offering a treasure trove of Nashville recommendations for dining and entertainment. The co-hosts also open up about health journeys, stress, food cleanses, and the realities of modern wellness—a blend of laughter, honesty, and practical advice for listeners both local to Nashville and beyond.

2. Major Discussion Points & Insights

A. Abby’s Rollercoaster Birthday [03:06 – 08:33]

• Theme Park Adventure:

  • Abby’s boyfriend organized a special trip to Six Flags Over Georgia in Atlanta: “We went on Sunday because it was only open on Sunday. I guess they rented it out for a company on Saturday.” (Abby, 03:28)
  • She hadn’t been to a theme park in forever and worried about motion sickness, though she didn’t get sick: “I didn’t get sick.” (Abby, 03:24)
  • Describes crazy rollercoasters (“upside down, everyone you can imagine”), her childhood favorite rides at Worlds of Fun, and how some rides can be rough on your head.
  • Only the high swings ride made them feel sick due to the wind and height: “That was the one where we were like, oh my gosh. I just closed my eyes.” (Abby, 07:17)

• The Full Birthday Experience:

  • The celebration started in Nashville with dinner at Oak Steakhouse—“Best steak I’ve ever had.” (Abby, 05:15)
  • Road trip to Atlanta, stopping in Chattanooga for ice cream at The Ice Cream Show, known for thousands of combinations.
  • A stay at a hotel with a rotating rooftop lounge: “We were probably there 45 minutes, and then it did a full rotation.” (Abby, 06:34)
  • Abby was surprised with balloons and flowers from her boyfriend’s kids when they got home (08:09).
  • Comparing her thoughtful current boyfriend to one who once forgot her birthday: “Remember the one that, like, forgot my birthday?... Horrible dude.” (Abby & Morgan, 05:09–05:15)

B. Nashville Food, Bars, & Experience Guide [08:33 – 19:21]

• Why People Ask:

  • Listeners regularly reach out for Nashville tips. The hosts agree organizing recommendations by neighborhood is the way to go (08:47–11:48).

• Morgan’s Must-Visit Spots:

  • Mexican: El Fuego Blanco, Las Palmas, Butchertown Hall, Blanco
  • Italian: Palado, Cocos, Ella’s, Amerigo, Iggy’s, Saint Vito Focaccia
  • American/Fancy: The Henry, Fancy Pants, Barcelona, 60 Vines, Bourbon Steak (“For a very fancy night out”; “definitely pricey” – Morgan, 10:29–10:52), House of Cards, Le Petit Chef, Postino
  • Drinks: Skinny Dennis, Pushing Daisies (underground margarita bar), Amsterdamian, Attaboy, Shulman’s Autos, Tiger Bar, Golden Sound, Ember Ski Lodge, Play Date (“There’s a slide. You were just there recently.” – Abby, 11:11)
  • Barbecue: Edley’s (Abby’s go-to)
  • Neighborhoods to Explore: Downtown/Broadway (“You have to see it, at least walk it.” – Morgan, 12:26), 12 South, Midtown, Germantown, East Nashville, The Gulch
  • Food Halls: Fifth and Broadway—lots of food variety, shopping, drinking options
  • Brunch: Adele’s, Mockingbird, Guy, Stateside Kitchen, Loveless Cafe
  • Casual Breakfast/Lunch: Picnic Cafe, Benji’s Bagels, JMA’s (breakfast burrito truck), Dos Santos (breakfast burrito window), Pancake Pantry, Cafe Intermezzo, Proper Bagel, Ladybird Taco
  • Other: Arrington Vineyards (“I would more so go up [there]…have a whole day drinking there.” – Morgan, 15:08), Pins Mechanical (duckpin bowling), Put Shack (mini-golf), making bracelets & Goo Goo Clusters
  • Dessert: Fry Scream (“If you are a person who likes your frosty with fries growing up… ice cream with fries!” – Morgan, 18:11–18:36), Jenni’s ice cream

• Tourist Activities Discussed:

  • Pedal Taverns & Party Buses: Morgan is skeptical for non-party groups: “If you’re coming to town… that’s the wrong thing to do.” (Morgan, 13:48) Abby loved it with a big group but agrees it’s better for large parties.
  • Music & Bars: Category 10 (with sports seating and betting), Lainey Wilson’s Bar, Chiefs (Eric Church’s bar — “dueling piano bars”), 12:30 club
  • Museums: Country Music Hall of Fame—loved by both, especially for non-history buffs (Morgan, 15:49–16:11)

C. Wellness, Fasting, and Stress Chat [23:01 – 37:30]

• Extended Fasting:

  • Morgan shares she’s incorporating regular extended fasts: “Part of my detox cleanse is once a week I do an extended fast.” (Morgan, 23:15)
  • Abby also fasted 72 hours with only water, no black coffee.

• Health Struggles and Learnings:

  • Morgan feels less inflamed but reveals her body is stuck in “constant chaos and stress,” even though she does not consciously feel stressed:

    “My body is in a constant state of stress.” (Morgan, 24:16)

  • She’s learning about the link between chronic stress and difficulty healing, emphasizing that many people share this state:

    “Most people…go home and you have so much to do. I can’t even imagine having kids…you never get to relax.” (Morgan, 25:14)

• Modern Life & Health:

  • Both hosts express worry about the “go, go, go” pace of life and feeling overwhelmed by constant to-do lists.
  • Morgan’s frustration with lack of simple solutions:

    “It should not be this hard to just feel good.” (Morgan, 32:35)

  • Discussion of genetic and lifestyle factors affecting anxiety and health, referencing the increased anxiety Abby feels living in Nashville versus Kansas:

    “I didn’t have it in Kansas, and when I go back home I don’t have it.” (Abby, 33:39)

• Notable Quotes:

  • On Stress & Healing:

    “You feel like you have FOMO. You feel like you’re missing out… I don’t feel like the best friend I’ve ever been… it’s a weird space.” (Morgan, 27:59)

  • On Time & Wellness:

    “Because you don’t have time. It all goes back to time, and time is very valuable. It’s precious…” (Morgan, 33:02)

  • On chronic illness:

    “There’s so many people that have reached out who are struggling with just so much chronic illness… we’re in a chronic state of people feeling sick, and that sucks.” (Morgan, 36:00)

  • On dietary discipline:

    “I’ve learned that I have a lot of self-control that I didn’t think I had.” (Morgan, 37:05)

D. Bear Encounters in Tennessee & Gatlinburg Excursions [41:01 – 43:02]

• Anakeesta & Gatlinburg:
  • Morgan recounts her visit to Anakeesta in Gatlinburg: “It’s on the top of a mountain… they have the treetop skywalk, rides, a coaster, live music, Oktoberfest.” (Morgan, 41:25–41:59)
  • Abby wishes she could have gone but high winds shut the lift down during her trip.
• Bear Sighting:
  • Morgan spotted a black bear (“teenager”) near their Airbnb: “Is that a cat?... That’s a bear.” (Morgan & Abby, 42:34–42:46)
  • She got video of it running away; they checked for the mama bear, but this one was probably on its own.
  • Abby mentions frequent local news stories about Gatlinburg bears.

E. Wedding Tales & Animal Hijinks [43:24 – 47:27]

• Hillary’s Mountain Wedding:
  • Beautiful mountain backdrop in Townsend, TN.
  • Heartwarming: Grandmothers as flower girls; dog with “I do too” bandana in the reception.
  • Morgan rambled after the bride’s dog when it escaped during the meal blessing, worried as bears had been spotted nearby:

    “My life—and her life—flashed before my eyes.” (Morgan, 46:20) “She was not listening to me. She had a one-track mind… she had pushed herself out of the bridal suite.” (Morgan, 46:26)

F. Funny Frustrations & Social Commentary: “Everyone’s First Day on Earth” [47:33 – 53:36]

• Ski Lift Confusion:
  • Morgan describes a ski lift line stopped several times because grown adults didn’t know how to get on:

    “Four times this thing got completely stopped… these were mature adults.” (Morgan, 48:30–48:52)

• Daily Life Examples:
  • Other moments when people seem clueless: roundabouts, four-way stops, airport TSA, self-checkout lines, blocking walkways in parks with dog leashes.
  • Abby and Morgan see this as partly “lack of awareness,” “consideration,” and possibly a symptom of moving too fast.
• Midwestern Politeness:
  • Joking about constantly apologizing or saying “ope”:

    “I apologize for everything… that’s got to be the Midwest in us.” (Morgan, 51:18–51:37)

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Best steak I’ve ever had.” — Abby on Oak Steakhouse [05:15]
• “There’s, like, thousands of combinations of ice cream.” — Abby on Chattanooga’s The Ice Cream Show [05:44]
• “I didn’t get sick.” — Abby, on conquering motion sickness at Six Flags [03:24]
• “If you want to really experience Nashville, [the Pedal Tavern]’s not the way I would do it.” — Morgan [13:53]
• “If you are a person who likes your frosty with fries growing up… ice cream with fries!” — Morgan on Fry Scream [18:11]
• “My body is in a constant state of stress.” — Morgan [24:16]
• “It should not be this hard to just feel good.” — Morgan [32:35]
• “You have to take a beat—have a breath.” — Morgan on slowing down [29:02]
• “I didn’t have [anxiety] in Kansas, and when I go back home, I don’t have it.” — Abby [33:39]
• “Four times this thing got completely stopped… these were mature adults.” — Morgan, on the ski lift [48:30]
• “I apologize for everything—that’s got to be the Midwest in us.” — Morgan [51:18]

4. Key Timestamps for Reference

• 03:06 – Abby’s birthday weekend recap
• 05:15 – Nashville steak dinner
• 06:34 – Rotating rooftop lounge
• 08:33 – Nashville recommendations begin
• 10:29 – Bourbon Steak and fancy-night tips
• 13:06 – How to explore Nashville by neighborhood
• 15:08 – Why Arrington Vineyards is fun
• 16:20 – Honky tonk & bar favorites
• 18:03 – Best local desserts (Fry Scream!)
• 23:01 – Wellness, fasting, stress chat begins
• 24:16 – Morgan on chronic stress
• 32:35 – Frustrations with modern wellness
• 33:39 – Abby’s anxiety and environment discussion
• 41:01 – Gatlinburg and bear encounters
• 43:24 – Hillary’s mountain wedding & runaway dog
• 47:33 – “First day on Earth” social awareness segment
• 51:18 – Midwest apologizing and politeness

5. Episode Tone & Final Notes

The tone is conversational, honest, and fun, moving fluidly from rollercoaster adventures and food recommendations to more introspective chats about health, fast-paced life, stress, and self-compassion. Abby and Morgan’s dynamic is lighthearted and supportive, peppered with self-deprecating humor, relatable life gripes, and a genuine desire to help listeners make the most of Nashville and feel validated in their wellness journeys.

Useful For:

• Visitors to Nashville seeking neighborhood-based food and entertainment tips
• Listeners wrestling with stress, burnout, health changes, or the realities of adulthood
• Fans who enjoy relatable, unscripted stories and candid advice