Nashville is the country music capital; therefore, your first stop on a tour of this city’s museums would have to be the Country Music Hall of Fame. After you’ve engrossed yourself in costumes, photographs, instruments and memorabilia of the top country singers of this century and the last, you will be excited to know there’s even more to see. If you’re looking for some memorable places to visit in Nashville, the real surprise is the vast array of museums in the area that have nothing to do with country music.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Country Music Hall of Fame
Besides viewing country music’s story through the years, there is on-site dining for your dining pleasure. Country music changes and grows day today, but as Willie Nelson said, it stays the place where “people tell their life stories.”
Places To Visit In Nashville: Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum
Here there are not just the country music talents, but all musicians. You’ll find the spirit of Jimmy Hendricks, but also names you may not be familiar with, who worked in the background but shaped the music world, just the same. You’ll see Chad Smith’s (Red Hot Chili Peppers) snare drum, Billy Sherril’s piano where he composed “The Most Beautiful Girl” and “Stand By Your Man,” Peter Drakes steal guitar heard on classics sung by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. If you are a music lover, this is one stop you can’t afford to miss while visiting Nashville.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Grand Ole Opry Museum
This museum will mesmerise you with the spirit of country music with stars such as Patsy Cline (they have a rendition of her living room) and George Jones. Besides enjoying a trip down memory lane, this music museum is great for the budget and the price of “free.” The Opry Museum includes fascinating history from early Opry days and exhibits of all the greats such as Minnie Pearl, Tex Ritter, Marty Robins, and much more.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Tennessee Museum
It first opened on the Nashville public square by artist Ralph E. Earl back in 1817. Earl was a portrait artist who painted a famous life-size likeness of General Andrew Jackson. There are many travelling exhibits throughout the year. Still, the permanent ones include “The First Tennesseans,” “The Frontier,” “The Age of Jackson,” “The Civil War and Reconstruction,” “The New South”, and “Antebellum”, which was a period of prosperity for Tennessee between 1840 and 1860.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum
Located in a historic house built in 1799, it was claimed by the National Society of the Colonial Dames as it was to be demolished. Today it is a museum, restored to its original style and charm and is a National Register property. Besides feeling like a time traveller as you view this plantation/museum, there are many travelling exhibits and events throughout the year such as the Holiday Decorating (join the staff to fill the house in old fashioned decoration), “All Through the House” (an early old fashioned Tennessee Christmas) or “Civil War” (a historical role-playing game).
Places To Visit In Nashville: Tennessee Central Railway Museum
This museum is preserving Tennessee’s railroad heritage and offers visitors the chance to view historic railway equipment. If you like train rides, you can take a passenger excursion while seeing the beauty of Tennessee. The streamline coaches are air-conditioned and have huge picture windows. There’s always something unexpected going on like a train robbery, a murder mystery or visits from Santa or the Easter Bunny. It’s the kind of place you will want to plan a full-day visit.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Museum
A 72,000-foot building located in the Summit Center on Broadway features exhibits of college basketball and football teams. However, the most fun is the interactive areas of Olympic swimmers’ strength training piece of equipment and the interactive (virtual reality) one-on-one basketball game. They also have 2 – 30 seat theatres where visitors can watch sports videos.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Lane Motor Museum
The Lane Motor Museum is home to 150 unique cars and motorcycles. They include prototypes, competition cars, alternative fuel cars, micro-cars, military vehicles, and amphibious vehicles. The majority of the vehicles on display range from 1950 to 1970, although they also have some from as far back as 1920 and as new as 2000. They pride themselves on being a working museum attempting to keep all cars in working order. The real treats of this car museum are the one-of-a-kind vehicles on display.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Toy Museum
This is the place to visit if you love toy trains and antique toys. Kids don’t get exposed to these things these days, but they will love it. There’s also a whole room of nothing but military toys. And another room of antique dolls and stuffed toys. Fun for the kids and those that are a kid at heart.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Willie Nelson General Store and Museum
This museum walks you through the life and times of Willie Nelson and his friends. Feel what it would be like to live in the midst of country music stardom while learning precisely what toll it may have had on some. The joys and sadness, the ups and the downs, their all there for you to imagine while walking through the memorabilia of these country music stars.
Places To Visit In Nashville: Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art
Stroll through the beautiful gardens before visiting their museum filled with contemporary regional artists. It is all housed in a spectacular mansion complete with a restaurant for lunch, The Pineapple Room. So you could spend an hour or a whole day enjoying the art and grounds.
