How to Spend the Perfect Weekend in Nashville, Tennessee

The Music City is the ideal place to tune out the rest of the world for a weekend. The Mecca of country music offers excellent nightlife and performance venues, but also surprises with superb cuisine, top-notch museums and dramatic natural beauty.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Even if you prefer rock n’ roll, jazz or the blues, you’ll probably enjoy a stop at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on 5th Avenue South. While tributes to inductees like the Everly Brothers and Waylon Jennings are a nice diversion, the most impressive elements to many visitors are the collections of instruments and artifacts, ranging from Elvis Presley’s gold Cadillac to an experimental Les Paul guitar from 1941.
2. Visit Warner Park, a complex of two parks spanning thousands of acres and boasting hiking paths, a nature center, pristine picnic areas, a golf course and more. The park is in the Belle Meade area of Nashville.
3. Have a night out in The District. The revamped section of downtown features historic warehouses, fun night spots and hip boutiques. Put on your dancing shoes and stop by the Wildhorse Saloon, a huge dance hall serving up classic and contemporary live tunes almost every night.
4. Savor the area’s glorious past by visiting the Belle Meade Plantation, site of a superb Greek Revival mansion surrounded by acres of pristine grounds. The plantation’s history, which you can learn about on an in-depth tour, is fascinating—including serving as a battleground for a Civil War skirmish and later as a renowned horse-breeding stable.
5. Visit the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, which shares a foreboding old Art Deco structure with the main post office in Nashville on Broadway. The Frist focuses on changing exhibitions rather than a permanent collection and showcases works from local and international artists. Aspiring artists will love ArtQuest, an interactive gallery with dozens of stations for creating painting and sculpture.
6. See one of the most famous historic homes in America by visiting The Hermitage, a few miles northeast of the downtown on Old Hickory Boulevard. The former estate of Andrew Jackson boasts a lovely mansion and superbly kept grounds that include an old smokehouse and gardens. Tours are given daily and the estate is open year-round.
7. Enjoy the city’s fine cuisine with an evening out in the West End. A fancy favorite is the Wild Boar on Broadway. The French restaurant offers an impressive wine menu and regal atmosphere.

Tips & Warnings

• Nashville International Airport lies about nine miles east of the city’s downtown. Several major airlines fly here including American, Continental and United.
• Check weather and road conditions before driving to Nashville in the winter.

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