If your ideal fall day involves a cozy sweater, a really good latte and enough coffee to make Lorelai Gilmore proud, Nashville has the perfect October activity for you.
The Prickly Pear Coffee Co. Gilmore Girls Coffee Crawl is back for another year, bringing together local Nashville coffee shops, fall-inspired drinks and plenty of Stars Hollow nostalgia. The month-long crawl invites you to explore participating coffee shops around the city, complete Gilmore Girls-inspired challenges, collect stamps and earn prizes along the way.
Naturally, I had to give it a try. And by “give it a try,” I mean drink my way through a pretty impressive portion of the menu.
How the Gilmore Girls Coffee Crawl Works
The crawl runs throughout October, with bingo cards available at Prickly Pear Coffee Co. locations. Grab a card, visit participating coffee shops around Nashville and complete the challenges as you go.
It’s part coffee crawl, part fall bucket list and part excuse to discover local coffee shops you may not have tried before.
And the seasonal drinks are arguably the best part.
First Stop: Humphreys Street
At Humphreys Street, I went with the French Toast Iced Latte.
Think breakfast meets coffee — sweet, cozy and exactly the kind of drink you want when Nashville finally starts feeling like fall. If you tend to gravitate toward sweeter coffee drinks, this one deserves a spot on your list.
8th & Roast: The Pumpkin Queen
You can’t do an October coffee crawl without at least one pumpkin drink.
At 8th & Roast, I tried the Pumpkin Queen, a seasonal drink that fully embraces the flavors we all start craving the second fall arrives.
It’s a great stop if you’re looking for a classic fall coffee moment while working your way through the crawl.
Prickly Pear Coffee Co.: Pumpkin Chai + The Split Cup
Of course, a Gilmore Girls coffee crawl wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Prickly Pear Coffee Co., the coffee shop behind the entire event.
I tried the Pumpkin Chai, but one of the most fun options was the split cup, which lets you try two drinks at once.
My picks? Apple Chai and Apple Matcha.
If you’re the person who stares at the menu because you can’t decide what you want, the split cup might be your answer. It’s also perfect for a coffee crawl because you can sample more seasonal flavors without committing to two full drinks.
Southerners Coffee: Come Thirsty
Southerners clearly understood the assignment when it came to fall flavors.
I tried three: the Honey Maple Latte, Banana Pancake Latte and Pumpkin Campfire Latte.
The Banana Pancake is especially fun if you like sweeter, more unexpected coffee flavors, while the Pumpkin Campfire brings all the cozy fall vibes. And Honey Maple is an easy choice for anyone who wants something seasonal without going all-in on pumpkin.
Honestly, this is one of those stops where choosing just one might be the hardest part.
Mee Maw or Macintosh?
At The Well Coffeehouse, there are two drinks with names that feel like they could have come straight from Stars Hollow.
The Mee Maw is a house-made butterscotch latte — rich, sweet and made for anyone whose coffee order tends to lean toward dessert.
The Macintosh combines apple and sweet chai for a drink that tastes like fall in a cup.
If you’ve already had your fill of pumpkin by this point in the crawl, the apple flavors are a nice change of pace.
And Then There’s the Finale…
The coffee crawl would already be a fun fall activity on its own. But for serious Gilmore Girls fans, there’s an even bigger reason to participate this year.
Scott Patterson — aka Luke Danes himself — is coming to Nashville.
Prickly Pear Coffee Co. is transforming its coffee lounge into Luke’s Diner for an intimate Gilmore Girls experience with Scott Patterson.
Yes. Luke. In Luke’s Diner. Drinking coffee.
It doesn’t get much more Stars Hollow than that.
The ticketed experience includes entry into the Luke’s Diner takeover, a Q&A and story time with Scott Patterson, your choice of Prickly Pear coffee, a guided Gilmore Girls-inspired cookie decorating class with Reagan Vernon and a session in Prickly Pear’s new photo booth.
Tickets are limited to just 30 people per class, making this a much smaller and more immersive experience than your typical fan event. Get tickets here!
Make a Fall Day Out of It
One of the best parts of the Gilmore Girls Coffee Crawl is that you don’t have to complete it all at once.
Grab your bingo card and make it your October mission to check off a few stops each weekend. Bring your best Gilmore Girls-loving friend, order something you wouldn’t normally try and use the crawl as an excuse to explore another corner of Nashville.
And maybe don’t attempt every latte in one afternoon.
Even Lorelai has limits.
