19 Must-Visit Attractions in Nashville

Even if you don’t book a room at Gaylord Opryland, it’s worth checking out. The resort has a spa and salon, golf course, swimming pools and a state-of-the-art fitness center. But the most impressive part is the inside of the hotel. With nine acres of indoor gardens featuring more than 8,000 tropical plants and cascading waterfalls, it offers visitors some magnificent views. There’s also a quarter-mile-long indoor river that takes you through this visual masterpiece.

For 22 years, Maestro Kenneth Schermerhorn led the Nashville Symphony. Today the building, named after the late maestro, stands in Nashville’s SoBro downtown neighborhood. Construction on the Symphony Center began in 2003 and it was officially opened to the public in 2006. The design of the building was inspired by concert halls that were built in 19th-century Europe. The main venue is the Laura Turner Concert Hall, wone of the few halls in the country to feature natural light through 30 soundproof windows. The hall also has a custom-built concert organ, a special choral loft behind the stage and a convertible seating system.

Country music artist Kix Brooks of the duo Brooks and Dunn – along with entrepreneur John Russell and winemaker Kip Summers – established Arrington Vineyards in 2003. Kix purchased farmland that was adjacent to the original vineyards and the three men began work on the winery. In 2007, Arrington was officially opened for business. Two years later, Kix’s Wine Club began and today, club members receive wine in 35 states across the country. The vineyard, in the Greater Nashville area in the city of Arrington, offers free wine tastings and hosts live music by local artists. Kix has also been known to make frequent appearances.

Now a 55-acre (22ha) botanical garden and art museum, Cheekwood was once the family home of Mabel and Leslie Cheek. Built in 1929, it was converted into a museum of art and botanical garden in 1960. More than 250,000 people visit Cheekwood Botantical Garden each year. The garden is located on the historic Cheek estate and features programs and activities for all ages. Some of the special sights that attract visitors include 150,000 blooming bulbs in the spring and 1m holiday lights in the winter.

Translated to mean “beautiful meadow” in old English and French, the Belle Meade Plantation was founded in 1807 by John Harding. The property started out as a single log cabin on 250 acres (101ha) and grew to become a 5,400-acre (2,185ha) thoroughbred horse farm that had a Greek Revival mansion, train station and deer park. Presently, the plantation retains 34 acres (14ha) of the original property, including the mansion and the original homestead.

Tennessee’s bicentennial celebration was on June 1, 1996, and the Bicentennial Capitol Mall commemorates the event. The 19-acre (8ha) park features a 200ft granite map of Tennessee, a World War II memorial, a 2,000-seat amphitheater and a 95-bell carillon. There are a variety of events scheduled at the park throughout the year, including the Tennessee History Festival.

There have been three Catholic cathedrals in Nashville. The first was Holy Rosary Cathedral, which is now the site of the Tennessee State Capitol. The second was Saint Mary’s Cathedral, which is located downtown on the corner of 5th and Church Street. The third Catholic cathedral in Nashville, Cathedral of the Incarnation, was dedicated in 1914. With Italianate architecture modeled on the Roman Basilica, the church began construction under the direction of Bishop Thomas Sebastian Byrne in 1910 and has undergone two major renovations. The cathedral has traditional Catholic masses and hosts occasional music performances by local college singing groups.