Music has been at the core of Nashville’s existence since the very beginning. The city’s life has been entwined with music since it was founded, and, as a result, visitors come here to experience the music that is woven into its cultural, economic, and social lives. What are you thinking at when it comes of Nashville? Country music? Music City? Honky tonk? Live music? A stroll through this city will take you past bars, clubs, concert halls, music studios, and recording studios galore. And in your city tours, for sure you would like to find which are Nashville TN tourist attractions.
But that’s not all – there are many interesting facts about Nashville. For example, did you know that Nashville was the first city to get an FM broadcast license nationwide? In the 1950s, David Cobb of the WSM radio station in Nashville first referred to Nashville as “Music City”. Or that the daughter of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, married John Donelson, one of the city’s founders? And, going back to the touristic profile, because it lies on the banks of river Cumberland, Nashville has gorgeous natural landscapes that include forests and ravines. The city was the birthplace of several notable figures, so its landmarks and memorials are rich in history. And, of course, Nashville offers a wide range of attractions so you can make the most of your vacation.
The list below presents 10 Nashville tourist attractions that will ensure your good time here. The selection is made according to the popularity of the places described.
1 Nashville Parthenon
A visit to Nashville’s Parthenon is one of the most inspiring things you can do in this city. The ‘Athens of the South’ as it’s also called, is the site of a life-size replica of the great ancient Greek building. Initially built for the Centennial Exposition in Tennessee in 1897, this replica of the Greek Parthenon is a piece de resistance of classical architecture. The plaster replicas of the marble sculptures in the nave are similar to the original ones that adorn the pediment of the Parthenon in Athens and date from 438 BC. Fragments of the original sculptures are in the British Museum in London.
The Nashville Parthenon has hosted various art exhibitions in its galleries since the 1930s and educates Nashville people and visitors about the ancient Greeks’ legacy and its impact on American civilization. The Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation, a department of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, owns and operates the Nashville Parthenon.
Forty-six Doric columns surround it, and the world’s largest bronze doors, weighing 7.5 tons each, provide entry to this architectural marvel. Inside is the statue of Athena, the tallest interior sculpture in the West. The Parthenon is the main attraction of Centennial Park, Nashville’s largest park. As I said, both the building itself and the statue of Athena are faithful replicas of the original Athenian examples.
The Park Board commissioned Nashville sculptor Alan LeQuire to rebuild the 42-foot statue of the Athena goddess for the interior in 1982 after donations for the Athena gathered over the years. It took approximately eight years to complete this tremendous task. The statue was ultimately displayed on May 20, 1990, sparking considerable enthusiasm and renewed interest in the Nashville Parthenon as a municipal landmark. Additional funds were gathered over the next 12 years, and the monument was finally gilded and painted in 2002.
The Parthenon is also Nashville’s art museum. The focus is the permanent collection of 63 paintings dating from the 19th and 20th centuries by American artists donated to the museum by James M. Cowan. The other galleries often host performances and exhibitions.
2 NashTrash Tour
If you’re looking for a less conventional activity, then you really need to hop on the pink bus of the NashTrash Tour, where fun is guaranteed. You’ll see Nashville differently than you might imagine, and the Jugg Sisters’ performances set to country music are a treat for all.
Sheri Lynn and Brenda Kay’s comedy show on wheels is booked months in advance with no advertising. Their fan base is built on hundreds of positive web reviews and many return customers.
You’ll ride past historic landmarks like the Ryman Auditorium and Honky Tonk Row, with a photo stop along the way, and a pit stop at the Country Music Hall of Fame for souvenirs (or a refreshing beverage), before returning to the Market.
The trip winds through downtown Nashville and lasts about two hours. There’s a lot of audience interaction and improv comedy, so there’s just as much going on inside the bus as there is outside that you’ll laugh till your stomach hurts. At least, this is the promise.
3 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, opened in 1961, showcases a vast collection illustrating country music history over two centuries. A treasure trove of videos and records, exhibits and live performances, as well as the dinner you can have here, will all leave a lasting memory.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s permanent exhibit, Sing Me Back Home, is an entertaining, multi-layered tour through the life of Country music. Sing Me Back Home drive you through the history and sounds of country music, its meanings, and the lives and voices of many of its illustrious personalities through items, photographs, original recordings, archival videos, newly produced films, touchscreen interactive entertainment, and gorgeous visuals text panels.
While here, don’t forget to include the tour of Studio B in your visit (it is included in the Platinum Package). More than 35,000 songs and 1,000 music hits have been recorded at the historic RCA Studio B, which opened in 1957. In Nashville’s oldest surviving recording studio, Roy Orbison recorded the touching “Only the Lonely,” and Dolly Parton tracked the iconic “Coat of Many Colors.” Chet Atkins, the Everly Brothers, Don Gibson, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, and Charley Pride are among the legends who have recorded in Historic RCA Studio B.
4 Carnton Plantation Residence
Perhaps the five bloodiest hours of the American Civil War took place here, in the Battle of Franklin. On November 30, 1864, the site was overrun by Confederate troops on their way to the Federal Army. On this occasion, a skirmish took place. Subsequently, the Carnton Plantation Residence served as a shelter for hundreds of the more than 6,000 wounded in the battle. Nearby is the largest private cemetery in the American Confederacy.
Randal McGavock (1768-1843), former mayor of Nashville, built Carnton in 1826, in Franklin, near Nashville. During the 19th century, many significant figures in Tennessee and American history visited it, including President Andrew Jackson.
The grounds are beautiful. This landmark receives thousands of visitors every year, on which historians and fiction authors have written extensively and on which the locals have thoroughly rooted themselves. However, despite the history, there is a darker side to the house. Some say that the land may be haunted by ghosts, so Carnton Plantation is renowned as one of Tennessee’s most haunted places. It graces the quiet town of Franklin with its majestic beauty, inhabiting a space that serves as a museum managed by the Carnton Society.
Guided tours of Carnton (and Carter House) are offered daily. On tour, you will see the grounds, gardens, outbuildings, as well as the museum store. The recommendation is to spend additional time exploring the grounds & outbuildings after the guided tour at each site lasts about an hour.
5 Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry (Grand Old Opera) is the stage on which a weekly country music concert is held in Nashville, Tennessee, bringing together the biggest stars of the genre since 1925. Originally broadcast as a radio program in 1925, live entertainment has evolved into a modern phenomenon. The Grand Ole Opry pays tribute to country music’s rich history and dynamic future by presenting a mix of country legends and contemporary chart-toppers who follow their path.
A tribute to country music’s rich history and dynamic presence, the Grand Ole Opry features a mix of established names and contemporary artists following in their footsteps. The Opry, a true American icon and one of Nashville, Tennessee’s premier attractions, is world-renowned for creating world-class entertainment experiences for audiences of all ages.
The Grand Ole Opry has been called “America’s Most Famous Stage” and the “Home of American Music,” and every year, hundreds of thousands of people come from all over the world to see the show live.
6 Adventure Science Center
Opened in 1944, the Nashville Adventure Science Center is located on 2nd Avenue South in downtown Nashville. In 1952, Tennessee’s first planetarium opened here, named after one of the founders of the Board of Directors, Anthony Sudekum, whose family contributed financially to the purchase of the first star projector. The Adventure and Science Center offers children opportunities to learn and have fun. Around 340,000 visitors from all over the country come here every year, but the place has remained essentially a children’s center.
The 44,000 square foot space, located on a hill with beautiful views of the city, houses more than 175 hands-on displays in biology, astronomy, physics, earth science, energy, weather, sound, and space, as well as the fantastic Sudekum Planetarium.
In the Space Chase exhibition gallery, you may experience the effects of zero gravity and learn about the relationships between the planets and experience a day in the life of an astronaut. Walk inside the BodyQuest exhibit to witness health as you’ve never seen it before, complete with a laser target gallery that explains how the immune system works.
The Adventure Tower will challenge you with challenges ranging from learning how to lift a car without breaking a sweat to crawling through a beating heart while giving a spectacular view of downtown Nashville.
7 Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman Auditorium (constructed in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle) is a 2362-seat auditorium located at 115 5th Avenue North in Nashville, Tennessee, and known as the historical (and sometimes the main, due to flooding) former home of the Grand Ole Opry (from 1943 – 1974). The location reminds those who come here of its origins as a house of worship, thus earning it the nickname “Mother Church of Country Music.”
In addition to the auditorium, a museum features exhibits about the city’s rich musical history.
8 Tennessee State Museum
The Tennessee State Museum is an important museum in Nashville that describes the history of this American state. It has a huge space for permanent exhibits and a smaller space for temporary ones. Here you can find everything – art, history, textiles, crafts, and culture. One of the largest museums in the country, it features exhibits that capture the lives of prehistoric people from 15,000 years ago to the early 1900s, including furniture, silverware, weapons, quilts, and paintings.
It includes a time tunnel, which chronicles the state’s rich history, a hands-on children’s gallery, six rotating galleries, an interactive digital learning center, a 2-story grand hall, and a museum store. Exhibits include significant artifacts related to Tennessee’s history and displays of art, furniture, textile, and photographs produced by Tennessee residents. The museum has one of the best collections of uniforms, battle flags, and weapons from the Civil War. The Tennessee State Museum is located at 1000 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard.
9 Belle Meade Plantation Residence
On Belle Meade Plantation, located in the Tennessee town of the same name, is a residence that now functions as a museum. This historic site, which covers approximately 120,000 square feet, 10 miles west of Nashville, is the Belle Meade Mansion, completely built in 1853 and open daily for public tours.
In 1807, John Harding bought the first 250 acres of land and used an enslaved team to establish himself as a wealthy plantation owner. By 1820, Harding had constructed a Federal-style brick mansion, which he named Belle Meade. In the 1840s, William Giles Harding succeeded his father and transformed the house into a Greek Revival palace with a towering, elliptical stair and a porte-cochere.
Belle Meade is dedicated to preserving Tennessee’s history and its hospitality legacy. Guests can enjoy tours of the mansion, family tours, wine and food pairings, bourbon tastings, and chef-inspired food and wine pairings, knowing that the purchase of these activities supports the educational mission of the property.
10 General Jackson Showboat
The General Jackson Showboat is one of the largest cruise ships in the country. It has four huge decks, and in the center of the ship is the Victoria Theatre, a two-story building where live performances take place. Rides can be taken at lunchtime or in the evening, with endless entertainment possibilities all year round.
The lunch or dinner trip aboard the General Jackson Showboat allows you to see the Nashville cityscape from the gorgeous Cumberland River.
While “rollin’ down the river,” you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking sights, a delectable supper made by professional chefs, and high-quality entertainment in the boat’s two-story Victorian Theater.
The majestic General Jackson Showboat, one of the biggest showboats ever built, is a beautiful achievement of American engineering. The boat’s regal shape and gorgeous lace ornamentation harken back to the splendor of the American Victorian era.
Holiday cruises start every year in mid-November, and special offers include a New Year’s Eve party. “General Jackson” is an experience you can only find in Music City, Nashville TN!
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