Historic Sites To Visit In and Around Nashville, TN
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I am not your typical traveler. While most people go to Nashville to hangout in downtown to hear live music and bar hop along Broadway, I go to dive into history. Don’t get me wrong, I love country music and I have spent time in downtown Nashville. But, I prefer the slower pace of wandering historic estates. Below are some of the spots I’ve personally visited during my travels around the Nashville area.
Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery – Nashville, TN
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Belle Meade Historic Site is a great spot to visit if you’re interested in history. This spot offers various historic tours on the grounds covering a variety of topics from the realities of enslavement to the Civil War. The grounds are large, so give yourself plenty of time for your visit.
When I went, I did the Mansion Tour, which included a complimentary wine tasting afterwards. I’m not a big wine drinker, but I loved the blackberry wine. I think about this wine often, and it’s been two years since I’ve had it.
During the tour, I learned about the property’s connection to the Kentucky Derby. Bonnie Scotland (the greatest sire to ever stand at Belle Meade) and his descendants represent more than two-thirds of all Kentucky Derby winners to date, including 11 Triple Crown Winners.
Learn more about the history: Belle Meade History
Andrew jackson’s Hermitage – Nashville, TN
Are you familiar with President Andrew Jackson? This site was his home! If you’re looking to visit, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to explore both the grounds and the mansion. You can explore the grounds at your own pace, but inside the mansion you’ll have a guided tour with a knowledgeable guide.
On the grounds, you can visit Andrew Jackson’s tomb. The tomb is located in the Hermitage Garden and he is buried with his wife, Rachel.
Learn more about visiting: Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens – Nashville, TN
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens is a 55-acre historic estate that features beautiful gardens and a gorgeous mansion that was built between 1929 and 1932. I recommend giving yourself plenty of time for your visit because there’s a lot to see on the grounds. Amongst the beautiful gardens, you’ll also find art installations.
Tours of the mansion are self-guided, so you can take that at your own pace. The interior is decorated lavishly and features many beautiful details throughout.
Learn more about visiting: Cheekwood Estate & Botanical Gardens
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Historic Granville, Tennessee – Granville, TN
This spot is a bit of a hike from Nashville, but if you love history and historic things, it’s definitely worth the trip. It’s about an hour and a half from Nashville, but this museum has plenty to see. You can easily make a day trip out of it.
There are 11 different museum buildings and plenty of shops to check out. The admission was under $10 and I was extremely impressed with this place. We were even able to get lunch in town at the general store!
If you’re interested in music, there is live bluegrass music every Saturday night in the general store with southern style dinner. Tickets need to be purchased on their website. My trip was during the week, so unfortunately, I didn’t get to do this myself. The live music is recorded and aired on the radio. It is meant to sound like the early days of the Grand Ole Opry.
If you don’t love the idea of a day trip, you can always do a night in Granville to visit this historic town. You can stay at Wildwood Resort & Marina, which is only about a mile away. This spot has beautiful water views and a great restaurant on-site.
Check availability: Wildwood Resort and Marina
Oaklands Mansion – Murfreesboro, TN
Oaklands Mansion is a beautiful mansion to tour in Murfreesboro. Tours are self-guided, but you will need to book tickets in advance online. We got to the mansion early, and thankfully we were able to go in about an hour before the time we had booked. We had about an hour to explore the mansion on our own and there was a docent inside to answer any questions we had.
Be sure to also walk the grounds during your visit. There are other buildings and a nice walking path with some informational signs. You can also learn more about the history on their website.
Cannonsburgh Village – Murfreesboro, TN
This village represents about 100 years of early life in Tennessee, covering the 1830s through the 1930s. This spot is completely free to visit, which I thought was really awesome. However, they do accept donations. Inside the village, there are multiple buildings that you can explore from houses to buildings of trade (like a gristmill and blacksmith shop). The park is also home to the world’s largest cedar bucket.
Learn more about visiting: Cannonsburgh Village
Cragfont State Historic Site – Castalian Springs, TN
I spend a lot of time touring historic houses in Connecticut and beyond, and this has been one of my favorites I’ve done to date. I was lucky in the fact that my friend and I had the tour completely to ourselves. The docent was so engaging and kind. She really made this tour a lot of fun and educational.
My favorite thing about how this house museum is set up is how it looks so lived in. It makes it feel more like you’re stepping into a home than a museum. When I told the docent this, she said it’s intentional.
There’s a ton of interesting stories attached to this house, as most of the information they have about this house came from the owner’s daughter’s diary. Definitely worth a visit!
Learn more about the history: Cragfont’s Story
Wynnewood State Historic Site – Castalian Springs, TN
Remember the daughter I mentioned above who kept a dairy detailing what went on at Cragfont? This was where she lived as an adult! Wynnewood is the largest surviving log structure in the state of Tennessee. The main building was constructed in 1828 as a stagecoach inn. Later, Wynne moved his family into the inn. The Wynne family ran it as mineral springs resort, due to the sulfur springs on the property.
During the tour, you can learn about the interesting history of the land and the building. You can get a combo ticket for this historic site and Cragfont. When we went, we did Cragfont first, but I don’t necessarily think it matters which site you do first. However, we did get background information about Almira (the daughter who kept the diary) at Cragfont, and it was nice to have the connection prior to going to Wynnewood.
I thought the docent at this historic site also did an excellent job of telling the story of the family and the property!
Learn more about the history: Wynnewood State Historic Site
Hawthorn Hill State Historic Site – Castalian Springs, TN
This house definitely isn’t as large as Cragfont or Wynnewood State Historic Site, but it’s definitely worth a quick stop if you’re in Castalian Springs. The house was built in 1806 and it has a rare hall-and-parlor floor plan. Unfortunately, this spot has very limited hours for tours of the inside, so I didn’t get to see the interior. The interior doesn’t have furniture and the main focus is the architectural details. Even if it’s not open for tours, you can still visit the grounds to see the exterior and read the informational signs.
Learn more about this historic site: The History of Hawthorn Hill
Bledsoe’s Fort historical Park – Castalian Springs, TN
The area that this park sits was the site chosen by Isaac Bledsoe for a settlement and fort in 1780. There are trails in this park and plenty to see, from one of the oldest cemeteries in Sumner County to historic buildings. You’ll also see the site where the fort once was. There are informational signs throughout the park to check out as you enjoy the trails and sights in the park.
Learn more about the history of the fort and settlement: Bledsoe’s Fort History
Belle Meade and Cheekwood both look absolutely beautiful. I really like finding places like these when traveling — they make a trip feel much more memorable. Thanks for sharing!
Those are both definitely beautiful spots. Spots like these definitely do make trip feel more memorable!
I thought we had seen so many of the key sites in Nashville, but we clearly missed some of the surrounding area. We’ll definitely add some of these historic sites to our list for the next time we pass by the area.
They’re definitely worth a visit!