Nashville combines music history with distinctive cultural sites and plenty of room to explore outdoors. When planning your stay, it helps to decide in advance: will your visit focus mainly on country music, historic buildings or parks? Each of these priorities has specific places to visit—from a weekly live show to greenways along major waterways.

Parks, Trails and Architecture

Metro Nashville Parks currently manages 15,134 acres of open space, including 178 parks and 99 miles of greenway. As of April 2019, the Nashville-area trail network included more than 300 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and paddling. Nashville’s greenways run mostly along eight major waterways: the Cumberland River, Stones River, Mill Creek, Seven Mile Creek, Browns Creek, Whites Creek, Richland Creek and Harpeth River.

Centennial Park includes a one-mile walking path. The same park is home to the Parthenon, the world’s only full-scale replica of the ancient Parthenon in Athens. This brings together a walking route and a distinctive architectural attraction in one park.

The 19-acre Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park is located in central Nashville. Visitors can explore a large granite map of the state, fountains depicting major rivers, memorials and paths engraved with information about Tennessee’s history. The park’s features bring together nature and history in a different way from the combination of a walking path and the Parthenon at Centennial Park.

History and Music

Fort Negley was the largest inland stone fortification built during the Civil War. Visitor features at this historic site include information panels and accessible paths. Two Rivers Mansion offers a different way to explore history: it is one of the best-preserved early Italianate-style houses in Middle Tennessee. The two sites therefore have different focuses—Fort Negley on the Civil War, and Two Rivers Mansion on early-house architecture.

The Grand Ole Opry presents a live show every week featuring current country music stars and emerging artists. Its history dates back to a 1925 radio program, from which it grew into a cultural landmark and global music phenomenon. If the show is important to your trip, check the event schedule in advance and plan your overnight stays around it.

The Ryman Auditorium was once the home of the Grand Ole Opry and is a landmark of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Its acoustics make for a special concert experience. The interactive gallery at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum offers a different way to take part: visitors can sing, play instruments, DJ and explore the recording process. The Hall of Fame Rotunda honors all members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Nashville’s profile also includes a culinary connection: Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack is considered the birthplace of Nashville hot chicken.

Discover more destinations: Harbour Town, Joelton, Goodlettsville, Antioch, Whites Creek, Belle Meade.

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