Part of our Tennessee guide.
This page gathers three guides from our Nashville-Davidson coverage: 12 historic sites, 7 local eateries, and 6 unforgettable experiences.
Related travel guides: Nashville Travel Guide, Nashville's Secret River Pathway, 35 Must Visit Places In Nashville, Nashville's Belmont Mansion: A Gilded Age Gem, and 30 Hidden Gems In Nashville.
12 Must-Visit Historic Sites In Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
The Ryman Auditorium, known as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” opened in 1892. The Tennessee State Capitol, completed in 1859, sits on a hill overlooking the city. Fort Nashborough, a reconstruction of the original 1779 fort, marks the city’s founding. The Belle Meade Plantation, established in 1807, offers tours of its Greek Revival mansion and thoroughbred stables. The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s plantation home, includes the seventh president’s tomb and a 1,120-acre historic landscape. The Parthenon in Centennial Park is a full-scale replica of the original in Athens, built for Tennessee’s 1897 Centennial Exposition. The Civil War’s Battle of Nashville (1864) is remembered at sites like the Fort Negley park and the Nashville National Cemetery. The Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, a 1930s Georgian-style mansion, houses American art and 55 acres of gardens. The Arcade, a 1903 shopping arcade with a glass roof, connects Fourth and Fifth Avenues. The Tennessee State Museum, free to enter, covers the state’s natural and civil history from prehistoric times to the 20th century. The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum honors all genres, with exhibits on studio musicians and songwriters. The Frist Art Museum, housed in a 1933 post office building, rotates exhibitions from international collections. These 12 sites reveal the city’s evolution from frontier fort to Music City.
7 Best Local Eateries In Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
The 7 best include: Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, the original source of Nashville hot chicken, open since the 1940s. Loveless Café, a 1950s roadside diner west of the city, known for its biscuits and preserves. The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden, a 2012 revival of a 1920s pharmacy, serves burgers and milkshakes. Arnold’s Country Kitchen, a meat-and-three on Eighth Avenue, offers daily rotating sides like fried okra and macaroni and cheese. Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish, another hot-chicken contender, uses a cayenne-heavy rub. Mas Tacos Por Favor, a food truck turned brick-and-mortar on Gallatin Avenue, serves fish tacos and elote. Rolf and Daughters, a pasta-focused restaurant in the Germantown neighborhood, uses house-made noodles and seasonal ingredients. Each spot reflects the city’s culinary diversity, from century-old recipes to modern interpretations.
6 Unforgettable Experiences In Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
First, attend the Grand Ole Opry at the Opry House, a live radio show that has hosted country stars since 1925. Second, walk Broadway’s honky-tonks, where live music plays daily from noon until late night at venues like Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Robert’s Western World. Third, explore Centennial Park, home to the full-scale Parthenon and walking trails that also connect to hiking and the outdoors in Tennessee. Fourth, visit the Johnny Cash Museum, which holds the largest collection of Cash memorabilia, including his guitar and stage costumes. Fifth, tour the Tennessee Whiskey Trail’s urban distilleries, such as Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery (founded 1869, reopened 2014) and Corsair Distillery, which produces experimental spirits. Sixth, take a kayak or paddleboard on the Cumberland River, which runs through downtown and offers views of the skyline and the Shelby Street Bridge. These six experiences—music, history, nature, and drink—define a visit to Music City.
