Nashville is a great place to go on vacation, even if it isn’t the first vacation spot that comes to mind when you’re brainstorming places to go with your family. You don’t even have to be a country fan. Although you can experience country music in its element in this city, there’s a lot more to do than listen to country music!
Whether you’re taking a long weekend with your partner or you’re packing up the entire family for a week-long vacay, here are five things you just have to make time for.
Take a Dinner Cruise
“The General Jackson Showboat Lunch & Dinner Cruises provide an amazing adventure to those visiting Nashville, TN.”
This is true because the shows themselves are outstanding. The boat is one of the largest in the country, and it hosts multiple shows throughout the week that will appeal to you, all the while enabling you to enjoy southern specialities like dry-rubbed pork shoulder with Tennessee Whiskey BBQ sauce, Southern-fried chicken, and more.
It’s also the perfect thing to do when you’re vacationing in Tennessee because it gives you a chance to see the area from a different point of view. As you cruise down the Cumberland River, you get to see the city from a new perspective, while enjoying the natural, beautiful scenery and wildlife.
Catch a Show at the Grand Ole Opry
If you love country music, you absolutely have to plan a trip to the Grand Ole Opry. One of the best ways to experience the Opry is by catching a show. You’ll find plenty of locally-known and nationally-known country artists performing throughout the weekend, but you can also find comedians, magic acts, and more if country music isn’t really your thing.
If you’re looking for a different way to experience the Opry, consider a backstage tour. Take a short day tour and learn about the people, places, and stories behind this famous theatre, or take a VIP tour and hang out backstage as the acts are getting ready to hit the stage for showtime.
Take a Tour
There’s a lot to do, see, and learn in Nashville, and a tour is one of the best ways to learn more! Unfortunately, guided tours can get a bad rap. Getting crammed like sardines onto a hot bus and listening to someone recite boring facts about the area doesn’t make for a fun afternoon.
In Nashville, you can take a different kind of tour, ensuring there’s one you and your family will love. Just a few tours you can choose from in the Nashville area include:
- The Redneck Comedy Bus Tour is a hilarious way to learn more about famous Nashville locations.
- Homes of the Stars Bus Tour allows you to get up-close-and-personal with neighbourhoods where the stars live.
- Get a look at the nightlife in Nashville with the Nashville Night Trolley Tour.
- Step into a fairytale with a 30-Minute Cinderella Carriage Tour.
Get on a Zipline
There’s a lot of natural beauty to see in and around the Nashville area. If you’re looking for a reason to get out of the city for the afternoon, hop on a zipline and see the surrounding area from up above!
Ziplining isn’t for everyone, but if you want to add a little adventure to your vacation, a zipline is a way to go. You have the option of ziplining through the trees at Fontanel, making your way through over 100 obstacles at the Nashville Treetop Adventure Park, or zipping along the Harpeth River at the Aerial Adventure Park at Nashville West.
Check out a Museum
While some destinations only have one or two museums for you to choose from, Nashville has quite a few options, so you’re sure to find one that will actually interest you!
A few of the museums you should consider visiting include:
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- Johnny Cash Museum
- Willie Nelson and Friends Museum
- Patsy Cline Museum
- Historic Travellers Rest House Museum
- Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art
- Tennessee State Museum
There are a few other destinations that aren’t technically museums, but you’ll learn a lot about Nashville history. For example, a trip to the Hermitage is a great way to learn about President Andrew Jackson and his family
Don’t know what to do during your trip to Nashville? This list should help! From museums to dinner shows and outdoor adventures, you’ll find something that everyone in your family will enjoy here and you can fit a few of them in during a single day…
Learn About Local Nature
Locations like the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center are a much more relaxed experience for those who enjoy exploring their local landscape. If you want some downtime this could well be the perfect place to unwind for a few hours.
Experience The Local Brew
Do you love the taste of Whiskey or bourbon? If you do a trip to Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery could be right up your street. Dating back to the 1800’s it is a great place to not only learn some history but also taste some of the fine drinks the distillery produces.
Goto The Zoo
If you need to keep the kids happy at the same time you could always pop down to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere and see one of the hundreds of animals they have there. The park is not only quite affordable, but it is also nicely spread out giving the little ones lots of run time.
Go Into Space
OK, so you can’t go into space yourself, but you could visit the Adventure Science Center for some space theme education and fun. There are lots of things to see and do and there is always someone around who can answer all the questions you or the little ones might have.
Walk The John Seigenthaler Bridge
You can’t drive across it any more, but it is not a pedestrian safe bridge that is often covered in tourists taking pictures of it. The chance to take a picture of the bridge next to the low sun in the Nashville skyline should not be missed.
