Things to do in Nashville

33 activities, venues and outings in Nashville, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

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

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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.".
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Helistar Aviation
Providing helicopter tours, charter services, and flight instruction in Nashville and the surrounding area.
Open daily$65-$198
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Lipscomb Bisons
Lipscomb University is a private school that competes in the ASUN Conference. Best known for its longstanding rivalry with nearby Belmont; despite being in different conferences, the men's and women's basketball teams play twice each season (most nonconference basketball rivalries are played only once a year).
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Nashville SC
The 2020 season began a new era for soccer in Nashville with the arrival of Nashville SC in Major League Soccer. The MLS team took over the name of a side that played the 2018 and 2019 seasons in the second-level USL Championship. The MLS team, which played its first two seasons at Nissan Stadium, opened the new Geodis Park in May 2022 at the former state fairgrounds just south of downtown. (It started that season on a long road trip to accommodate construction.)
From $25 to $200
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Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
Displaying many animals and hosting activities for the family, including a large playground with two-story netting that you can swing onto (off a rope), or just jump and roll around on. The zoo is getting bigger and better every day. There is an aviary where you can feed lorikeets nectar by hand, and an amazing hand-carved wooden carousel.
Apr-Oct 9AM-6PM, Nov-Mar 9AM-4PM. Closed 1 Jan, Thanksgiving Day, 25 Dec.Adults $24, Seniors $22, Child (2-12) $20 (discounts may be available on select days)
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Radnor Lake
Often called "Nashville's Walden," Radnor Lake was formed when the railroad companies dammed up a small stream to provide a reliable water source for their railroad yards. Although it is in the heart of a residential suburb south of town, hikers on the miles of trails around the pond feel like they are in the heart of the wilderness.
6AM-sunset. Visitor Center Sun-Thu 9AM-5PM, Fri Sat 8AM-4:30PM
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Ryman Auditorium
Completed in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle as commissioned by riverboat Captain Thomas Green Ryman, a newly converted southern evangelist. The Ryman has earned its mark in history by hosting the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 and is now a fantastically intimate setting for concerts of all genres. It was named Pollstar's "America's Theatre of the Year" for two years in a row, and one of CitySearch's top ten "Best Places to Hear Live Music.".
9AM-4PM daily for tours. Closed 1 Jan, Thanksgiving, 24-25 Dec$8.50 for the standard tour or $11.75 to add the backstage tour, Children (4-11) $4.25 or $7.50 respectively
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Tennessee Performing Arts Center
TPAC
TPAC is home to HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, and other special engagements.
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The Escape Game - Berry Hill
The Escape Game offers nine rooms in three locations with the same main objective - to escape within an hour! - but each game has a unique, immersive theme with different surprise elements and game components. Note that games are not private unless the maximum number of players are purchased by your group.
10AM-Midnight$32.99-37.99
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Yazoo Brewery
Yazoo Brewing Company is brewed and bottled in downtown Nashville. The Brewery offers tours only on Saturdays, when they're not brewing. You'll get to walk through all parts of the brewery and learn how the beers are made. With your admission you'll also receive a Yazoo pint glass and samples of beers during the tour.
Wed Thu 5PM, 6PM; Fri 5PM, 6PM, 7PM; Sat noon-7PM$10
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Belmont Bruins
The Bruins, representing Belmont University, are one of several less expensive alternatives to Vanderbilt for those wanting a college sports experience. The Bruins, which do not have a football team, compete mostly in the Missouri Valley Conference. The most popular sport by far is men's basketball, which has become a frequent NCAA tournament participant. Their rivalry with Lipscomb, a couple of miles down the road and outside the scope of this section, is one of the most intense (and under-the-radar) rivalries in the ranks of the so-called "mid-majors".
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Nashville Golf
Metro Parks offers seven golf courses. All courses are open seven days a week through Labor Day: 7AM-dark on week ends, and 8AM-dark on week days. After Labor Day, autumn hours go into effect. Check courses for details. Three of the seven golf courses are in eastern Nashville:
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Nashville Predators
The local NHL hockey team plays their home games at (previously Gaylord Entertainment Center and Sommet Center), which is on Broadway in the heart of downtown.
From $19 and are available through Ticketmaster
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Nashville Sounds
The local Minor League Baseball team plays at as the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
From $12 to $45 when purchased on game days
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Nashville Symphony
The Nashville Symphony is in the and offers a variety of concerts throughout the year. For those on a budget be sure to visit the Free Day of Music offered by the center in early October.
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Tennessee State Tigers
Those interested in African-American culture may also be drawn to the Tigers (and Lady Tigers), representing Tennessee State University, the city's largest historically black school. Unlike most historically black schools, which compete in conferences that consist mostly or entirely of such schools, TSU is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (and has been since 1986). Most venues are on campus; the football team has an on-campus stadium, but plays at Nissan Stadium for almost all of its home games.
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Tennessee Titans
The local NFL football team plays their home games at (formerly Adelphia Coliseum and LP Field), which is across the river from downtown. Once the Houston Oilers, the team was relocated as the Tennessee Titans in 1999. A new Nissan Stadium is being built across the street and is scheduled to open in 2027.
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Vanderbilt Commodores
The Vanderbilt Commodores represent Vanderbilt University, one of Nashville's larger sports attractions. As members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), they compete against many colleges and universities throughout the southeastern United States. Vanderbilt is the SEC's only private school and the conference's smallest school by enrollment. The best-known Vanderbilt sports venues are, home to the football team, and, home to the men's and women's basketball teams and one of the most unique settings in the sport. The baseball team won the Men's College World Series in 2014 and 2019.
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Harpeth Hills Golf Course
2424 Old Hickory Blvd
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McCabe Golf Course
46th & Murphy Rd
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Percy Warner Golf Course
Forrest Park Dr
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Shelby Golf Course
20th & Fatherland
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Ted Rhodes Golf Course
1901 Ed Temple Blvd
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Two Rivers Golf Course
Two Rivers Pkwy
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VinnyLinks
2009 Sevier St

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