60 Best Sights in Nashville, Tennessee

Adventure Science Center

Wedgewood-Houston Fodor's choice

Yes, this is a space designed with kids in mind, but there are also several elements that adults can enjoy, such as virtual reality stations, planetarium and laser shows, and the Blue Max flight simulator. Popular “Way Late Play Dates” are after-hours events exclusively for adults 21 and older and features themes like Harry Potter and Star Wars versus Star Trek. The Adventure Science Center sits on a bluff making it a great spot to watch Nashville’s Fourth of July fireworks during the center’s annual “Red, White & BOOM!” event.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Downtown Fodor's choice

This tribute to country music's finest is a full city block long, filled with plaques and exhibits highlighting performers from the old-time favorites to the latest generation of stars, a two-story wall with gold and platinum country records, a theater, and Elvis Presley's solid-gold 1960 Cadillac limo. Tours of the historic RCA Studio B recording studio are also run by the museum. Their extensive collection of memorabilia and rotating exhibits make this an essential stop for any music fan or history buff.

Buy Tickets Now

Fisk University Galleries

Germantown Fodor's choice

One of Nashville's best destinations for fine art is the campus of Fisk University, just north of downtown. Visit the Carl Van Vechten Gallery to see works by Picasso, Cezanne, Renoir, and more. Elsewhere on campus, check out murals by Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas. For summer visitors, be mindful of limited hours.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Frist Art Museum

Downtown Fodor's choice

Nashville has a unique and active arts community, and the city's main art museum reflects that. Instead of focusing on a beefy permanent collection like Atlanta's High Museum, the Frist, which opened in 2001, aims to expose the city's inhabitants and visitors to as many different and disparate artists, mediums, and movements as possible, with multiple rotating exhibitions. Depending on when you're in town, you can catch anything from an extensive focus on a single artist, like Soundsuit sculptor Nick Cave, to an exploration of Impressionism. Visitors can dine in their alfresco café after perusing thought-provoking exhibitions in the 1930s art deco building that once served as a post office.

Nashville Farmers Market

Germantown Fodor's choice

The Nashville Farmers Market is the crown jewel of the Germantown area, bringing the community and surrounding neighborhood together with food, produce, and special events. Visit on a weekday to take advantage of the market's extensive restaurant offerings, which span myriad international cuisines. Come on the weekend for goods from local farmers and artisans.

Patsy Cline Museum

Downtown Fodor's choice

Honoring one of Nashville’s most iconic former residents, the Patsy Cline Museum features artifacts like stage costumes, home furnishings, records, and more to honor the legacy of the late singer. The Johnny Cash Museum is the Patsy Cline Museum’s downstairs neighbor, making this a convenient stop for country music fans (though they are separate museums charging separate admission).

21c Museum Hotel Nashville

Downtown

Once a wholesale hardware store, this historic building has been converted into a hotel, museum, event space, and rooftop restaurant in a thoughtful art-centric renovation. The multiple gallery spaces are spread throughout the building, and docent-led tours are available on select days.

Adventureworks Old Forest Adventure Park

Take a treetop tour of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, through the old-growth forests west of Nashville. There are nine steel cable ziplines on this course, and each one lets you safely soar above the wooded ravines and blossoming valleys along the Harpeth River. The longest line is about 700 feet long, the highest is about 85 feet high, and the whole journey takes about 90 minutes to complete. You can also visit their second location in Whites Creek.

Arrington Vineyards

Beautiful views of the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee surround this 75-acre property co-owned by Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn. In addition to free tastings, Arrington Vineyards hosts live music on weekends (April to November), bonfires in chilly weather, and hot-air balloon rides by reservation ($250 per person; special packages offered as well). Though there isn't a restaurant on the grounds, the gift shop stocks gourmet cheeses and truffles, and visitors are welcome to bring picnics and make use of tables throughout the grounds.

Barbershop Harmony Society Museum

Downtown

Giving sightseers and music historians a break from the city's extensive country music history, the Barbershop Harmony Society works to promote and preserve the history of another kind of American musical art, the barbershop quartet, which has ties to both African American improvisation and European harmony traditions. A quick stop compared to the other music museums in the area, the best feature is the front atrium, which was engineered with a dome that provides perfect acoustics for quartets to practice.

Belle Meade Plantation

The tall limestone pillars of Belle Meade Plantation are markers of a bygone era. Today, this historic mansion is a museum at the center of 30 acres of smooth green pastures west of Nashville. In addition to the Greek Revival–style mansion, the property includes a winery and more than 10 outbuildings. General tours are available, or you can take a themed tour like the Journey to Jubilee, which tells the stories of the people who were enslaved at Belle Meade Plantation. A complimentary wine tasting is offered at the end of your tour, or you can book a private tasting separately.

Belmont Mansion

Belmont

This 1850s Italian-style villa was the home of Adelicia Acklen, Nashville's answer to Scarlett O'Hara, who married "once for money, once for love, and once for the hell of it." On Belmont University's campus, it's a gem right down to its sweeping staircase designed for grand entrances and cast-iron gazebos perfect for romance. Recent renovations have restored Acklen's bedroom to its original splendor, including a detailed reproduction of the wallpaper. The last tour of the day starts at 3:30 pm.

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

Downtown

Built to celebrate Tennessee's bicentennial, this beautifully landscaped 19-acre park includes a 2,000-seat amphitheater, a scaled map of the state in granite, a World War II memorial, a wall etched with a time line of state events, and fountains representing each of Tennessee's rivers (you'll see both kids and adults splashing in them April–October). The park has a number of picnic tables and there are several dining options at the nearby Farmers Market.

Browns Creek Greenway

Tucked behind an apartment complex is the Browns Creek Greenway, a 0.65-mile trail in Battlemont Park. Occupying a space that was cleared of houses after the 2010 Nashville Flood, the repurposed area features a dog-friendly paved loop that is shaded by mature trees.

Carnton Plantation

This stunning antebellum plantation home was converted to a field hospital after the Battle of Franklin in 1864. Today, the plantation offers several different tours, including one on Thursdays that focuses on the individuals enslaved at Carnton Plantation and how emancipation changed their lives. Be sure to explore the grounds after your visit. In addition to the house, there are gardens, several outbuildings, and a Civil War cemetery.

Carter House

On the morning of November 30, 1864, General Jacob D. Cox seized the Carter family’s home and made it the Federal Army’s headquarters for the Battle of Franklin. Today you can tour this one-and-a-half-story brick house and hear how the Civil War changed the lives of one family in particular and the country at large.

Centennial Park

West End

Built for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, this popular park is not only home to the Parthenon Museum but is also a pleasant place for walking, relaxing, and participating in outdoor festivals. Craft fairs, festivals, and performances are often held in the 132-acre park, which includes a small lake, picnic areas, a band shell, an arts center, and a dog park.

Cheekwood Estate and Gardens

Bellevue

At the center of this sprawling 55-acre botanical garden is a Georgian-style limestone mansion--turned--art gallery, enclosed by clipped lawns, terraced gardens, and an ancient-looking reflection pool. In addition to the collection of paintings and photographs inside the mansion, the Carell Woodland Sculpture Trail takes you down a 0.9-mile path of outdoor art pieces. There are seasonal garden displays, as well—including 150,000 blooming tulip bulbs in the spring and 5,000 chrysanthemums in the fall—so there’s always something new to enjoy no matter what time of year you visit.

Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library

Downtown

Nashville’s role in the Civil Rights Movement comes alive in this interactive display inside the library’s main branch. Explore the ways black Nashvillians protested segregation, challenged racist laws, and contributed to the nationwide fight for equality through the library’s time lines, archival materials, and photos.

Corsair Distillery

Wedgewood-Houston

This second Corsair location opened in 2016 and serves as the headquarters for this creator of small-batch whiskeys and other spirits. Three types of tours are offered, ranging from 30-minute general ones that end with a five-spirit tasting to cocktail classes and "master tours." Tastings are also offered without tours, and Corsair has an outdoor area where dogs are welcome.

Cumberland Park

Downtown

This park on the east bank of the Cumberland River at the foot of the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge was designed with kids and families in mind. Sandboxes, a "sprayground" of fountains, an obstacle course, a climbing wall, and trails (one designed to attract butterflies) are among the offerings for kids; there's also a picnic area and 1,200-seat amphitheater. You can also enjoy great views of the river with the Nashville skyline just beyond the bank.

David Lusk Gallery

Wedgewood-Houston

David Lusk’s Memphis gallery has been around since 1995; the Nashville location opened in 2014 and features paintings, photography, and sculpture by regional and national artists. The gallery takes part in the Wedgwood-Houston art crawls and also hosts receptions and other events.

Dyer Observatory

Capping one of Nashville’s highest points, the Dyer Observatory rises above Radnor Lake State Park with its imposing steel dome. Inside the dome is the Seyfert telescope, used for viewing the rings of Saturn and other astral wonders. On the second Friday of each month (March through November), the observatory hosts telescope nights for guests to stargaze and mingle with astronomers. Or, for a daytime visit, you can attend an open house between 9 am and noon on the first Tuesday of each month (March through November) to view the sun through a solar telescope and receive a tour from an astronomer. These are both ticketed events, but the cost is minimal (sometimes even free). Simply preregister online.

Elephant Gallery

North Nashville

This art gallery and studio space in the Buchanan Arts District of North Nashville is irreverent, colorful, weird, and brilliant. The gallery presents both group and solo exhibitions in any style— even Garfield-themed or clown-themed styles. If you get the chance to attend a show here, you’ll notice a distinct house party vibe, complete with box wine in the kitchen and bowls of chips. Recent shows have featured face painting and a pie bake-off.

England Park

Sylvan Park

This long strip of park bordering Richland Creek is The Nations’ greenway. Featuring a paved loop trail that is part of the Richland Creek Greenway, picnic tables, and large trees, England Park offers serenity in the city.

Fannie Mae Dees Park

Hillsboro Village

While Hillsboro Village itself offers plenty of charming outdoor walking space, the nearby Fannie Mae Dee's Park is the perfect place to stop for a picnic with your Fido goodies. Take the little ones to play on the playground, and check out the large dragon statue. Kids can play on it, but, with its bright colors and funky design, it's just as fun for adults who love a good photo op.

First Tennessee Park

Germantown

First Tennessee Park is home to Nashville's triple-A baseball team the Nashville Sounds. Game attendees will enjoy a variety of concessions, including craft cocktails and small bites at outfield bar the Band Box. And if you can't sit through an entire baseball game without getting fidgety, the park also has Ping-Pong tables and a mini-golf course to keep you entertained.

Fontanel

Whites Creek

The Mansion at Fontanel is a 33,000-square-foot log cabin in Whites Creek, Tennessee, filled with country music memorabilia, instruments, and stories. It was once home to country music star Barbara Mandrell, and her glitzy taste is unmistakable throughout. (There’s even an indoor shooting range.) Guided tours of the mansion are offered daily, but that’s only the beginning. The Fontanel estate also includes the Natchez Hills Winery tasting room, Prichard’s rum and whiskey distillery, Café Fontanella, Adventureworks Zip Lines, a boutique hotel, more than 3 miles of wooded trails, and Vintage Creek, a clothing boutique and gift shop.

Fort Granger

Fort Granger was an earthwork fort created by the Union troops during the Civil War. Today, it’s a park along the Harpeth River with a self-guided walking tour through the Franklin Battlefield. Start at the beginning of the path and follow the placards to learn the history of the Battle of Franklin. If you follow the path all the way to the end, it will lead you to Pinkerton Park.

Fort Houston

Wedgewood-Houston

A makers' space offering classes, workshops, and studio and workspaces, the on-site gallery at Fort Houston has changing exhibits and is a key part of the monthly Wedgewood-Houston art crawls. Tours of the 17,000-square-foot facility are available by appointment. There is also an on-site eatery called The Loading Dock Cafe.

Nashville

Recommended Fodor's Video

Follow Us

Thank you for your interest!