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Is it possible to tour Nashville and get a good feel for the city in as little as 24 hours? You bet! It is absolutely possible to do Nashville in a day, with this Nashville itinerary in 24 hours.
Where to stay in nashville
Ideally you should be staying close to downtown, to enable walking to most of these locations on your Nashville Itinerary in 24 hours. If you have your own vehicle, accessing the Parthenon and the driving out to Music Alley for the Grand Ole Opry will be easier. Alternatively, many organized tours to the Opry include bus transportation and downtown pick up.
The further away from downtown, the more affordable the accommodations. I stayed at the Comfort Inn Downtown Nashville, at 1501 Demonbreun St, which was convenient just off the freeway, and had ample parking if you’re arriving with a rental car. You can look it up on the map below, and compare other options.
Country Music Hall of Fame – the #1 stop on your Nashville itinerary in 24 hours
No visit to Nashville would be complete without touring the Country Music Hall of Fame. Organized chronologically, visitors are lead through the history of country music, its roots and influences. It’s interesting to see how country music has changed over time, as well as the impacts of media, societal shifts, and historical events.
Learn about country music’s complex roots, meshed with history, media influence, and culture clashes. The museum has endless displays on the stars of the day throughout time. Filled with famous instruments, clothing, cars and tons of interactive sound booths, even those who are not fans when they walk in, will leave with an appreciation of the genre’s varied roots.
This gold plated Cadillac owned by Elvis Presley is just one example. There are many exhibits of memorabilia from artists and concerts over the years as well. Check out the Taylor Swift dress, boots and guitar!
One exhibit I found fascinating was the hand written sheets from several famous artists, showing their working notes and lyrics as they created music.
Johnny Cash Museum
It looks like a small storefront, but this private museum holds a wealth of information on all things Johnny Cash. Amassed by a fan turned collector, the memorabilia from a lauded career is vast. If you have time, the Patsy Cline Museum is also upstairs.
The original House of Cash Museum was located in the artist’s former home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. But, during restoration work in 2007, the property was destroyed by a fire. The current museum, opened in 2013, was the brainchild of Shannon and Bill Miller, a close friend of Cash who donated his personal collection of artifacts and memorabilia.
Two less frequently visited stops to include in your Nashville itinerary in 24 hours
Certainly some tourists will give these next two exhibits a miss. But they are free, not too far from the Broadway strip, and both add immensely to your understanding of Nashville and its place in US history.
Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library
This permanent installation and powerful exhibit tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement, and the events that took place in Nashville in the 1950s and 1960s. Nashville was the first southern city to desegregate public services. Inside the room, large photos show school desegregation, sit-ins and a silent march on the courthouse.
A circular table is symbolic of the lunch counters where young students from Fisk sat silently and peacefully at sit-ins. You can sit on the stools and work your way around the lunch counter bar and timeline of events presented above the table. There is also a viewing room where you can watch old footage of news documentaries from the time.
Large scale black and white photos are displayed around the room. They mark major news events during the civil rights movement in Tennessee at the time.
Votes for Women Room at the Nashville Public Library
Across the room, in an adjacent exhibit on the second floor, is the Votes for Women Room. This room opened in 2020 to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, allowing women to vote in the US.
Because Tennessee was the state that cast the final vote for ratification, there is a lot of pride in attaining women’s rights to vote. The room includes a timeline of events leading to the change in legislation, and reads like a US history book in display format, with a female lens.
Taken in concert with the Civil Rights Room, the appreciation for the timeline, later layered onto your tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame is fascinating. Because it’s a true immersion into politics and culture of the times, it will help you understand the undercurrents in music as well.
Broadway honky-tonks: an absolute must on your nashville itinerary in 24 hours
You certainly can’t go wrong just wandering along Broadway, and grabbing a beer at a place where the band is playing your vibe. Most honk-tonks put the band up front close to the windows, which are generally open, so it’s hard not to hear and see if it looks like a good time. Have a few beers wandering along checking out various places, and be sure to tip the band on your way out with some cash dropped in their hat!
The Parthenon
Built in 1893 for the 1896 Centennial and exposition, the Parthenon is a life-size replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Surrounding structure for the exposition was removed after the show, but the popular Parthenon remained, and the city built an expansive park around it, still present today. It was refurbished in the 1920s, and today remains one of Nashville’s most iconic buildings, and monument to the creativity and energy of the New South at the time, and to Nashville’s distinction as the Athens of the South.
The Grand Ole Opry
The Opry performs at least two times a week, Friday and Saturday, with additional nights Tuesday some weeks. It’s best to plan your trip to Nashville to include one of these nights, but even if you can’t catch a show you can still take a backstage tour.
Back stage tours can also be added to your concert ticket price at purchase. See the Get Your Guide link below for Opry packages and deals, or book direct at Opry.com
The Grand Ole Opry famous broadcast traces its roots to 1925. Always a live audience show, visiting musicians play a couple numbers each in a variety show, hosted and broadcast live across the nation. Visiting musicians are generally announced a couple weeks in advance. But you’re pretty much guaranteed to have several in the line-up with familiar music, and you’ll see new up and comers at the beginning of their career. And yes, you’ll be able to say you saw them perform at the Grand Ole Opry in the future!
Nashville Itinerary in 24 hours tickets
For tickets, tours and access to sites listed in this post, plus all things you can do in Nashville, be sure to check out Get Your Guide Nashville.