Attractions in Nashville

To kick-start your adventure into the world of country music, make your first stop at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Here you can brush up on your knowledge of country and western music--from its history to its current heartbreakers and all the nitty gritty in between. This way, when you visit the historic Ryman Auditorium, you'll know that it began its life as a church and served as the home to the Grand Ole Opry 1943-74. Its stage has seen the likes of performers from Enrico Caruso to Mae West.

Now that you're well-versed in the country and western genre, it's time to visit the mother of all live music venues, the Grand Ole Opry. The live, foot-stompin' radio broadcast bills itself as country music's longest continuously running radio show. At any given performance you might hear a top-name recording artist or catch a sneak peek of a soon-to-be-diva. Another live variety show, the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree, takes the stage at the Texas Troubadour Theatre on Saturdays, and folks pack the pews for Cowboy Church, the theater's inspiring Sunday gospel brunch.

The sprawling Gaylord Opryland is hard to miss. Wander the gardens and pathways and check out the waterfalls under the atriums of the Gaylord Opryland Resort, or dine or shop. If you're up for a boat ride, set sail on a flatboat tour without even leaving the glass enclosure; boats meander along the resort's indoor winding rivers. For an excursion outside the complex, the General Jackson Showboat takes passengers on a paddlewheel cruise along the Cumberland River. Gaze out at nature from four large decks, while listening to country music playing sweetly in the background.

Being the state capital, Nashville offers plenty of interest for history buffs. Stop at the 1859 Greek Revival-style State Capitol to view statues of Sam Davis and Andrew Johnson, as well as the tombs of James K. Polk and his wife, which are on the grounds. Then stroll through 60,000 square feet of history at the Tennessee State Museum. Exhibits explore prehistory and educate about the Civil War, Reconstruction and antebellum Tennessee, accompanied by a whole slew of original artifacts.

If the antebellum era interests you, include The Hermitage on your itinerary. Bedecked with fat Corinthian columns, the mansion was the home of the seventh president; Andrew Jackson lived here before and after his presidency, and the estate preserves many family belongings. Formal gardens surround the house. A typical Southern plantation home, the Greek Revival Belle Meade Plantation was the lord over more than 5,000 acres in its day. Check out the architectural details inside, and explore the now 30-acre grounds: A carriage house, log cabin, smokehouse, mausoleum and a creamery remain. Said to be one of the most elaborate antebellum homes in the South, Belmont Mansion sports 36 rooms in its 19,000 square feet of extravagant living space. No detail was overlooked in creating this over-the-top summer home, and it has been beautifully restored.

Nashville is no stranger to fine art, and Fisk University Galleries boasts an impressive collection, with paintings by Cézanne, O'Keeffe, Picasso and Renoir as well as an exhibit with African-American works. At the Georgian-style Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art, find American and contemporary paintings and English decorative arts. Religious art is the focus at the Upper Room Chapel and Museum where works date from 1300 to the present. Changing exhibits at the more modern, Art Deco Frist Center for the Visual Arts spotlight international art. For sculpture, head to The Parthenon, where a gigantic, gilded likeness of Athena looms.

At the expansive Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, a giant map of Tennessee is a great place for kids to play. Giggles peal amid 31 spurting fountains representing the state's rivers. Also popular with kids is the seven-story Adventure Tower climbing structure at the Adventure Science Center. If you master the maze of chutes and ladders to reach the globe at the top, a view of the city awaits. The museum has engaging, interactive exhibits about science and nature. Then visit the real thing at the 200-acre Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. Cheetahs, cougars, tigers and zebras live alongside amphibians, Bengal tigers and macaws.