Nashville

100 Oaks Mall

Formerly a mall, 100 Oaks's shopping options are the street level vendors. The building houses clinic facilities for Vanderbilt Medical Center, but shops remain open, too.

3rd and Lindsley

3rd and Lindsley offers loud country- and blues-rock from local and touring performers.

AT&T Building

An instantly recognizable downtown Nashville landmark, the AT&T Building, built in 1994 at 333 Commerce Street, is the tallest building in the state of Tennessee and can be seen from quite some distance if the hills aren't in your way. Its two tall spires on the building have earned it the nickname, "The Batman Building."

Adventure Science Center

Formerly the Cumberland Science Museum

It has been remodeled. Interesting exhibits which change every few weeks.

9AM-5PM except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day·Adult: $18, Youth (2-12) $14

Barista Parlor

The first in a chain of serious-minded coffee shops, the original is based in East Nashville, Barista Parlor is already a staple for local coffee lovers and has attained a reputation of style and quality.

Belle Meade Plantation

Featuring the mansion built in 1853 and restored, as well as the carriage house from 1890 and one of the oldest log cabins in Tennessee, built in 1790. There is a great deal of history associated with the plantation starting from before the American Civil War. Excellent, highly interesting guided tours of the plantation mansion are offered by the local heritage society.

9AM–5PM. Closed Easter Sun, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.·$24, Seniors $20, children 6–12 $13, children under 6 free

Belmont Mansion

An approximately one-hour guided tour of 16 rooms in the mansion. Also walk the grounds to examine the marble statues and cast iron ornaments in the gardens.

Mon–Sat 10AM–4PM, Sun 11AM–4PM. Closed Memorial Day·$16, seniors $15, youth 13-18 $7, children 6–12 $5

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

A fascinating state park stretched out in front of the state capital building. Features a giant map of the state, monuments recounting the history of the state since prehistoric times, a carillon, and more. In the summer, the fountains are often filled with splashing kids. The park is next to the farmers market, which includes a food court, fish market, nursery, as well as the expected vendors hawking fruits and vegetables. The Nashville Business Journal's Book of Lists ranks Bicentennial Capital Mall State Park as Nashville's #1 Tourist Attraction.

Free

Bluebird Cafe

With its unlikely location in a strip mall in Green Hills, has long been the destination of choice for local and national songwriters, fans of songwriters, and label scouts. Expect schmoozing, sets in-the-round, and lines around the block. Keep in mind, though, that quiet is requested at all times during a performance. This is where Taylor Swift first performed and got discovered by Scott Borchetta and Big Machine Records.

Bobbie's Dairy Dip

An endearingly dingy 1950s ice cream stand on Charlotte Ave., that has been revived into a popular summer mainstay that's popular with every demographic. Their hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries are some of Nashville's favorites, and the strawberry shortcake's great.

Bongo Java

The first and most relaxed in a very successful local mini-chain of quirky coffeehouses, Bongo Java is a meeting place for the young, the arty, and the students at Belmont University just across the street. Linger for hours on the huge porch over several cups of their incredibly strong, flavorful coffee, and take advantage of the free computer, Wi-Fi, and chess set use.

CREMA

Popular coffee shop about a mile south of downtown. Known for its hand-crafted coffee creations and their selection of baked goods. Wifi friendly.

Cafe Nonna

Another well-liked Italian restaurant, this intimate neighborhood place keeps its menu small and its dishes impeccably prepared. With the fresh ingredients and simple preparation, you might as easily be in some Tuscan hill town. Located in Sylvan Park.

Catbird Seat

32 seats surround a U-shaped kitchen, where chefs Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson prepare a multi-course tasting menu ($100 per person) with drink pairings ($20, $40, or $75 per person). Discussions with the chefs are encouraged as part of the experience. Reservations required, available one month in advance on the restaurant's website.

Wed–Sat 5:30PM–9PM

Category 10 (formerly Wild Horse Saloon)

Located downtown, it offers line-dancing lessons during the day. A multi-level bar with rooftop deck, it is near quite a few other bars and clubs aimed at country music fans and tourists downtown, most of which tend to be bustling on weekends. Luke Combs' honky-tonk with a reference to a category 10 hurricane.

Centennial Park

Features a nice duck pond, where you can get up close with the ducks and feed them, as well as a real steam engine train, dating to the 1800s and a fighter jet on a large, metal stand, to give the appearance of flight.

Centennial Sportsplex

Located in Centennial Park. Featuring two indoor ice skating rinks, two pools, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and a fitness room. Call or check online for the schedules, as they vary from month to month. The Sportsplex is also a practice location for the Nashville Predators professional hockey team.

Ice skating $6 with skate rentals available for $2

Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art

A 55-acre (22 ha) estate built by the founders of Maxwell House coffee on the fringes of the city featuring an art museum and a beautiful botanical garden. The art museum features American and Europeans exhibits.

Tue-Sat 9:30AM-4:30PM, Sun 11AM-4:30PM. Closed on every Mon except for Memorial Day and Labor Day. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's day, as well as the second Sat in June·Adults $10, Seniors $8, College Students $5, Children 3-13 $5, Children under 3 free. The most any family will pay is $30, thanks to an admission cap

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Regularly changing exhibits and live performances make this Nashville landmark someplace to visit often. The Hall of Fame moved here in 2000. Ticket packages for guided or audio tours also available, and can be combined with a tour with the RCA Studio B and the Ryman Auditorium.

Sat-Thu 9AM–5PM, Fri 9AM-6PM (closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day)·Adult $27.95, youth (6-12) $17.95, child under 5 free

East Nashville/5 Points

Head to Hip Zipper for vintage clothing, The Turnip Truck for health food, or Art and Invention Gallery for fine art and handmade jewelry.

Exit/In

A standby for mid-level touring bands of all varieties for decades. Check out the names of past performers over the bar.

Fido

A sister-cafe to Bongo Java, Fido offers the same brew as the other Bongo Java locations while also offering an array of breakfast/brunch options. You may even be able to snag discounted day-old bagels to pair with your espresso.

Fort Negley

A Civil War-era fort partially reconstructed by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Taken by Union forces early in the war, Nashville quickly became the second most fortified city in the U.S. during the Civil War because it was seen as crucial to supplying troops engaged on the war's western front. The 1864 Battle of Nashville — a failed attempt by the Confederate army to retake the city — raged throughout what are now the residential and commercial districts on the fringes of the city. Much of the work on the fort was done by slaves and freed blacks who were rounded up and forced to work on the structure. The fort was closed for years (allegedly because it reminded many Nashvillians of the Union occupation), but reopened in 2004 with new boardwalks and interpretive signs.

Sep-May: Tue-Fri noon-4PM, Sat 9AM-4PM; Jun-Aug: Tue-Thu noon-4PM, Fri-Sat 9AM-4PM·Free

Frist Art Museum

formerly Frist Center for the Visual Arts

Featuring 24,000 sq. feet (6500 m²) of gallery space with exhibits from local through to regional and all the way to international artists. The Frist strives to be a family friendly museum and as such has created ArtQuest, a colorful space with 30 interactive stations.

Mon–Sat 10AM–5:30 PM, Sun 1–5:30PM

Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center

This hotel is worth seeing even if you are not staying there. It is the largest non-casino hotel in the world, and is built around three enormous atria, the largest of which has an artificial river with boat rides around an island.

General Jackson Showboat

Get a meal and a show on this classically styled 300 ft long paddlewheel boat. Midday cruises, including buffet and show.

Shows and schedules vary throughout the year·$38.95 plus tax for adults and $21.95 for kids 4-11. Dinner cruises range from $44.95 to $74.95 for adults and $27.95 to $42.95 for kids

Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music radio program and concert broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville every Friday and Saturday night, and Tuesdays from March through December. It is the oldest continuous radio program in the United States, having been broadcast on WSM since 5 October 1925. The Opry has been located in the Grand Ole Opry House in eastern Nashville since 1974. From 1974 to 1997 the Opry House was part of a theme park called Opryland USA, which closed due to low attendance and was torn down and replaced by a mega-shopping mall called Opry Mills. Rumors that the Opry is haunted persist as more than 35 people closely associated with the Opry have been met with untimely deaths. These country stars have been burned to death, beaten, robbed, and shot, have been victims of car and plane crashes and have perished from alcohol and drugs.

Grimey's

The best independent record store in town. Cramped, but has a good selection of vinyl. Hosts free in-store performances by both local and nationally-known bands, usually in the afternoon or early evening.

Hatch Show Print

Visit this traditional printing shop that uses letterpresses to create posters for entertainment events to see them prepare some posters. As the Hatch brothers allegedly put it, "Advertising without posters is like fishing without worms.".

Helistar Aviation

Providing helicopter tours, charter services, and flight instruction in Nashville and the surrounding area.

Open daily·$65-$198