ret

Hi,

My family and I will be in Nashville for 3 nights in June. Most of my time will be spent attending a conference, but my husband will be twirling around town with our 18 month old son. Are there music venues that are family friendly? Other than the Frist Museum and Adventure Science museum, are there any other attractions/events that you would recommend? We're from Chicago and have access to plenty of museums so hoping we could spend our time exploring sights that are unique to Nashville.

Thanks!!!!

kudzu

Check out the Country Music Hall of Fame!

aliska

Tell them to take a ride to see the Hermitage, the home of Pres Andrew Jackson. It's not too far away and the house & grounds are lovely. Would imagine your husband would appreciate architecture coming from Chicago and he could push the baby in a stroller.

Also, husband might enjoy seeing the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, about a 2 hour drive. He can easily push the stroller and Lynchburg is a cute little town.

jent103

I'm having trouble thinking of a single venue in town that would be an atmosphere that a toddler would like, *and* that would be accepting of a toddler. Some of the honky-tonks on Lower Broadway are open during the afternoons; you might try those. Of course they won't be geared toward kids (and take some ear protection, wherever you end up going - venues can be really loud, especially for kids), but it might work if you and your husband just want to hang out for a bit. Otherwise, I'm struggling. Places like the Ryman or the Bluebird are different, but still for an adult crowd. Talking is strongly frowned upon at the Bluebird, so definitely not a place for an active toddler. Besides, most of the shows around town don't start until 8, 9, 10 o'clock.

The CMHOF is great, and I would definitely second that recommendation! They also have music sometimes (looks like on Saturdays, usually), so that might be somewhere you could check out.

Where will you be staying? Dragon Park near Vanderbilt is great for kids. It's just a small neighborhood park, but there's a big dragon in it that's fun to play on. Centennial Park is also near Vanderbilt; there's plenty of open space for your son to run around. If the weather's terrible and your son is getting antsy, The Monkey's Treehouse in Bellevue is an indoor playground. It's probably 15-20 minutes from downtown and there is a fee to get in.

themonkeystreehouse.com

misha2

The downtown library has a little puppet theater that might have something age appropriate. Also, the Warner Park Nature Center has wonderful outdoor play spaces.

ret

Thanks so much! This is a great starting point and I will share these suggestions with my husband. Jent103, we're staying at the Gaylord, which many people have advised against. My conference is being held there so didn't have a choice.

trvlgirlmq

ret - Gaylord has indoor and outdoor pools so that might be something to do as well.

If they go downtown there is Riverfront Park (not the kind with swings etc). There is a replica of the first fort built and a walking trail begins there. It will take them all through the historic areas like Tin Pan Alley and past all the great buildings including the library. Historic markers are along the way and you get a nice sense of Nashville history.

If he is into Civil War stuff there is Carnton Plantation and the Battle of Franklin sites in Franklin. About 30 minutes from downtown. Also, Stones River Battlefield in Murfreesboro about an hour away.

For just plain amusement for a small child I would hit Centennial Park (playground, feeding ducks in the lake, lots of open grass to run on). Also houses the Parthenon replica.

jent103

The Gaylord (aka Opryland Hotel) is a decent drive from downtown and any other tourist attractions. That's why people don't recommend it. But the good news is that there's tons of space inside the hotel to walk around and play - canals and waterfalls, gardens, lots for a little boy to look at. It's really an amazing hotel - there's enough inside it where you could not leave the entire time, if you wanted to (not that I'm recommending that ). There's also Opry Mills mall right next door, which has the Aquarium and Rainforest Cafe restaurants. Not sure how the adults would feel about those, but your son might like them.