We’re pleased to offer a number of self guided tours of Nashville. These tours allow you to take your time and schedule it around what you want to do in Music City.
These tours focus on two of the things that Nashville is famous for – other than music – food and Street Art. We’ll show you some of the best murals in the city along with some of the best things to taste as you walk along these different neighborhoods.
Gulch (coming soon)
Germantown (coming soon)
12 South (coming soon)
East Nashville (coming soon)
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This post covers how to get discounted tickets to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, including discount passes, how to get there, and what exhibits you can see. It’s the perfect way to spend some time with the family discovering alligators, giraffes, and exotic birds.
This section lists the discounts available for the zoo, including a city pass and military discount.
Tourist Attraction Discount Passes
Discount passes work by bundling admission tickets to multiple attractions to offer big discounts, and one of Nashville’s popular passes includes entry to the zoo.
Music City Total Access Pass
This preset attraction pass is $75 and includes 4 attractions of your choice – one of which is the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere – as well as discounts on Gray Line bus tours and Music City merchandise.
If you want a great tour of Nashville plus entry into some of the most popular attractions, this is a great pass to purchase.
Military Discount
Visitors with valid military ID and their entire party receive $1 off admission at the gate.
AAA Discount
Unfortunately, there is no AAA discount for the Nashville Zoo.
Route 52 includes a 15 to 20 minutes’ walk from the Zoo stops
Opening Hours
Open Daily
October 12 – March 7 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
March 8 – October 10 from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day
Best Times to Visit
Weekends are the busiest time to visit the zoo, with the busiest hours hitting between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Luckily, however, the crowds start thinning out after 3:00 pm. This should give you plenty of time to enjoy the whole zoo.
However, if you’re looking for the most animal activity, the zoo recommends you visit in the morning.
How long should you stay?
Most people stay for 2 to 3 hours at the zoo. If you’re a fan of catching zookeeper demonstrations, feedings, or the zoo’s train, you might want to budget some extra time.
Security
The Zoo prohibits guests from bringing in glass, disposable straws or lids, and balloons because these items can be hazardous for the animals. Alcohol and any weapons are also prohibited.
You may bring in a cooler for a picnic, however.
Dining Options
You can find multiple dining options available at the zoo. The Zoofari Cafe is open every day with burgers, salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. There will also be seasonal food stands throughout the park with BBQ, popcorn, pretzels, and soft drinks.
Guests are allowed to bring in outside food to enjoy at the picnic dining areas.
Are there Lockers?
No, the zoo does not have storage or backpack lockers. If you want to keep something safely stored for the day, why not use one of these bag storage services in Nashville?
This section outlines a few of the interactive exhibits, rides, and play areas the Nashville Zoo has to offer.
Critter Encounters Petting Zoo
You can take selfies with a camel or pet a goat at Critter Encounters. This exhibit also houses Galapagos tortoises, an alpaca, and several species of bird.
Keeper Talks
If you’ve ever wondered what exactly the animals eat, or need in their habitats to be happy and healthy, be sure to catch a Keeper Talk! The zookeepers give entertaining and educational talks at specific exhibits on eating habits and what it takes to keep the animals thriving in their habitats.
Kids will love the jungle gym that features a huge treehouse with bridges, ladders, slides, and a giant snake tunnel. The playground is 66,000-square feet, which leaves plenty of room for all the young visitors to enjoy.
Kangaroo Kickabout
You don’t need to go to Australia to get up close and personal with a kangaroo. Visitors can interact with the kangaroos in the Australian habitat. You must stay on the sidewalks and footpaths, but the kangaroos can approach you!
Soaring Eagle Zip Line
If you’re looking for something with a little bit more adrenaline, why not try the zip line?
You can ride the line both directions 110 feet over the zoo. The ride costs $8 per passenger.
Wilderness Express
The Wilderness Express train travels through a wooded area of the property on a small circular track. It is recommended for children up to 5 years old. Train cars are decorated with leopard, peacock, and giraffe patterns and tickets cost $2 per ride.
Animal Exhibits
Of course, at the Zoo, you’ll find a myriad of animal species and habitats, from arthropods, reptiles, and mammals to fish, birds, and amphibians.
In this post, we will provide information about visiting the Ryman Auditorium, including details about how to get here, tour types, ticket prices, discounts, things to see and more.
The Ryman Auditorium was originally built as a church, the Union Gospel Tabernacle.
It was the home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974
This is where Johnny Cash and June Carter met.
The first event to sell out was a lecture by Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan.
Bluegrass music began here
It is missing a piece of the stage – a circle was cut out after the last performance and moved to the new Grand Ole Opry House.
Today it hosts performances of all genres. The Wu Tang Clan played here in the summer of 2019, the first hip hop show at the venue.
HOW MUCH DO RYMAN TOUR TICKETS COST?
Visiting the “Mother Church of Country Music” is a must for any music lovers trip to Nashville, but its unique beginnings make it an enjoyable stop for any visitor. There are three different ways to tour the Ryman Auditorium. Read more »
This post covers things to do during October in Nashville, Tennessee, including family-friendly and free activities as well as evening entertainment and live music.
TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN OCTOBER
This top 10 list has concerts, events, attractions, and festivals to check out in Music City during October.
We are proud to offer our newest, affordable sightseeing option – AUDIO TOURS. Can’t make one of our guided tours? No problem, we have recorded some of our best tour guides giving their tours and put them on a GPS enabled app. We have partnered with Atlantis Audio Tours to provide you with a convenient way to experience our tours. Each tour offers an off-line option to view the map and hear the audio of each walk so that you don’t need to have GPS maps running with the app.
Here is how it works:
Download our Nashville walking tour app on (iTunes) or (Android).
Download any audio tour(s).
Enjoy the tour(s).
Even if you don’t download any tours, you will still have access to valuable information on sightseeing.
Join us for a walk through downtown Nashville as we cover the history of this town from its beginnings as Fort Nashborough through the Civil War, Civil Rights, Country Music to today.
The whole tour takes about 2 hours – that is if you don’t step inside any of the museums or restaurants.
This post includes free activities, family-friendly things to do, and evening entertainment while you’re in Nashville.
TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER
This top 10 list has concerts, events, attractions, and festivals to check out during September. Don’t forget to check out our popular Nashville posts:
If you’re looking for a concert, Music City is the place to find it. Many big-name artists come through larger venues on a frequent basis. Here are the highlights for September:
Nashville is a competitive city that loves its sports! And September is a great time to catch a game since there are several teams playing during the month. A football or baseball game is the perfect family outing for your trip to Nashville.
Music City isn’t just all concerts. You can find theatre and ballet too! There are two main productions you can find this September in Nashville.
Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen is the story of a high school boy who struggles to fit in. After a tragic event, and an assignment from his therapist gone wrong, Evan gets what he always wanted through some unintended deception. The award-winning musical runs from September 10 – 15.
Romeo and Juliet
The Nashville Ballet is putting on three performances of Romeo and Juliet from September 20 – 22. It is the tragic story from Shakespeare of two teenagers in love from rival families.
One of the most popular ways to see Nashville is with a hop-on-hop-off trolley tour. Trolley Tours have 15 stops throughout the city. If you’re looking for a more exciting mode of transportation, September is the perfect time for a pleasant horse-drawn carriage ride through downtown.
Of course, this is the perfect time of year for a walking tour, now that the weather is beginning to cool off. There are walking tours for every traveler, including food tours and spooky ghost tours.
(5) Check out a Free Museum
You can find multiple interesting museums in Nashville that have no admission fee or some free days to take advantage of.
The Tennessee State Museum has a comprehensive timeline of Nashville’s history, beginning with the First Peoples. Kids will also be entertained with the interactive Children’s Gallery and twice-weekly storytimes.
The Parthenon at Centennial Park has free arts and crafts hours for kids on Saturdays at 11:00 am, which includes free entry to the art displayed inside.
Fans of The Dukes of Hazzard can also see show memorabilia, costumes, and props at Cooter’s Place for free.
(6) Kidsville Family Festival and Blooma’s Bellyrama Family Yoga Fest
Enjoy the arts and some yoga at Centennial Park on September 21, 2019, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. The whole family can enjoy live musical and theatrical performances, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Reading Tent, a fitness zone by the Nashville Predators NHL team, a photo booth, arts and crafts, food trucks, face painting, and more.
Blooma Yoga will also run some Yoga for Everyone and Yoga for Kids classes on the lawn.
(7) Courtyard Concert Series at the Nashville Public Library
The Nashville Public Library hosts free lunchtime concerts in September and October every year. The performers are a mix of local and regional bands that tend to draw a crowd.
Concerts run rain or shine in the Robinson Courtyard. There are a few tables and chairs available, so if you want a good seat you might want to arrive early.
Performances are between 11:45 am – 1:00 pm.
This year’s series starts September 3, 2019, and runs through October 8, 2019.
This September marks the 13th Annual Cumberland River celebration and Dragon Boat Festival. The city of Nashville celebrates the river and raises awareness for all the things locals and visitors can do in and near this body of water.
This family-friendly festival includes live music, performers, and food trucks. People will especially enjoy the dragon boat race. Find more kid-friendly activities here.
(9) Music City Food + Wine Festival
This festival is running from September 20 – 22, 2019, at the Walk of Fame Park and Bicentennial Park. You can find cooking demonstrations, panels, and live musical performances in addition to the food and drink samples available.
The Music City Food + Wine Festival promises some delicious and entertaining times. If you’re looking for more things to do in the evenings, check our full post.
(10) Save Money with a Nashville Tourist Attraction Discount Pass
With all the exciting things there are to do in Music City, we suggest getting a tourist city pass for Nashville. All-inclusive passes are available, and others can include up to 55% discounts on retail prices for select attraction admission, gift shops, and restaurants.
The Hermitage is the former mansion and estate of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States. The mansion has been restored with original artifacts and you can tour it as well as the grounds.
September, when the weather is beginning to cool off, is the perfect time to take a tour of the grounds and learn about the plantation and lives of the people who lived there – including the approximately 150 slaves working there at the time of Jackson’s death.
This post covers family-friendly things to do in Nashville, including a top 10 list, free things to do, museums and attractions, and nighttime activities and tours, and is updated for 2019.
This section will cover our top 10 ideas for the best things to do with your kids in Nashville. If the activity is open late or free, we will point it out. Read more »
In this post, we will provide information about visiting the Grand Ole Opry House, including details about how to get here, tour types, ticket prices, discounts, things to see and more.
Depending on which package you purchase, backstage tour tickets will cost between $33 and $150 for adults. If you’ve ever wanted to get a look behind the scenes of this famous venue, this tour will take you backstage at the Grand Ole Opry House.Read more »
