SuzieTrue

DH and I will have one full free day to explore Nashville after a skating competition. Unfortunately it is SuperBowl Sunday [Feb. 3]. We are interested in history and museums. A number of places sound interesting like the Capitol Building and the Hermitage. Just wondering about hours of operation on a winter Sunday. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

We will also have a few hours Monday morning since our flight out is at 3:30. Not sure what would be in the direction of the airport.


SuzieTrue

SiteC_er

Check out the Parthenon /Museum...across the street from Vanderbilt University. We were impressed and amazed at the history behind the building.

trvlgirlmq

SuzieTrue - Everything will be open on Sunday. The Hermitage is a great way to spend the day and they are open until 4:30 in the winter. The Nashville Zoo is usually free on SuperBowl Sunday. It gets a bit crowded but is fun. There isn't much out the way of the airport. You could stop at the Opryland Hotel to see the indoor gardens.

Enjoy Nashville.

Billee

If you want to stay in the downtown area I would highly recommend the Frist Art Center (beautiful art deco building). Next door to the Frist is Union Station, another preserved building. There are walking tours of the Capitol and downtown area. February usually requires a coat; but not always (it's the middle of Nov. and 75 degrees). If you have transportation, both Cheekwood and Belle Meade mansions are rich in history and art. Both are a few miles southwest of downtown.
The Hermitage could be saved for Monday morning as both it and the airport are east of downtown.

KatieL

Hi! I too love history. I enjoy the Capitol, but I think it may be closed to visitors on Sundays. I'm not really sure. If you are interested, you could take a tour Monday morning at 9, 10, or 11. You can walk around the grounds and visit the grave of James K Polk.

The Tennessee Museum is worth visiting http://tnmuseum.org/information/history.htm. It is open 1-5 on Sundays and is downtown. The Hermitage is also great to visit.

If you have time to kill before the airport, spend some time at Opryland Hotel.

I hope you enjoy Nashville!

SuzieTrue

Thanks everyone. You have confirmed some of the ideas I had for places to visit. I expect we will stay downtown so that sounds like a number of the places should be easy to get to.

We are looking at staying at the Hampton Inn in downtown. Not much info on TripAdvisor. Anyone here have any experience with this hotel?

DH does love good BBQ. What are the places to try in the area?

SuzieTrue

sooz64

You've come to the right place for good BBQ! Jack's BBQ downtown would be within walking distance and is good. Neely's BBQ a few miles north of downtown off 8th Ave. is also excellent.

KatieL

Jack's is awesome on Broadway! Judge Bean's used ot be good, but they've had bad health scores lately, so I wouldn't go there.

Are you talking about the Hampton Inn near Vanderbilt on West End? That is just out of downtown. It isn't walking distance to these places, but it will be very quick to get there with a car. It is a good location for restaurants.

I just saw another Hampton on 4th. Is that the one you are talking about? That looks like a decent location, although it will be a pretty good walk to everything downtown. It is very close to the Sommet Center, which I assume is where the skating competition is.

BetsyinKY

I stayed at the Hampton Inn just across from the Vanderbilt campus just last month and it was fine. The lobby area was very nice, the room was typical Hampton Inn.

SuzieTrue

I'm looking at the Hampton Inn on 4th in downtown. The skating competition is actually south of town in Franklin, but we wanted to be closer to the action for the last 2 days of our trip.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Billee

SuzieTrue,
The town of Franklin is amazing, especially for history buffs. You will want to save time to explore the small downtown area and possibly visit the Carter House (Civil War battle). Warning: if you do a docent-led tour of the Carter House, take plenty of hankies.
Jack's BBQ is very good. There are too many good BBQ joints to mention. Even if you are not a country music fan, downtown Nashville around 2nd Ave. is a lot of fun.
I hope you enjoy your trip.

SuzieTrue

Thanks for the heads-up about Franklin. We may have some down-time between events and practices.

SuzieTrue

Wondering if there are any special exhibitions going on at any of the museums right now. Looking forward to exploring in Nashville.

ST

SuzieTrue

Returned from our trip last night. Had a great time exploring Nashville. Will do a trip report this week-end.

ST