Places to visit in Nashville

Nashville is known for its country music industry and has a lot to offer tourists. For example, Tennessee State Capitol has an impressive collection of art from different periods in American history.

Some attractions include the nearby Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, which holds concerts by major stars, and Music City Center, a 200,000 square-meter arena used for ice shows and circuses, as well as professional wrestling and basketball games.

From the Broadway and Blues District to the array of museums, there is plenty to see and do in the city. Some of the best attractions to visit in Nashville include the following:

• Broadway and Blues District. This area of Nashville is home to some of the city's most historic and beautiful theaters. This area has something for everyone, from the Grand Ole Opry to the Ryman Auditorium.
• Nissan Stadium. This sports complex is the home of the Tennessee Titans and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. From watching a game on the massive field to checking out the luxury suites, there is plenty to do at Nissan Stadium.
• The Hermitage. This beautiful palace is home to many notable historical events and is a popular tourist destination. From touring the ornate rooms to viewing the outstanding art collections, it is an exciting place to visit.

There is a lot to see and do in Nashville, Tennessee, and it is a city sure to captivate anyone who visits.

From the beautiful theaters to the world-famous sports complex, there is something everyone can enjoy in Nashville.

You can also check out other activities at getyourguide.com for more regional attractions.

Nashville: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville has been called the "Smithsonian of country music" for its cultural impact, educational mission, and historical artifacts.

Launched in 1967 on Music Row, the museum moved downtown in 2001 and doubled its size in 2014.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has 350,000 square feet of galleries, archival storage, retail stores, event space, Taylor Swift Education Center classrooms, and performance space in the CMA Theater and Ford Theater.

Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music tells the museum's story. Sing Me Back Home reveals country music's origins, traditions, and honored architects through artifacts, photographs, recorded sound, vintage video, and interactive touchscreens.

Each year, new limited-engagement exhibitions complement and expand on that foundation, including American Currents: State of the Music, which highlights today's stars, songs, and stories and how they connect to country music's rich history.

The museum engages schools, students, and families from Tennessee and beyond with educational programs, workshops, and creative classes. Museum educators reach more than 100,000 participants yearly with programs like weekly instrument demonstrations and Words & Music.

Creative platforms include mission-driven media and multimedia at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

The museum operates the Grammy-winning reissue label CMF Records (The Complete Hank Williams and Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970) and CMF Press, which publishes exhibit-related books with other trade publishers.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum own Hatch Show Print (located inside the Museum complex). Historic RCA Studio B is Nashville's oldest recording studio. Mike Curb Family Foundation and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum partner in preserving Studio B.

Since 1987, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Nashville: Grand Ole Opry Show Ticket

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music concert held in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded by George D. Hay on November 28, 1925, as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM.

Opry Entertainment (a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.) currently owns and operates the longest-running radio broadcast in United States history.

The Opry is devoted to celebrating the history of country music and features a variety of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, and gospel music, as well as comedic performances and skits.

It attracts millions of radio and internet listeners and hundreds of thousands of international visitors.

In the 1930s, the show expanded to four hours and began employing professionals. WSM, broadcasting at 50,000 watts then, made the program a Saturday night musical tradition in nearly thirty states.

It made its national debut on NBC Radio in 1939. In 1943, the Opry relocated to its permanent home, the Ryman Auditorium. As its importance grew, so did Nashville, which became the "country music capital" of the United States.

The Grand Ole Opry is so significant to the city of Nashville that it is listed as the "home of" on welcome signs at the Metro Nashville/Davidson County line.

Membership in the Grand Ole Opry remains among country music's highest honors.

The show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville since 1974, with an annual three-month winter foray to the Ryman from 1999 to 2020.

In addition to radio broadcasts, performances have occasionally been televised.

Circle, a digital multicast network partially owned by Opry Entertainment, is currently Opry's television partner and regularly broadcasts portions of the live Saturday night performance.

Nashville: National Museum of African American Music Entry

Nashville, Tennessee, is the location of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM). The museum displays musical genres created, influenced, or inspired by African-Americans.

The museum will reportedly consist of five permanent themed galleries, a 200-seat theater, and traveling exhibits in the future. In May 2018, Dr. Dina Bennett was appointed its founding curator.

The museum exhibits more than fifty musical genres inspired, created, or influenced by African American culture, from early American religious music to hip-hop, rhythm, and blues.

Its collection will include garments worn by Nat King Cole, Dorothy Dandridge, Whitney Houston, and Lisa Lopes, among others.

It is anticipated that the first traveling exhibit will be about the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Members of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce proposed the museum in 2002 to preserve and celebrate African American music, art, and culture.

After a task force conducted a feasibility study, the project shifted to concentrate solely on music over ten years.

The mission of the NMAAM is to preserve African American musical traditions and recognize the central role African Americans have played in shaping American music.

In February 2019, the museum received $500,000 from the Regions Foundation and $500,000 from the Mike Curb Foundation.

The City of Nashville announced in 2015 that NMAAM would occupy the former convention center site.

In April 2017, the National Museum of African American Music broke ground. The opening ceremony took place on January 18, 2021.

Nashville Zoo: Skip-the-Line Admission Ticket

The Nashville Zoo is a zoological garden and historic plantation farmhouse located six miles (nine kilometers) southeast of downtown Nashville.

The zoo's grounds encompass approximately 188 acres (76 hectares). It holds membership in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Michael and Elizabeth Dunn once owned a 300-acre slave-holding farm on which the Nashville Zoo now stands.

The 1810 slave-built original residence of Dunn is still on the property. Margaret and Elise Croft, great-great-granddaughters of the original owner Michael Dunn, were the last family members to reside at this location.

In 1989, while evaluating the property's archaeological resources, archaeologists discovered an unmarked cemetery near the entrance to Grasmere off Nolensville Road.

In 1997, when construction of the zoo began, this cemetery was not disturbed.

Only in 2013, when a newer entry plaza was planned, did the zoo request that the state archaeologist exhume the bodies and relocate their remains closer to the historic Dunn house. This excavation uncovered the remains of nine to thirty African-Americans buried there.

The Nashville Zoo supported nearly fifty conservation programs in 2019. These efforts include coral rescue, fighting against wildlife trafficking, and preserving endangered or threatened species locally and globally.