Things to do in Nashville

Nashville’s major tourist attractions are connected to the city’s reputation as a haven for music lovers. Other famous Nashville tourist attractions include a number of family-based activities that can be enjoyed throughout the year such as Wave Country, Adelphia Coliseum and Nashville Zoo.

Parthenon

The building of this full-scale reproduction of ancient Greece’s most magnificent temple was inspired by Nashville’s reputation as the ‘Athens of the South’. It features an interior sculpture of the goddess Athena and truthful replicas of the original Parthenon’s pediment sculptures. The Parthenon is a wonderful addition to Centennial Park and one of the city’s most imposing landmarks.

Ryman Auditorium

Built in 1881, this building is famous for its outstanding acoustics. Stars like Enrico Caruso and Charlie Chaplin performed on its stage in the early 20th century. Having hosted the Grand Ole Opry radio show for 31 years, it became famous as ‘the mother church of country music’. By day, visitors can see exhibits showcasing its rich history. In the evening, live bluegrass, jazz, classical, country and gospel performances are staged regularly. Phone: +1 615 254 1445; website: www.ryman.com/.

Grand Ole Opry

The home of the world-famous country music show, the Grand Ole Opry is now on Opryland Drive in an enormous 4,400-seat hall, which is part of the Opryland resort complex, just north of Nashville’s city centre. From here, the world’s longest-running radio show is still aired on the Nashville station WSM (650 on the AM dial), featuring new hopefuls, established stars and legends of country and bluegrass music performing live on stage. No visit to Nashville is complete without taking in a show at the Grand Ole Opry, which has been a fixture on the airwaves since 1925. Phone: +1 615 871 6779; website: www.opry.com.

Belle Meade Plantation

This is a popular attraction that is not related to music. The Belle Meade Plantation, known as ‘the queen of Tennessee plantations’, features an 1853 Greek Revival mansion that has been carefully restored to its original opulence. Visitors can still see the bullet holes from the Civil War that riddle its columns. Among the surviving outbuildings on the 30-acre site is one of Tennessee’s oldest houses, a log cabin built in 1790. There is also a carriage house, visitor centre, tearoom and gift shop. The Belle Meade estate used to be one of America’s foremost thoroughbred breeding farms. Guides dressed in period costume give tours of the antebellum furnished mansion and grounds. Phone: +1 615 356 0501; website: www.bellemeadeplantation.com.

Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art

The Cheek family, founders of Maxwell Coffee, built this graceful mansion in the late 1920s. In the late 1950s, they donated the mansion and the adjoining 65 acres of land to the City of Nashville, which keeps up the estate today. The estate includes the botanical gardens, contemporary art galleries, an art museum, gift shop and the Pineapple Room restaurant. A selection of courses and workshops are available to visitors of all ages. The grounds contain several types of gardens and the Woodland Sculpture Trail. Allow at least one hour to tour the house and grounds. Phone: +1 615 353 3519; website: www.cheekwood.org/.

Adelphia Coliseum

Home to the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans, this stadium features a 67,000-seat, natural grass facility. It offers excellent seating, mostly along the sidelines. There are 144 luxury suites, 7,500 on-site parking spaces and 60 concession stands. For visitors driving to the game, it’s easiest to park downtown in one of the many garages or surface lots in or near the district and then use the pedestrian walkway on Woodland Street to access the stadium.

General Jackson showboat

Spend an unforgettable evening on the historic 300-foot long General Jackson showboat. Styled in the grand tradition of the paddlewheel riverboats that cruised the great Southern waterways in the 1800s, the General Jackson was named after the first steamboat to operate on the Cumberland River in 1817. Today, it’s just as active as its predecessor. Whether you want to spend an evening of dining and non-stop dancing under the stars, or you’re more in the mood for a lazy afternoon cruise under the clear blue Southern sky, the General Jackson captures the essence of a bygone era. Phone: +1 615 871 6100.

Nashville Zoo

Located only six miles south of downtown Nashville, the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere is open every day apart from Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Nashville Zoo offers many animal species found around the world. These beautiful creatures can be found in equally beautiful habitats like Lorikeet Landing, Gibbon Islands, The Unseen New World and Bamboo Trail as well as the Hyacinth Macaw, Meerkat and Bongo exhibits. The zoo also offers the Wild Animal Carousel, Grassmere Historic Farm, Critter Encounters petting area and exciting animal shows and programmes. Phone: +1 615 833 1534; website: www.nashvillezoo.org/info.htm.

Museums

Nashville’s most famous museum is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Many other, smaller music-related museums can also be found in the city, while the Adventure Science Center features an educational experience for those looking to explore the environment.

Showing the history and evolution of country music, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum gives visitors an opportunity to come and listen for themselves. Among the displays are interactive exhibits, costumes, instruments and archive films. The Adventure Science Center offers a variety of exhibits, some permanent and others which are rotating. Visitors can step inside a gigantic brain, slide through a human intestinal tract and operate on a wounded leg.

Tennessee State Museum traces the history of Tennessee back to when the land was occupied by Native Americans. Exhibits at the museum record state events from the Civil War through to the 1900s including displays on quilts, silver, weapons, paintings and pottery.