Nashville, also called Music City, is the center of creativity where people are inspired to create and do things that are unique to the city. This covers the fields of art, food, shopping, culture, and, its heart and soul, music. With so many things to do and places to see, Music City is one of the best places to spend your next vacation. This exciting city has it all and has a vibrant atmosphere that lasts all day and night. The vibrant nightlife will have you dining, drinking, and watching great live musical performances from dusk till dawn. So if you want to have fun in Music City, check out our list of the best things to do in Nashville, Tennessee.
1. Embark on a Segway tour of downtown Nashville (from USD 64.0)
One of the best ways to take in the sights of Nashville is by riding a Segway. It allows you to take in more destinations than the common tourist does while eluding traffic and heavily populated areas. It might take a few minutes before you get the hang of it, but it is worth it. Some of the attractions that you’ll cover on this tour include Country Music Hall of Fame, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park and Tennessee State Capitol (to name but a few).
Nashville Segway Tour
Duration: 1 to 3 hours
2. Reignite your love for country music at Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
If you are not a lover of country music, the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum will change your mind and heart. This place houses over two million pieces that include artists’ costumes, studio recordings, pictures, musical instruments, sheet music, and more. This impressive edifice is acknowledged as the world’s largest museum dedicated to music. Take the time to tour the famous RCA Studio B, the heart and soul of “Nashville Sound”, where famous artists recorded their historic songs. Do drop by the Museum Store at the end of your visit and purchase memorabilia or two that includes apparel, books, music, and more.
Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
Address: 222 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
Website: Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
Opening hours: Sun - Thu: 9am - 5pm; Fri - Sat: 9am - 6pm
3. Browse through beautiful art exhibits at Frist Art Museum
If you are out with your family and are looking for a place where everyone can have fun all day long, Frist Art Museum is your best bet. The museum offers an ever-changing schedule of exhibits that showcases art from international, national, regional, and local artists. Don’t forget to drop by the exciting 3D art booths at the Martin ArtQuest Gallery. You can also indulge yourselves in several attractions that include tutorial programs, live music performances, and a souvenir shop, where you can purchase the best locally made handicrafts in the city.
Frist Art Museum
Address: 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
Website: Frist Art Museum
Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 10am – 5:30Xpm; Sun: 1pm – 5:30pm
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4. Stroll through the impressive monuments of Bicentennial Capitol State Park
The Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park is a huge chunk of land in Nashville that houses several interesting spots for tourists to visit. The whole property is an open-air museum filled with attractions that have immense importance to the state. It was constructed to celebrate the state’s 200th-year celebration of existence. A stroll here allows you to come close to nine important spots that symbolize an important event or place in the state’s history. There are four walkways you need to walk on to see all these attractions. The whole park is patterned after the National Mall in Washington DC.
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park
Address: 600 James Robertson Pkwy, Nashville, TN 37243, United States
Opening hours: 8am – 4:30pm (daily)
5. Shop at Nashville Farmers Market
Just a few steps away from Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, you will find the flourishing Nashville Farmers Market, where local purveyors show their produce and livestock products and sell them at great prices. Shopping here also brings you a good selection of international products in one of its buildings. If the sight of all the fresh food excites your appetite and causes your stomach to grumble, the central food court heeds your call for some mouthwatering food served fresh. Tourists blessed with iron stomachs will be delighted to know that one of the stores here sells the largest collection of hot sauces sold in Music City.
Nashville Farmers Market
Address: 900 Rosa L Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208, United States
Website: Nashville Farmers Market
Opening hours: 8am - 4pm (daily)
6. Go pub crawling at the infamous Honky Tonk Highway (from USD 31.0)
This unique pub crawl will have you drinking and laughing your way around Honky Tonk Highway. Pub crawls usually have a local guide offering you information about the importance and history of this significant area. You will be dropping by some of the most popular bars, where you will have some drinks and watch local performers live. You will also learn about Nashville’s rich history regarding music, early settlers, and its gambling scene. Tourists joining this tour will receive discounts and free items to drinking and dining establishments located in the downtown district.
Nashville Honky Tonk Sightseeing Pub Crawl Tour
Duration: 3 hours
7. Witness a ballet performance at Tennessee Performing Arts Center
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center is the top destination for ballet performances in Nashville. The venue holds several ballet engagements produced by the best company in the city – Nashville Ballet. If you decide to watch one of their revered performances, you will have the opportunity to learn about the performers and production through detailed descriptions provided in the show’s program. The ballets are held at two world-class venues in the center, the Andrew Jackson Hall and the James K. Polk Theater. A third venue, the Andrew Johnson Theater is reserved for other shows. The dress code for all ballet shows is strictly formal.
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Address: 505 Deaderick St. Nashville, TN 37243
Website: Tennessee Performing Arts Center
8. Dig through the wonderful archive of Johnny Cash Museum
The eponymous Johnny Cash Museum is where you will find the largest collection of memorabilia and artifacts related to the late great country music superstar, Johnny Cash. The museum is the brainchild of Cash’s close friend, Bill Miller. The latter painstakingly collected all the valuables for more than a decade and put them together in this Nashville landmark. Because of this, you now have a chance to dig your favorite items about the singers’ life and songs. Because this museum was brought about with so much thought and careful planning, it has been voted as one of the best museums in the world dedicated to music.
Johnny Cash Museum
Address: 119 3rd Ave S, Nashville, TN
Website: Johnny Cash Museum
Opening hours: 9am - 6pm (daily)
9. Soak in the rich culture at Ascend Amphitheater
The Ascend Amphitheater is one of the best concert and events venue you will ever find. The open-air setting draws in a capacity of about 6,800 visitors per event, where 2,300 have assigned seats, while the rest have to party in the lawn area. With great live performances done by renowned artists, partying at the lawn is not something you will complain about. It boasts of the most modern sound and light system, which enhances the experience. The ultra-contemporary design adds to the lively atmosphere of each performance. Performers who have taken the stage include superstars Janet Jackson, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Alicia Keys and country music legends, Jimmy Buffett, and Garth Brooks.
Ascend Amphitheater
Address: 310 1st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37201, United States
Website: Ascend Amphitheater
10. Tour the eye-catching Fort Nashborough
The construction of Fort Nashborough in 1779 signaled the birth of Nashville. The structure that you see now is a replica of the original and is smaller in scale. However, it still holds so much importance to the city’s history. The fort is located along the banks of the Cumberland River and served as the first settlement where James Robertson founded the city. Together with his pals, John Donelson, and the Overmountain Men, they built a fort to help repel Native American attacks and protect their families who stayed in the areas’ 20 log cabins. The place is now managed by Nashville Parks and Recreation.
Fort Nashborough
Address: 170 1st Ave N, Nashville, Tennessee, 37201
Opening hours: 9am - 4pm (daily)
11. Admire the architecture of Tennessee State Capitol
Tennessee State Capitol stands tall and proud on Cedar Knob, the highest point in Nashville’s downtown area. Dating back to the mid-19th century, the building stands out with its Greek Revival architectural design, which paved way to Nashville being proclaimed as the ‘Athens of the South’. It required the use of a building material used in ancient buildings, monolithic cut stones, making the edifice incombustible. The surrounding grounds became the standard in which most of Nashville’s parks were patterned. Once you step inside, you will notice the dominant use of columns to hold the ceiling up.
Tennessee State Capitol
Address: 600 Dr. M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Nashville, TN 37243, United States
Website: Tennessee State Capitol
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 9am - 4pm (closed on Sat & Sun)
12. Browse through the exhibitions of Carl Van Vechten Gallery
Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing
The Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery is the first establishment that showcased art pieces containing images of people from all races. The time it opened was an era when art depicting people from all races was very limited. The collection of photographs displayed are mainly from Alfred Stieglitz and was given to the gallery by his wife, Georgia O’Keefe. The eponymous gallery is named after novelist, Carl Van Vechten, who helped secure the Stieglitz Collection and also has a substantial number of photographs on display. Aside from this, the gallery was able to collect photographic works from the Andrew Carnegie Corporation, Cyrus Baldric, and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, the Museum of Modern Art founder.
Carl Van Vechten Gallery
Address: 1000 17th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208, United States
Website: Carl Van Vechten Gallery
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 10am - 4pm (closed on Sat & Sun)
13. Learn about the history of Country Music at Ryman Auditorium
When you take a tour of the Ryman Auditorium, you will learn that this place is not just an ordinary music venue. This place holds so much history - its walls stood witness to several important events in the music industry. It is considered the holy grail of music and the birthplace of the bluegrass genre, an important style of music played with acoustic string instruments. This is also where power couple June Carter and Johnny Cash met. Country music artists found a place where they can perform and from here they were able to spread their wings beyond Nashville.
Ryman Auditorium
Address: 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219, United States
Website: Ryman Auditorium
Opening hours: Thu - Tue: 9am - 2pm (closed on Wed)
14. Enjoy cocktails at Listening Room Cafe
The Listening Room Café provides you and your companions a great dining and drinking place that will have you smiling all throughout your visit. The place is famous for its unique cocktails that are priced reasonably, a perfect way to satisfy your thirst for alcohol. These drinks are perfectly matched with American menu. To enhance the experience, there’s live music. Local singers and composers take their turn to perform some of their originals and worthy covers of classic favorites.
Listening Room Cafe
Address: 618 4th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37210, United States
Website: Listening Room Cafe
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 3pm - 11pm; Sat: 10am - 11pm (closed on Sun)
15. Discover the prehistoric Indian culture at Tennessee State Museum
The Tennessee State Museum is where everyone can learn more about the prehistoric Indian civilization and culture. There are four main Indian cultures during the prehistoric era — Paleo-Indians, the Archaic Indians, the Mississippian Indians, and the Woodland Indians. These four groups are collectively known as the first Tennesseans. The lack of a written language about these limited the study of their culture for a time. The good thing is that archaeologists were able to dig their remains and have placed these items under one roof, the Tennessee State Museum, for you to see.
Tennessee State Museum
Address: 1000 Rosa L Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208, United States
Website: Tennessee State Museum
Opening hours: Tue - Sat: 10am - 5pm; Sun: 1pm - 5pm (closed on Mon)
16. Treat your eyes to the scenic views of downtown from John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
Once called Shelby Street Bridge, the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge crosses over the Cumberland River, which affords you scenic views of the water and the downtown area. Walking along its length allows you to marvel at the structure and design of what is one of the longest pedestrian bridges on the planet. Some of the famous landmarks and structures in the downtown area can be seen clearly from here. These include Riverfront Park, Bicentennial Park, Ascend Amphitheater, and Music City’s two tallest skyscrapers, the AT&T Building and 505 Nashville.
John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
Address: Nashville, TN 37213, United States
17. Go bowling at Pinewood Social
Pinewood Social is a favorite haunt for Nashville locals and tourists who are looking for the best eats and drinks the city has to offer. You can come here at any time of the day and can grab a coffee or a cocktail to go with your favorite meals. Aside from the food and drinks, Pinewood Social provides you an opportunity to have fun with friends and family during your visit. This comes in the form of a six-lane bowling alley, which they reclaimed from a Bowl O’ Rama that closed in Indiana. Each of these lanes can fit six players or less.
Pinewood Social
Address: 33 Peabody St, Nashville, TN 37210, United States
Website: Pinewood Social
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 7am - 11pm; Mon - Wed: 9am - 11pm
18. Pamper your taste buds at Skull's Rainbow Room
The late David ‘Skull’ Schulman built Skull’s Rainbow Room in the heart of Printer’s Alley to provide locals and tourists with a dining destination they will never forget. It is one of the most revered and visited eateries in Music City. The culinary team creates dishes that are outstanding and will be long remembered by diners. The food has a coastal and water theme to it, which the chef molded into an explosion of flavor everybody will love and come back for. The restaurant has a speakeasy design prevalent when it opened in 1948.
Skull’s Rainbow Room
Address: 222 Printers Alley, Nashville, TN 37201, United States
Website: Skull’s Rainbow Room
Opening hours: 5pm - 10pm (daily)
19. Soak in the views of Riverfront Park in a paddleboard (from USD 49.0)
The sights at Riverfront Park are simply astounding. Because this park is located along the banks of the Cumberland River, the best way to appreciate it is by viewing it from the water. You can do just that by getting on a paddleboard and make your way safely near the park. The river has many sights to offer but the park is by far the most popular one. Witness amazing manicured lawns that line the grounds, where many local and foreign artists have performed.
Nashville Paddleboard Adventures
Duration: 2 hours
20. Explore the Music City in a carriage ride (from USD 154.0)
Exploring Nashville while riding a horse-drawn carriage gives you a unique perspective of the city. It gives you a chance to get up-close and personal to the city’s popular tourist destinations while you enjoy the marvelous ride. These carriages are designed beautifully and provide an additional charm to your vacation. You will learn about the destinations you will visit through narrations provided by professional tour guides, with each carriage capable of carrying up to six guests. This tour is perfect for you and your romantic partner, and runs for about 45 minutes.
Private 45-Minute Downtown Nashville Horse and Carriage Ride
Duration: 45 minutes
21. Go brainstorming in Nashville Escape Room (from USD 37.0)
Escape games are fast becoming a popular tourist activity in Nashville for several reasons. The main reason for this is it allows you to spend time with your friends and family while having fun. There are many themes to choose from, such as outer space, military ops, treasure hunting, sabotage, mystery, and music, to name a few. All of these games last for about one hour and involves everyone in creating an escape plan and get out of the room ‘alive’ and unharmed. This Nashville-themed escape room will have you searching for a studio and a record contract designed to make you a star.
Downtown Nashville Escape Room Admission
Duration: 1 hour
22. Explore downtown Nashville in a golf cart (from USD 33.0)
Riding around in a golf cart provides a great way of exploring the downtown area of Nashville. There are many advantages of it. For one, you can tailor-fit your schedule and destinations you want to go to base on your preference. Aside from this, you can also make stops and visit interesting destinations that are not on your itinerary. Lastly, it is one of the cheapest ways to explore the city.
Downtown Nashville Transportation by Golf Cart
Duration: 15 minutes
Nashville is absolutely amazing
You will certainly have an amazing vacation in Nashville for several reasons. Music City has a lot to offer tourists like you and all of these things guarantee your enjoyment. Try doing as many of the things listed above and enjoy Nashville to the hilt.
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