Debbie in IL Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 We are tagging along with dh and will be in Nashville in early May. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we shouldn't miss while we are there? We have never been to TN - we'll be driving from central IL, and we'll be there for 5 full days. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 The Grand Ole Opry (even if you're not country fans, it is a live radio show so that's cool), The Hermitage (A. Jackson's home), the Parthenon (only full size replica). . . While I've been in FL for 20+ yrs, I'm a Nashville native & my family is still there. :o) Here's Tourist Info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peri Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Cheekwood botanical gardens Nashville Zoo Edwin warner park ... has a beatuiful trail for hiking The Hermitage ... andrew Jackson's home The Frisk Center ... art museum As for eating I heard Provonce is a great sandwich shop and is located right by the main library in Downtown Nashville. Rachel Ray went there when she did $40 a day so we know its not that expensive lol. Be sure to stop by our restaurant too lol ... Chicago Style Gyros at 346 Harding Pl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peri Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Oh! I forgot The Opryland Hotel. It has beautiful gardens. The scenery is well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I saw that and the Parthenon while I was there about a year ago. Both are worth seeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Wish *I* was going to N'sville. Just moved from there to CA 7 months ago and I miss it something awful! Someone already mentioned the Parthenon. We really had a great time there. It is set in a really nice park too. You can see our field trip to it at my blog. The zoo is really nice too. Very natural. Try to go in the afternoon to avoid the school field trips. It can get pretty crazy! One of our favorite places to get out in nature is Radnor Lake. I wrote a post about it too. Another great park with lots of walking trails in Warner Park. Opryland Hotel is great too. Andrew Jackson Home, the Hermitage, is nearby too. If you like antiquing, just south of N'ville is Franklin. It can be a bit overpriced, but the downtown is pretty cute. Further south on 24, about 30-45 miles is Bell Buckle. They have a lot of shops there. And on your way there, stop in Murfreesboro and right off the exit (#70 something) is Old Time Pottery...I miss that place! Hope you have a great visit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 There is a Tennessee history museum downtown that is very cool, too. ok - edited 'cause I bothered to Google it - it the Tennessee STATE Museum http://www.tnmuseum.org/exhibitions.cfm/14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Youngs Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 When we go to Nashville to visit my sis and brother-in-law, we always stop off at the Provence Bread and Cafe in Hillsboro Village. It's near Vanderbilt. The Book store on the same street is phenomenal. The Parthenon is great, and the art museum on the lower floor has some amazing paintings. Take a frisbee and a picnic~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I love Nashville! Everyone has offered up great suggestions. Another fun place is the Adventure Science Center. Breakfast: Noshville or Pancake Pantry (can have long lines). Lunch/Dinner: Rotier's for a fabulous burger or Urban Flats for something different. Lots of good eats to go with all the sites! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 You have to eat at Fate's Pig and Pie (the best butts in town...BBQ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I have nothing new, just another vote for the zoo, the Parthenon and the Science Center! I am not much for zoos (they make me sad) but this one is really very nice. There is a (Landry's) Aquarium Restaurant at the mall where the Opry is. I have not eaten at this exact one, but we did check it out. In general, they don't have the worst (or cheapest) food ever... But they do have a stingray petting tank and you don't have to eat there to touch them. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Yeah! The children's museum has a planetarium attached, too! (Science Center) And the Parthenon's been refurbished, so don't miss it! We're going to see it in April, ourselves.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Oh - and when you visit the Parthenon get some take-out from Hog Heaven!!!! It is right by the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I love Nashville! Everyone has offered up great suggestions. Another fun place is the Adventure Science Center. My dd just went here today. She told me about some weird brain waves activity that I just have to figure out. They also went to the attached Sudekum Planetarium. The technology is amazing: Sudekum's Chiron star projector is the first of its kind in the United States. Its serial number is 4 - the first three are installed in Japan. The article is here: http://www.sudekumplanetarium.com/features/2008/technology/ I would say it's probably worth the trip to the Science Center just for this. It is very close to downtown. Also stop in the downtown library, one of my favorites in the whole country and I have been to a lot of libraries. They have a great kids section and you have to check out the reading room on the second floor right outside the kids wing. I could live there. We always take visitors and they always love it even if they are not bibliophiles. Of course, the Parthenon, The Hermatige, Opryland Hotel. The Frist Art Museum sometime has good exhibits. The zoo if not my favorite but it has an excellent park, old carosel and old house exhibit. I think that's all the biggies and certainly a weeks worth of things to do. Enjoy your trip. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 We just went to Nashville this past summer for a week to visit family. We went to the Opryland Hotel, just to look around. It is HUGE and the gardens, streams, and waterfalls inside are beautiful. It's a neat place to wander around. There's even a boat ride through there, which the kids loved. We went to the Adventure Science Center. That was neat. There is a giant climbing structure in the middle of it. It goes up several stories until you reach a look out point at the very top. It's a looooong ways up (for a play structure anyways). You can see for a ways! We wandered around Opry Mills, the mall there. It's right near the Opryland Hotel. There's some neat "touristy" thing to do there. There's a carousel, we ate at the Rainforest Cafe, and there's an aquarium restaurant and right next to it is where you can pet the sting rays. There's a dam that's neat to see. It's called the J Percy Priest dam. You can drive over it, park near it, and walk around down there. I think there's some trails too. We wanted to make it to the Parthenon, but didnt get the chance to. There's also a water park on one side of the dam. I'm not sure when you are going and whether it will be warm enough, but we thought about going there, but just didnt get the chance. The zoo is okay. Not too big or grand.....but the playground there is awesome!! We let the kids do Build A Bear while in Nashville. We also drove around Music Row, hoping to spot someone famous....but never did LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 One of the fun things about Nashville is that you could spot someone famous at the zoo or at the Walgreens or in a local restaurant just as easily as on Music Row. We saw Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban eating out one night and not in a fancy, expensive restaurant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandpsmommy Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 We tagged along with my husband, too, when he had a conference in Nashville last September. His conference was at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel/Resort, so that's where we were staying. If you aren't staying there I would reiterate others' suggestion to visit it. The indoor botannical gardens are stunning. We took the boat ride on the indoor river, and it turned out to be one of the childrens' favorite activities of the entire trip. If you happen to be staying there they have great indoor and outdoor pools and a hot tub, which kept us occupied most mornings. We went to see the Parthenon. Sadly we arrived just after it closed for the day, so we only got to walk around the outside. One thing I haven't seen mentioned so far is The Frist Center For The Visual Arts. In September when we visited there was an impressive collection of Rodin's sculptures on display in one gallery, and in another gallery a very interesting exhibition featuring American paintings and multimedia works exploring the use of Color as Field and Shades of Grey. But the most unique and enjoyable aspect of the art museum for our family is that it contains an interactive children's studio where families can create their own art. There were many different activities available, all inspired in some way by the current exhibitions. At the time of our visit sculpting, painting, printing and collage were some of the chocies. There were museum staff/volunteers in the studio to assist us if we needed help. It was really fun. All of the art materials and supplies were artist-quality, and we were able to take home our art, except for the sculptures. My kids' favorite parts were painting with watercolors and making our own prints. They had a press with a huge wheel that had to be turned to do the printing. My daughter loved turning the wheel and then revealing our finished prints. If you're looking for shopping or unique dining experiences, the Opry Mills mall has a large selection of outlet stores, an indoor carousel, and some restaurants that my kids really enjoyed. One was The Aquarium, with a huge tank in the middle housing eels, sting rays, small sharks and other aquatic creatures. The whole restaurant was decorated to look as if it were underwater. The other was The Rainforest Cafe, which was designed to look like a rainforst, with animatronic animals throughout the dining area. The food was a little pricey because you were essentially paying for the atmosphere, but it would be a nice place to have lunch. Enjoy your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denainms Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 The Bellemeade Plantation is really cool! I have to go to Nashville, once a year for a Dr. appt. we were just there a couple of weeks ago. We talked to Lee Greenwood standing in line in front of us at Target in Franklin, very nice man. You can go in and walk around the Opryland Hotel, take an indoor boat ride, and eat (although, they are expensive, so we go over nextdoor to the mall) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoraida Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 My favorites are the zoo, Opryland Hotel, and walking through downtown Nashville. There is a park section in the zoo that has this huge fort jungle gym type of thingy. My kids spent several hours in this section playing. There is also an old Southern type mansion on the zoo property. I don't know the name of the house, but at certain times of the day they give tours of the house and the tour guides are dressed in historical costumes. Opryland Hotel has a beautiful indoors botanical garden with water falls and lots of resturaunts. If you go downtown try and visit the new public library. Well it isn't exactly new. It wast built 4 or 5 years ago. When they built the library they promoted that it would be extreamly homeschool friendly. It has a huge children's section and cafes. Also their are tons of malls and outlet malls if you want to do shopping. Blessings Zoraida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I think it may have changed greatly but years ago I loved walking down town by the river and going through all the shops. They have a really nice zoo and science center. Opryland is very nice to walk around. There's a Rainforest cafe at Opryland Mills and a Dave and Busters up there also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlq4 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 If you enjoy Civil War sites, go to Franklin just outside of Nashville, and visit Carnton Plantation. This is an often over looked battle of the CW, but very significant...I think about 10,000 lives were lost in that battle. We had a young woman tour guide and she was wonderful, very knowledgeable. Franklin is also a nice little town. Here is some information from their website: Carnton is a national model dedicated to the preservation, interpretation and management of a Franklin, Tennessee house museum, historic landscape and Civil War battle site. We communicate the compelling story of how the November 30, 1864 Battle of Franklin and Reconstruction impacted and changed the families of the McGavock Plantation in the 19th century. Carnton is the home of the New York Times bestseller, The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. Click here to to view Robert Hicks' Tennessee story. www.carnton.org The Parthenon was also a big hit with the kids. My sons enjoyed our little trip to Nashville (Parthenon, Gaylord Hotel, & Carnton Plantation). We were there for a hockey tournament, so we didn't have a whole lot of time to sight see. Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Adventure Science Center and the Parthenon were recently big hits here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in IL Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Thanks, everyone! I am writing down all of your suggestions - we are SO looking forward to this trip...it sounds like there are a lot of great things to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Everything everyone has mentioned is worth seeing. I HIGHLY recommend the Pancake Pantry in Hillsboro Village...not only is the food yummy, it really is a landmark in Nashville...lots of record deals made over pancakes! I would avoid Friday or Saturday if I were you. Also, just walk down Broadway...see several music venues. Check out a show at the Ryman Auditorium, the original Grand Ole Opry location. The concerts there tend to be great quality. I just love the neighborhoods, myself. Love to drive through them (Franklin Rd./Tyne Blvd./Granny White Pike). Drive south on Hillsboro Road toward Franklin. Very nice drive, and Franklin is a quaint small town on the outskirts of Nashville with fun local restaurants and shopping. Don't forget the Natchez Trace Parkway. You can get on it just west of Nashville (conveniently located near the famous Loveless Cafe--think biscuits and fried chicken). It's a beautiful drive (don't go all the way to Mississippi, though!). If you need more info, PM me. I live near downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Forgot to add: The State Capitol--interesting history esp. regarding the Civil War & 3 Tennessee presidents. The War Memorial park is next door. In warm weather, the kids wear swimsuits & play in the fountains. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We will be there for three days in July (DS has college visits) and since we have been there before we are driving south into Alabama one day to see the Space museum in Huntsville...girls and I also want to then before or after Huntsville to drive west to Helen Keller's birthplace. So - you are not limited to Nashville! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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