Nashville, TN things to do?

[disneyplanner76]

Can't make it to Disney this year, trying to tell myself that with all the construction in MK that it's okay (not working) - but we want to take the kids on some smaller trips this year to some other places we've not been, that are within driving distance. Going to spend about 3 days in Nashville, TN over Spring Break -

Does anyone have suggestions for fun things to do in the area that aren't too expensive? - kids are 8 and 6. Boy and Girl.

 

[ChattaAlley]

Ok this is something I know. LOL. i live 2 hours from Nashville and it is practically my second home.

Nashville has a great Zoo http://www.nashvillezoo.org/. I have been to it several times and love it. It is not huge like Atlanta or other big cities but its a very nice size.

Then there is the water park http://nashvilleshores.com/. It may not be open though since you said your visit is on spring break.

If your not staying in the Opryland hotel then you should visit http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-opryland/. It is a really neat place.

Unfortuantly the Opry Mills mall is closed. But the Bass Pro Shop is still open.

Of course Broadway in Downtown nashville is always a cool place to go and walk around. There are alot of bars that arnt suitable for children but they have gift shops and a park. here is a link to find out everything that is going on in Nashville http://www.nashville.com/music.html

Catch a baseball game with the Nashville Sounds. If you are going to Nashville I assume you like Country Music. Go to the Opry. And if you want a great place to eat there is Demos in Downtown Nashville or The Loveless Cafe.

So much to do.

 

[lttlmc3]

Across from Opryland Hotel there are really funny, cheesy tourist attractions. Plus you can go to the Frist Arts Center. There are tons of music venues and great restaurants.

 

[staxia]

i second what ChattaAlley said about Demos'!!

It is an AMAZINGLY good steak and spaghetti house in downtown nashville. It sits on the corner of 3rd and Commerce, just beyond the Batman building and next to CMT. They've of course got steak and spaghetti (and you CAN get a steak with a side of spaghetti) but a ton of other family recipes. It's kind of Italian, kind of Greek. The bread served with the meal is super tasty, the chicken soup is so simple yet SO GOOD, and the tea.. well, if you're used to "Sweet tea" in the south, this is a bit different.. All the tea is served unsweetened and with a pitcher of liquid sweetener! Demos' is very affordable, too.

(IF you can't make it to the one downtown, there's also one in Hendersonville, Lebanon and Murfreesboro)

The zoo is great, too.. If you go, don't miss out on the farm at Grassmere.. The land from the zoo was all originally a farm, and the farm house a few out buildings still stand and can be toured.

There's tons of historical houses, especially if you're into the Civil War.

Venture outside of downtown, visit beautiful, historical downtown Franklin. It's about 20 mins outside of downtown Nashville and is gorgeous. THere's a bunch of great restaurants there as well.. Meridees Breadbasket is a great place for breakfast and lunch... just next door is Pucketts Grocery (There's also a new Pucketts in downtown and the original in Leiper's Fork) The original was a small grocery store that served some food, and then musicians played at night and now the one in Franklin serves food and has music nightly... Downtown Franklin has some great shops and is a beautiful place to just walk around.. Watch out for your parking if you go tho, franklin police just live to give tickets, especially to out of towners who don't read the signs well enough!

If you encounter a Sweet CeCe's anywhere, GO! It's a frozen yogurt, serve yourself, sold by the ounce, but you can apply all the toppings you want.. better than Pinkberry.

If you want to make the drive to Lebanon, you can do some outlet shopping. many of the stores that were in Opry Mills have moved out there.

 

[lttlmc3]

Ooooh, I LOVE Sweet Cece's! I love the one here in Hendersonville! I ate at Demos just yesterday! I love that place. So affordable!

 

[elemusing]

I live about 2 hours from there and we go there all the time.

YES YES YES go to DEMO'S!!!

Also, you must go to the Pancake Pantry http://www.thepancakepantry.com/

But go early - they often have a line out the door. The pancakes are unbelievable. It is right beside Vanderbilt University. I highly recommend the Caribbean Pancakes!

I was going to suggest Nashville Shores also - but don't know if they will be open when you go.

Be sure to visit the Ryman Auditorium - the original Grand Old Opry. It is beautiful. Nashville has a science center that your kids will love. http://www.adventuresci.com/

And if you're looking for a great mall with LOTS and LOTS of restaurants and stores on the property all around it - go to Cool Springs Galleria - it is about 30-45 minutes south on I-65 South in Franklin. We really love to eat at Omikoshi Japanese Steak House there - best fried rice! And your kids would love the Hibachi chefs.http://www.omikoshirestaurant.com/index.htm

We like to eat at PF Changs there too.

If you want the quintessential Nashville experience, you simply have to walk Broadway and the river front. Even if you don't go to the bars, you will feel the Nashville experience there.

The kids might like the Parthenon - a full scale replica of the one in Greece. It is close to the state capital. http://www.nashville.gov/parthenon/ You might let them watch Hercules again before going and tell them you are going to visit a building like the ones on the cartoon.

Oh - one more thing - check out TPAC to see if there is a Broadway show or some other smaller show playing while you're there: http://www.tpac.org/

Have fun!

 

[2BNDisney]

And in addition to all the other great suggestions:
-I have heard the Adventure Science Center is great for kids.
-There is the Country Music Hall of Fame.
-Take backstage tours at the Opry and see a show there.
-General Jackson Showboat near the Opry.

Some of these may have already been mentioned but I could not remember.
Have fun and maybe you will even spot a celebrity. I ate at the California Pizza Kitchen in the Green Hills area when in walked Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban to eat.

 

[lodgelady]

Want to give another shout-out for Franklin! There is a Civil War era mansion here that gives great tours. It was the basis for the historical novel Widow of the South It is Carnton Plantation http://www.carnton.org/
There is also group walking tours of the history of our little downtown http://www.franklinonfoot.com/ so you can walk off the good food and frozen yogurt you eat here~ Enjoy!

 

[cjlvsccm]

In addition to all the great fun things listed already, there's The Hermitage -- home to President Andrew Jackson. http://www.thehermitage.com/

 

[lttlmc3]

Want to give another shout-out for Franklin! There is a Civil War era mansion here that gives great tours. It was the basis for the historical novel Widow of the South It is Carnton Plantation http://www.carnton.org/
There is also group walking tours of the history of our little downtown http://www.franklinonfoot.com/ so you can walk off the good food and frozen yogurt you eat here~ Enjoy!

Carnton Mansion is haunted too. Woo hoo!!

 

[disneyplanner76]

Thanks for all the wonderful ideas! We have returned from our trip and had a fantastic vacation. We stopped at Dino World on our way down (Indiana to TN) in Cave City KY- big hit, couldn't have imaged how dino statues could be entertaining for more than 5 minutes but wow- totally worth the stop, we were there for about 3 hours. Then we went downtown Nashville our first night - at Dinner at Hard Rock (almost did Demos-but St. Pat's day and looked very crowded with local "Irish") and took a carriage ride around down town; great weather and awesome way to see all kinds of things, great tour guide. Next day we went to Adventure Sci Center, a few neat things but overall we were NOT impressed - but we did enjoy the planetarium, and our shorter day there made it possible for plenty of time that evening for Opry Hotel - where we were originally booked to stay but for a lot of reasons ended up changing. Spent several hours here including the boat ride around Delta Island (very Disney-ish; felt a little like Polynesian, Jungle Cruise, Port Orleans, Grand Floridian - kids loved it). We decided against my gut instinct to go to Belle Meade (was worried kids would be bored) but that was one of the best stops we made, glad we did, think a big part of how great this was, was due to our outstanding guide Miss Anne- DD absolutely loved it and DS had good time too. We did have breakfast at Pancake Pantry - got there early didn't have to wait too long but line was around block when we finished - my mom went with us and she's not a big pancake fan (says they are too soggy) this was one of her favorite stops we made! Great trip- thanks for all the Dis-help!

 

[staxia]

Thanks for all the wonderful ideas! We have returned from our trip and had a fantastic vacation. We stopped at Dino World on our way down (Indiana to TN) in Cave City KY- big hit, couldn't have imaged how dino statues could be entertaining for more than 5 minutes but wow- totally worth the stop, we were there for about 3 hours.

Yeah!! That place is fun to walk around at... Granted, i've never been, but have tons of friends who have stopped for the heck of it, thinking it'd be a five minute trip and spent the whole day!! THere's a DinoWorld in Central Florida too, it's west of Orlando, on I 4, past Lakeland, closer to Tampa... I'm just sayin'.. lol I used to live there and laughed when I discovered I was just as close to one here, too!

Then we went downtown Nashville our first night - at Dinner at Hard Rock (almost did Demos-but St. Pat's day and looked very crowded with local "Irish") and took a carriage ride around down town; great weather and awesome way to see all kinds of things, great tour guide.

aww, bummer.. Demos' is crowded most nights of the week, both with locals and tourists, but being St Pat's.. well, yeah, who knows...

Next day we went to Adventure Sci Center, a few neat things but overall we were NOT impressed - but we did enjoy the planetarium, and our shorter day there made it possible for plenty of time that evening for Opry Hotel - where we were originally booked to stay but for a lot of reasons ended up changing. Spent several hours here including the boat ride around Delta Island (very Disney-ish; felt a little like Polynesian, Jungle Cruise, Port Orleans, Grand Floridian - kids loved it).

I haven't been to the Opryland hotel since the flood last year, but prior to the flood, the river that the boat was on said that it contained water from all over the world, including 7 seas lagoon, and maybe some other Disney waterway... did you see anything about that, or did they mention the water in anyway? Yeah, they've got a great facility up there, and yeah, it's very Disney-ish... I guess that means any place that puts time and effort into themeing is "Disney-ish", right? lol.. Disney's got a good thing going! I've stayed up there before, when family is in town and spent DAYS just wandering through the various atriums stuff, taking pics of all the plants and flowers, it's gorgeous!!

We decided against my gut instinct to go to Belle Meade (was worried kids would be bored) but that was one of the best stops we made, glad we did, think a big part of how great this was, was due to our outstanding guide Miss Anne- DD absolutely loved it and DS had good time too. We did have breakfast at Pancake Pantry - got there early didn't have to wait too long but line was around block when we finished - my mom went with us and she's not a big pancake fan (says they are too soggy) this was one of her favorite stops we made! Great trip- thanks for all the Dis-help!

I still haven't made it to Belle Meade.. lol. There's a lot of stuff in my backyard I haven't done yet!!

Glad you had a great time!!

 

[BBQMommy]

http://www.thepiedpipercreamery.com/ Ice cream ...

Printer's Alley, the World Famous Wild Horse Saloon, Nashville Predators Hockey Games, Another vote for Demos's ... Have fun --->


Caryn

 

[disneyplanner76]

I haven't been to the Opryland hotel since the flood last year, but prior to the flood, the river that the boat was on said that it contained water from all over the world, including 7 seas lagoon, and maybe some other Disney waterway... did you see anything about that, or did they mention the water in anyway?

Our guide didn't specifically mention Disney waterways but did say they sent off letters to 150 places asking for water and most returned water - including the Nile...so its probably very possible there is Disney water there...