11 Best Sights in Nashville, Tennessee

Adventureworks Old Forest Adventure Park

Take a treetop tour of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, through the old-growth forests west of Nashville. There are nine steel cable ziplines on this course, and each one lets you safely soar above the wooded ravines and blossoming valleys along the Harpeth River. The longest line is about 700 feet long, the highest is about 85 feet high, and the whole journey takes about 90 minutes to complete. You can also visit their second location in Whites Creek.

Belle Meade Plantation

The tall limestone pillars of Belle Meade Plantation are markers of a bygone era. Today, this historic mansion is a museum at the center of 30 acres of smooth green pastures west of Nashville. In addition to the Greek Revival–style mansion, the property includes a winery and more than 10 outbuildings. General tours are available, or you can take a themed tour like the Journey to Jubilee, which tells the stories of the people who were enslaved at Belle Meade Plantation. A complimentary wine tasting is offered at the end of your tour, or you can book a private tasting separately.

Cheekwood Estate and Gardens

Bellevue
At the center of this sprawling 55-acre botanical garden is a Georgian-style limestone mansion--turned--art gallery, enclosed by clipped lawns, terraced gardens, and an ancient-looking reflection pool. In addition to the collection of paintings and photographs inside the mansion, the Carell Woodland Sculpture Trail takes you down a 0.9-mile path of outdoor art pieces. There are seasonal garden displays, as well—including 150,000 blooming tulip bulbs in the spring and 5,000 chrysanthemums in the fall—so there’s always something new to enjoy no matter what time of year you visit.
Garden Family
1200 Forrest Park Dr., Nashville, Tennessee, 37205, USA
615-356–8000
www.cheekwood.org
Sights Details
Rate Includes: $20 (adults), $18 (ages 65+), $16 (students), $13 (ages 3–17), free (ages 2 and under), Closed Mon.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Dyer Observatory

Capping one of Nashville’s highest points, the Dyer Observatory rises above Radnor Lake State Park with its imposing steel dome. Inside the dome is the Seyfert telescope, used for viewing the rings of Saturn and other astral wonders. On the second Friday of each month (March through November), the observatory hosts telescope nights for guests to stargaze and mingle with astronomers. Or, for a daytime visit, you can attend an open house between 9 am and noon on the first Tuesday of each month (March through November) to view the sun through a solar telescope and receive a tour from an astronomer. These are both ticketed events, but the cost is minimal (sometimes even free). Simply preregister online.

Elephant Gallery

North Nashville
This art gallery and studio space in the Buchanan Arts District of North Nashville is irreverent, colorful, weird, and brilliant. The gallery presents both group and solo exhibitions in any style— even Garfield-themed or clown-themed styles. If you get the chance to attend a show here, you’ll notice a distinct house party vibe, complete with box wine in the kitchen and bowls of chips. Recent shows have featured face painting and a pie bake-off.
1411 Buchanan St., Nashville, Tennessee, 37208, USA
917-969–9755
www.elephantgallery.com
Sights Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.--Mon.

Fontanel

Whites Creek
The Mansion at Fontanel is a 33,000-square-foot log cabin in Whites Creek, Tennessee, filled with country music memorabilia, instruments, and stories. It was once home to country music star Barbara Mandrell, and her glitzy taste is unmistakable throughout. (There’s even an indoor shooting range.) Guided tours of the mansion are offered daily, but that’s only the beginning. The Fontanel estate also includes the Natchez Hills Winery tasting room, Prichard’s rum and whiskey distillery, Café Fontanella, Adventureworks Zip Lines, a boutique hotel, more than 3 miles of wooded trails, and Vintage Creek, a clothing boutique and gift shop.
Forest Family
4125 Whites Creek Pike, Nashville, Tennessee, 37189, USA
615-724–1600
www.fontanel.com
Sights Details
Rate Includes: $24 (adults), $22 (retired military, students, and educators, and ages 60+), $14 (ages 6–15), free (active military and ages 5 and under)

Grand Ole Opry

Opryland/Music Valley
Grand Ole Opry
Creative Jen Designs / Shutterstock

This enormously popular radio show, performed in the Grand Ole Opry House, has been broadcasting country music since 1925. You can see superstars, legends, and up-and-coming stars on this stage. The Opry seats about 4,400 people and is broadcast live on WSM AM 650 every Tuesday (7 pm), Friday (8 pm), and Saturday (6 and 9 pm); buy tickets ($25–$57) well in advance, particularly during CMA Music Festival week in June. Tours of the Grand Ole Opry are also available.

Buy Tickets Now
2804 Opryland Dr., Nashville, Tennessee, 37214, USA
615-871--6779
www.opry.com

Lane Motor Museum

One's man passion for automobiles (and motorcycles) led to this collection of mostly European vehicles of all shapes and sizes, from mini cars (including a Smart car) to an amphibious car—one vehicle for almost every letter of the alphabet. The museum also includes a children's area, art gallery and gift shop.

Nashville Shores

Hermitage

Nashville Shores is a fun water park and marina on Percy Priest Lake with a 25,000-square-foot wave pool, a 1,000-foot-long lazy river float experience, and other splashy activities. You can air-dry in the Shores' Treetop Adventure Park where there are zip lines, cargo nets, suspended bridges, and other challenges. Private guide service is also available.

Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Nolensville Pike
Stretch your legs, pet a kangaroo, and fall in love with a red panda or two. This 188-acre farm-turned-zoo is home to more than 2,764 animals, with more joining the herd every year. For older children and adults, a tour of the historic Grassmere house and farm is a highlight. If you need a break from the Tennessee sun, follow the shady Bamboo Trail to visit the clouded leopards. Or, if it’s raining, just bring your umbrella. The animals don’t mind when it rains (they live outside, after all), and with all the fussy humans gone, you’ll practically have the whole place to yourself.
Amusement Ride Family
3777 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, Tennessee, 37211, USA
615-833–1534
www.nashvillezoo.org
Sights Details
Rate Includes: $17–$18 (adults), $12–$13 (ages 2–12), $15–$16 (ages 65+), free (ages 2 and under)

Radnor Lake

This 1,339-acre state park offers 6 miles of trails spanning all difficulty levels, so visitors can enjoy an afternoon of leisurely bird-watching or take a strenuous hike. The most popular trail is the 2.6-mile Lake Trail, which circles the lake’s circumference and provides great lookouts for viewing local wildlife, such as wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, owls, and blue herons. There’s also an aviary, open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays, where injured birds of prey are rehabilitated and cared for.