Family Activities
Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has been the home of America's music since 1967. The museum's vast collection illustrates country music's story as told through the turns of two centuries. A treasure trove of historic country video clips and recorded music, dynamic exhibits and state-of-the-art design, regular menu of live performances and public programs, Museum Store, on-site dining, and fabulous public spaces all contribute to an unforgettable museum experience. 
HOURS: Daily 9 AM - 5 PM |
The Parthenon
| Centerpiece of Centennial Park, Nashville's premier urban park. The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon. It also serves as the city of Nashville's art museum.
HOURS: Tue-Sat 9 AM - 4:30 PM, Sun 12:30 - 4:30 PM |
Ryman Auditorium
A National Historic Landmark and former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Tours showcase the legendary stars who have graced her stage, from the biggest names in music to Mae West, Rudolph Valentino, and W.C. Fields. Evening performances showcase many shows and concerts scheduled year-round. HOURS: Daily 9 AM - 4 PM |
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The Grand Ole Opry (at Opryland)
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What began as a simple radio broadcast in 1925 is today a live-entertainment phenomenon. Dedicated to honoring country music’s rich history and dynamic present, the Grand Ole Opry showcases a mix of country legends and the contemporary chart-toppers who have followed in their footsteps. 
The Opry, an American icon and Nashville, Tennessee’s number-one attraction, is world-famous for creating one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences for audiences of all ages. It’s been called the “home of American music” and “country’s most famous stage.” Every year, hundreds of thousands of people make pilgrimages across town or around the world to the Opry Complex to see the show live. Millions more tune in to Opry broadcasts on television. SHOWS: Ticket prices and times vary. Order online. Group prices are available. Contact Wayne A. Chandler, CTP (615) 882-5435 or wchandler@gaylordentertainment.com. TOURS: Available seven days a week depending upon other Opry House commitments. On evenings in which there is only one Opry performance, tours are also available immediately after the show. Tours can be booked up to two weeks in advance at www.getgaylordtickets.com/Online or 800-SEE-OPRY. Tickets for tours are also available at the Opry House Box Office. PHONE:(615) 871-6779 |
Grand Ole Opry Museum
Relive the memories as you view tributes to the great stars of country music. Exhibits honor such music legends as Patsy Cline, Tex Ritter, Roy Acuff, Marty Robbins, Minnie Pearl, George Jones and Jim Reeves. You can also browse through a dozen exhibits on current artists like Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks. Displays feature special audio and video electronic effects and interactive devices so you can hear the music as you relive the history of country music. The museum is located in the Opry Plaza area near the Grand Ole Opry House. HOURS: Sun - Thu 10 AM - 5 PM |
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is a nonprofit art-exhibition center with approximately 24,000 square feet of gallery space dedicated to presenting the finest visual art from local, state and regional artists, as well as major U.S. and international exhibitions. HOURS: Mon - Wed 10 AM –5:30 PM, Thu & Fri 10 AM –9 PM, Sun 1 –5:30 PM |
Upper Room Chapel & Museum
The Upper Room Chapel hosts over 25,000 visitors each year. The focal point of the Upper Room Chapel is a woodcarving of Leonardo da Vinci's painting “The Last Supper”, sculpted by Ernest Pellegrini. Visitors also enjoy the Upper Room Museum, whose permanent collection reflects an international, interracial, and interdenominational nature. 
HOURS: Mon - Fri 8 AM - 4:30 PM |
Tennessee State Museum
The Tennessee State Museum is one of the largest state museums in the nation with more than 60,000 square feet of permanent exhibits and a 10,000 square foot changing exhibition hall. The museum's interpretive exhibits begin 15,000 years ago and continue through the early 1900s, interpreting Tennessee's history. The Military Museum is located in the War Memorial Building, across the street from the main facilities. Exhibits deal with America's overseas conflicts, beginning with the Spanish-American War in 1898 and ending with World War II in 1945. HOURS: Tue - Sat 10 AM - 5 PM, Sun 1 - 5 PM |
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Named in honor of the late Maestro Kenneth Schermerhorn, who led the Award-winning Nashville Symphony for 22 years, is home to the Nashville Symphony. The hall features a custom-built concert organ comprised of 3,568 pipes. The building also has a public garden and cafe, enclosed by a colonnade, which is open to the public throughout the day and during concerts. Fifty-minute tours led by knowledgeable, highly trained volunteer docents are offered free of charge on Wednesdays and Saturdays, promptly at 1 p.m. in the West Atrium. There are no events scheduled during our stay at this time. TOURS: Wed & Sat at 1 PM SHARP(50-minute duration) |
Tennessee Central Railway Museum
The Tennessee Central Railway Museum is dedicated to the preservation of Tennessee's railroad heritage. Our Nashville facility is home to a unique collection of historic equipment. The museum also operates passenger excursions in Middle Tennessee, providing a unique opportunity for everyone to experience the joys of rail travel. 
HOURS: Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM, Sat 9 AM - 3 PM, Closed Sun |
Adventure Science Center
Family Adventure/Learning Center includes hands-on exhibits, Blue max flight simulator, observation tower, and planetarium.
Group rates for a minimum 15 people are $2 less for General Admission and $1 off for the Planetarium. One chaperone per every five children is required. One week advance registration is required to receive group discount. HOURS: Mon - Sat 10 AM - 5 PM, Sun 12:30 - 5:30 PM |
Tennessee Agricultural Museum
An extensive collection of home and farm artifacts from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Exhibits include textiles, a woodworking collection, buggies, wagons, a McCormick reaper, and a Jumbo steam engine are exhibited in a renovated plantation barn. Log cabins, a small farm house, a renovated plantation barn, kitchen/herb garden, perennial garden and nature trail are also part of the museum tour. HOURS: Weekdays 9 AM - 4 PM |
Bicentennial Capitol Mall Park
Park features include: Tennessee Map Plaza, a 200-foot granite state map highlighting the major roads, 95 counties, rivers, interesting geographic formations and details of each county; the Rivers of Tennessee Fountains; a 1,400-foot Wall of History engraved with historic events that have occurred over the past two centuries; a 2,000-seat amphitheater with dramatic views of the State Capitol building. The park has picnic tables, restrooms and vending machines. HOURS: The Park closes at dark |
Nashville Zoo
 Your ticket to African elephants, giraffes, poison arrow frogs, zebras, red pandas, Bengal tigers, gibbons, meerkats and much more! In between your animal adventures, be sure to take a spin on our Wild Animal Carousel, monkey around our 66,000-square-foot Jungle Gym, or even step back in time at our Grassmere Historic Home and Farm. HOURS: 9 AM - 6 PM |
Belle Meade Plantation
The 5,400 acre plantation began in 1807 and became an internationally renowned Thoroughbred farm and showplace. In 1953, Belle Meade Mansion and eight outbuildings on 30 acres were deeded to the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. Today, the Belle Meade Plantation is one Nashville's most popular attractions and managed by the Nashville chapter of the Association. Belle Meade Plantation highlights include the 1853 Mansion (restored to the sumptuous elegance of the Victorian era), the 1890 Carriage House and Stable, and the 1790 Log Cabin, one of the oldest housed in Tennessee. ADMISSION: Adults $16 • Students (13-18) $10 • Youth (6-12) $8 • Seniors $14 |
Belmont Mansion
Belmont Mansion is the largest house museum in Tennessee and one of the few nineteenth century homes whose history revolves around the life of a woman: Adelicia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham. Listed as one of Nashville’s top twenty tourist attractions, Belmont Mansion attracts visitors from all over the country, as well as from countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom. Its meticulous restoration and unique role in the history of Nashville and the South draw visitors eager to hear its story. TOURS: Mon - Sat 10 AM - 4 PM |
Fort Negely
Adjacent to Adventure Science Center. Includes Visitors Center and the film “The Fall of Nashville.” Largest of a group of forts built by the Union, and the largest inland masonry fort built during the Civil War, it covered four acres of land. It was built by both free blacks and conscripted slaves. Enter the fort ruins through the sally port used by Union troops, gaze to the south from the observation deck, and imagine the lives of the men who worked and fought here. HOURS: Tue - Fri: Noon - 4 PM |
The Hermitage
The Hermitage mansion has been meticulously restored to its 1837 appearance and today looks much as it did when Andrew Jackson returned to it after finishing his second term as President. Costumed historical interpreters greet you and prepare you for your tour. Inside historical interpreters stationed throughout the house tell you about Jackson, his family, and his home. Tours last about twenty minutes. Self-guided tours of The Hermitage grounds have much to offer including the Hermitage garden, Jackson’s tomb, and the Beyond the Mansion tour of sites related to slavery, farming, and nature at The Hermitage. HOURS: Daily 8:30 AM - 5 PM |
Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum
 The former estate of the Cheek family (think Maxwell House coffee fortune) perches on a hill surrounded by splendorous Warner Parks. The Georgian mansion houses Nashville's premier art museum, including regular collections of paintings, silver and porcelain. Outside, the sprawling botanical gardens include a Japanese garden, an herb garden, two perennial gardens, a color garden, water garden, seasons garden and wildflower garden. HOURS: Mon: Closed, Tue - Sat 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM |
Travellers Rest Plantation
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Travellers Rest, built in 1799, is one of the only colonial-style homes you can tour in Nashville. Gen. John Hood made Travellers’ Rest his headquarters during the weeks leading up to the Battle of Nashville. HOURS:Mon - Sat 10 AM - 4 PM; |
Lane Motor Museum
Features the largest collection of European vehicles in the United States: approximately 150 cars and motorcycles not typically seen in the U.S. are on display. Housed in a former 132,000 square foot bakery. HOURS: Mon & Thu 10 AM - 5 PM |
The Nashville Sounds
 The Nashville Sounds are a minor league baseball team and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The team plays their home games at Herschel Greer Stadium. Greer is the only stadium in the country with a guitar-shaped scoreboard. GAMES: Home games are scheduled for 7:05 PM Mon - Thu during our conference. |
Nashville Shores Waterpark
Nashville Shores is a 385-acre family recreation destination. The water park includes eight waterslides, three pools, Kayak Cove, Parker Sandbox, an Aqua Park, thousands of feet of white, sandy beach, and a Giant Bucket of Fun that pours hundreds of gallons of water on kids of all ages. Nashville Shores also offers free lake cruises onboard the Nashville Shoreliner, miniature golf, volleyball, and much more. HOURS: 10 AM - 6 PM |
General Jackson Showboat
 You'll have an unforgettable time aboard the historic 300 foot-long General Jackson Showboat. You'll cruise the Cumberland River and enjoy a seated dinner and stage show aboard the largest showboat in the world. Cruise Length: 3-4 hrs. Show: Country Music USA. ADMISSION: Evening Cruise: 6:15 board. Adult $87.95 • Child 4-11 $57.95; Lunch Cruise: 11:30 board. Adult $56.67 • Child 4-11 $35.69 (Group rate for 20 or more: 10% off) |
Other Things to Do
Pre-Conference
| Country Music Festival (Fan Fair) | Link for June 9-12, 2011 festival information. |
Shopping
| Opryland Hotel | From dancing fountains to cascading waterfalls, this vast hotel maintains its water theme. There's even a river running through the Delta, the hotel's expansion. The hotel boasts a staggering 600,000 square feet of meeting space, including the Ryman Exhibit Hall, the nation's largest single-level, self-contained exhibition facility in a hotel. There are numerous restaurants inside.
PHONE: (615) 889-1000 |
| Bass Pro Shop | This 150,000 square-foot store is located at 323 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville.
Phone: (615) 514-5200 |
| Hickory Hollow Mall | Hickory Hollow Mall is a shopping center in the Nashville (Antioch), Tennessee area and features food, entertainment, and shopping for the entire family. Enjoy the Carmike Cinemas movie theater, Macys and Sears department stores, Bath and Body Works, EyeMasters, Charlotte Russe, Wet Seal, Kay Jewelers, Sport Seasons, and over 80 unique specialty shops. |
| Coolsprings Galleria | CoolSprings Galleria is the premier shopping center in the Nashville (Franklin), Tennessee area and features over 150 specialty stores including Belk, MacAuthority, Macy’s, and Lenscrafters. Enjoy an array of restaurant options including J. Alexander’s, Macaroni Grill, Logan’s, Stoney River and more. |
| 12 South District | Several fun (though pricey) vintage stores, including Katy K's Ranch Dressing (awesome country-western outfits), Savant, and Local Honey (on a side street, also has clothing by local designers). Also home to the Art House gallery. |
| East Nashville/5 Points | Head to Hip Zipper for vintage clothing, The Turnip Truck for health food, or Art and Invention Gallery for fine art and handmade jewelry. |
| Hillsboro Village | Located in a short section of 21st AV, just south of Vanderbilt. Home of Nashville's most popular used bookstore, BookMan/BookWoman; A Thousand Faces (jewelry and local art); Pangaea (quirky gifts); and a well-stocked kitchen goods and coffee store. |
