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Nashville, Tennessee

Aerial view of Nashville
Aerial view of Nashville. Mike Fox | Unsplash

The state capital is home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, legendary music venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House and other lively honky-tonks that make Nashville a must-visit destination for country music lovers.

The Music City’s food scene is as noteworthy as it is diverse, with options ranging from Nashville hot chicken joints to farm-to-table concepts. Nashville is a three-hour drive from Memphis.

Though it’s known as Music City, Nashville offers much more than country crooners and live entertainment on every block.

Aerial view of Nashville
Aerial view of Nashville. Mike Fox | Unsplash

The state capital boasts a thriving arts community, a critically-acclaimed food scene, three professional sports teams and one of the fastest growing economies in America.

The most populous city in the state, Nashville surrounds a bend in the Cumberland River and offers plenty of recreational activities on the water and on land, from kayaking and paddle boarding to hiking, cycling and birding.

Parks/

Gardens

Photo of Centennial Park in Nashville, TN

The 132-acre green space features a lake, arts center, historical monuments, sand volleyball courts, a sunken garden and amphitheater. Centennial is also home to a sportsplex and dog park.

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photo of red flowers

The 1930s mansion was once a stately family home but in the 1960s was transformed into a museum, arboretum and botanic garden that sprawls across 50 acres of cultivated land. Each year, the site welcomes more than 400,000 visitors. 

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Photo of an indoor garden with lot of ferns and shrubbery

Around 50,000 tropical plants, lush foliage, waterfalls and Southern magnolias are on view in this nine-acre, temperature-controlled interior garden, located inside the resort. 

Visit website
photo of Nashville Riverfront

The annual Wine on the River festival is held at Riverfront Park, along with a number of other seasonal events. The five-acre park features an amphitheater where outdoor concerts are regularly held, and is located on the banks of the Cumberland River.

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photo looking up at a tree canopy

Nearly 15 miles of hiking trails wend through Beaman Park, a green space located about 20 minutes outside Downtown Nashville. Bird watching is a popular pastime here and there’s a nature center on site.

Find out more
Photo of Centennial Park in Nashville, TN

The 132-acre green space features a lake, arts center, historical monuments, sand volleyball courts, a sunken garden and amphitheater. Centennial is also home to a sportsplex and dog park.

Learn more
photo of red flowers

The 1930s mansion was once a stately family home but in the 1960s was transformed into a museum, arboretum and botanic garden that sprawls across 50 acres of cultivated land. Each year, the site welcomes more than 400,000 visitors. 

Find out more
Photo of an indoor garden with lot of ferns and shrubbery

Around 50,000 tropical plants, lush foliage, waterfalls and Southern magnolias are on view in this nine-acre, temperature-controlled interior garden, located inside the resort. 

Visit website
photo of Nashville Riverfront

The annual Wine on the River festival is held at Riverfront Park, along with a number of other seasonal events. The five-acre park features an amphitheater where outdoor concerts are regularly held, and is located on the banks of the Cumberland River.

Learn more
photo looking up at a tree canopy

Nearly 15 miles of hiking trails wend through Beaman Park, a green space located about 20 minutes outside Downtown Nashville. Bird watching is a popular pastime here and there’s a nature center on site.

Find out more

Restaurants

Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville

Celebrating 40 years of business in 2022, The Bluebird Cafe has helped countless country music legends prove their talents and, as a result, has become one of the most buzzworthy venues in town. Each year, more than 70,000 people, including celebs, head to the intimate cafe to catch a show where Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, The Indigo Girls and Taylor Swift all had pivotal career moments.

Learn more
Cocktails at the Black Rabbit in Nashville, TN

Located in Nashville’s historic Printer’s Alley, Black Rabbit is modeled after the speakeasies that once dotted the area. The bar and adjacent patio serves craft cocktails and a menu featuring both plant-based small plates and savory game dishes, including rabbit, along with hearty entrees.

Find out more
Photo of exterior of a restaurant

Three floors offer an array of fun at Acme Feed & Seed, a restaurant, stage and lounge housed in an old farm supply building. A rooftop bar shows off views of downtown, while a first floor honky-tonk and second floor sushi bar and lounge attract locals and tourists alike.

Visit website
Stock photo of waffles and chicken on a metal tray

A double-deck rooftop bar makes this expansive downtown venue different from the rest. The 55,000-square-foot, six-story space boasts four bars and is owned by country-rock musician Gavin DeGraw and his brother. Here, visitors can watch a variety of acts or dine on local specialties at Mimi’s Hot Chicken and Barbecue.

Find out more
Photo of hands of people diving into plate of appetizers

The upscale restaurant and lounge opened in 2021 in downtown Nashville and features a menu of New American cuisine for brunch, lunch and dinner. Menu standouts include Idaho trout with red cabbage curtido and a kurobuta pork chop with smoked tomato butter and spring succotash.

Learn more
Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville

Celebrating 40 years of business in 2022, The Bluebird Cafe has helped countless country music legends prove their talents and, as a result, has become one of the most buzzworthy venues in town. Each year, more than 70,000 people, including celebs, head to the intimate cafe to catch a show where Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, The Indigo Girls and Taylor Swift all had pivotal career moments.

Learn more
Cocktails at the Black Rabbit in Nashville, TN

Located in Nashville’s historic Printer’s Alley, Black Rabbit is modeled after the speakeasies that once dotted the area. The bar and adjacent patio serves craft cocktails and a menu featuring both plant-based small plates and savory game dishes, including rabbit, along with hearty entrees.

Find out more
Photo of exterior of a restaurant

Three floors offer an array of fun at Acme Feed & Seed, a restaurant, stage and lounge housed in an old farm supply building. A rooftop bar shows off views of downtown, while a first floor honky-tonk and second floor sushi bar and lounge attract locals and tourists alike.

Visit website
Stock photo of waffles and chicken on a metal tray

A double-deck rooftop bar makes this expansive downtown venue different from the rest. The 55,000-square-foot, six-story space boasts four bars and is owned by country-rock musician Gavin DeGraw and his brother. Here, visitors can watch a variety of acts or dine on local specialties at Mimi’s Hot Chicken and Barbecue.

Find out more
Photo of hands of people diving into plate of appetizers

The upscale restaurant and lounge opened in 2021 in downtown Nashville and features a menu of New American cuisine for brunch, lunch and dinner. Menu standouts include Idaho trout with red cabbage curtido and a kurobuta pork chop with smoked tomato butter and spring succotash.

Learn more

Arts/

Culture

Photo of exterior of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The museum is on a mission “to collect, preserve and interpret the evolving history and traditions of country music.” In 2014, it unveiled a $100 million expansion that doubled its footprint. The space now includes more than 350,000 square feet of galleries, archival storage, event venues and retail shops. Hands-on experiences and classes are held at the museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center.

Visit website
Photo of Exterior of Grand Ole Opry house

The 95-year-old stage has been home to many of country music’s greats. 2022 shows include performances by Carrie Underwood, Edwin McCain and The Oak Ridge Boys.

Visit website
Image of the exterior of the Frist Museum in Nashville

Opened in 2001, the Frist presents touring exhibitions from some of the most important collections in the world, as well as shows curated in-house that change every few months. A non-collecting museum, the nonprofit produces all-ages educational programming to interpret and complement the works on display. 

Visit website
image of printer's slugs

Each year, more than 100,000 visitors stop by Hatch Show Print and its Haley Gallery. Here you can get a tour of the facility and learn how the historic and storied letterpress shop and design studio produces concert posters for bands to this day.

Find out more
Image of exterior of the Tennessee State Museum

Regional history and culture are chronicled through exhibitions and educational programs at the Tennessee State Museum. Permanent exhibitions cover topics such as natural history, the Civil War and reconstruction and Tennessee’s first peoples, who arrived at the end of the Ice Age. 

Find out more
Photo of exterior of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The museum is on a mission “to collect, preserve and interpret the evolving history and traditions of country music.” In 2014, it unveiled a $100 million expansion that doubled its footprint. The space now includes more than 350,000 square feet of galleries, archival storage, event venues and retail shops. Hands-on experiences and classes are held at the museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center.

Visit website
Photo of Exterior of Grand Ole Opry house

The 95-year-old stage has been home to many of country music’s greats. 2022 shows include performances by Carrie Underwood, Edwin McCain and The Oak Ridge Boys.

Visit website
Image of the exterior of the Frist Museum in Nashville

Opened in 2001, the Frist presents touring exhibitions from some of the most important collections in the world, as well as shows curated in-house that change every few months. A non-collecting museum, the nonprofit produces all-ages educational programming to interpret and complement the works on display. 

Visit website
image of printer's slugs

Each year, more than 100,000 visitors stop by Hatch Show Print and its Haley Gallery. Here you can get a tour of the facility and learn how the historic and storied letterpress shop and design studio produces concert posters for bands to this day.

Find out more
Image of exterior of the Tennessee State Museum

Regional history and culture are chronicled through exhibitions and educational programs at the Tennessee State Museum. Permanent exhibitions cover topics such as natural history, the Civil War and reconstruction and Tennessee’s first peoples, who arrived at the end of the Ice Age. 

Find out more

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