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Museums and galleries in Nashville

12 museums and galleries in Nashville, from the big collections to small independent spaces.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Museums and galleries in Nashville

  1. Do

    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 DayAdult: $18, Youth (2-12) $14

  2. Do

    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 JuneAdults $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

  3. See

    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

  4. Buy

    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.

  5. Do

    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

  6. See

    Tennessee State Capitol

    Union Fort Johnson

    Guided tours of the Capitol are provided free of charge by staff of the Tennessee State Museum. Enter the Capitol using the West entrance. Visitors are required to pass through metal detectors and show photo identification.

    Mon–Fri 8AM–4PM. Closed all holidaysFree

  7. See

    The Hermitage

    The former home of U.S. President Andrew Jackson is full of his family's personal possessions, and is adorned with much of the furniture that they personally purchased. It was one of the first historic preservation projects in the state of Tennessee. This was accomplished by the Ladies' Hermitage Association which was modeled after the Mount Vernon Ladies Association that had restored George Washington's home. Plan for a two-hour tour with a moderate amount of walking. No cameras, video cameras, food, or drink are allowed within the Hermitage or the exhibit gallery. Security precautions are taken and the Hermitage asks that all backpacks or large bags be left in your vehicle.

    Nov–Feb: 9AM–5PM; Mar–Oct: 8:30AM–6PM. Closed Thanksgiving and 25 Dec.$27 adult, $24 seniors, $17 youth (13–18), $12 children (6–12), free children 5 and under. Family pass for 2 adults and 2 children, $62

  8. See

    The Johnny Cash Museum & Cafe

    A museum featuring pictures and memorabilia of icon Johnny Cash.

  9. See Not mapped

    Tennessee State Museum

    With over 70,000 square feet (6500 m²) of exhibit space, this is one of the nation's largest state museums. Its permanent exhibits are split into several categories, including: Prehistoric, Frontier, Age of Jackson, Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction.

    Tue-Fri 10AM–5PM, Sat Noon-5PM, Sun 1–5PM. Closed 1 Jan, Easter, Thanksgiving, and 25 DecFree (temporary exhibits may have an admission charge)

  10. See

    Lane Motor Museum

    150 cars and motorcycles from the 1920s up to modern day.

    Thu-Mon 10AM-5PMAdult $12, senior $8, youth (6-17) $3

  11. See

    Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum

    401 Gay St

  12. See

    National Museum of African American Music

    510 Broadway

    Sun Mon noon-5PM, Tue-Sat 10AM-5PMAdult $24.95, senior (65+) $19.95, youth (7-17) $13.50, child (under 7) free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Nashville (CC BY-SA 4.0).