The Best Daytime Adventures In Nashville (According To Visitors)

I asked Nashville visitors what to do during the day when you're staying near Broadway, and the responses came flooding in. These aren't just typical tourist suggestions — these are tested recommendations from people who've actually explored the city.

Museums You Can Actually Enjoy

The Country Music Hall of Fame showed up at the top of almost every list. Multiple visitors mentioned it's walking distance from Broadway, making it an easy morning activity.

The Johnny Cash Museum got recommended repeatedly, and it's also close enough to walk from downtown. One visitor said to hit both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Johnny Cash Museum since they're right there together.

The National Museum of African American Music got called “amazing” by several people. One visitor specifically said it has lots of cool exhibits and information beyond just music.

The Tennessee State Museum earned mentions for being free, which makes it an easy yes.

The Musicians Hall of Fame appeared on the comprehensive lists from visitors who'd done their research.

Someone mentioned the Lane Auto Museum as a great value if you like old cars. It's in Marathon Village, which came up as a solid daytime destination.

The Frist Museum got a shoutout from one visitor who paired it with Cheekwood.

Tours That Actually Teach You Something

The hop-on, hop-off trolley tour came up multiple times. One visitor gave smart advice — stay on for the full tour first to see everything, then hop off at the places that caught your attention on the return portion.

Walking tours got praised for being great exercise while learning history that goes beyond just music. One visitor said they googled one with good reviews and would totally do it again.

Food walking tours appeared several times. One person simply said “we did a walking food tour!” with the enthusiasm that tells you it was worth it.

Joyride golf cart tours kept showing up, with multiple visitors recommending them for seeing murals around the city. A few people even suggested booking directly through their website.

The Backstage Nashville songwriters show at 3rd & Lindsley runs at 12:30 PM on Saturdays. You hear country music's biggest hits performed by the actual people who wrote them, and they tell you the stories behind the songs. It's all ages with a full bar and restaurant.

Comedy bus tours got mentioned as awesome daytime entertainment that shows you the city while making you laugh.

Someone suggested a dive bar tour that takes you to places off the beaten path. There's apparently a Nashville Dive Bar Shuttle for this exact purpose.

Studio B tours from the Country Music Hall of Fame came highly recommended. The Belle Meade Historic Site also offers tours worth your time.

Neighborhoods Worth Exploring

12 South showed up constantly. Visitors described it as having great restaurants, cute boutiques, lots of murals, and being a perfect walking area. One person said you could spend time just exploring the shops and eating.

The Gulch got mentioned for nice restaurants, rooftop bars, boutiques, and murals. Someone specifically called out Pins Mechanical and Puttshack there.

Marathon Village appeared multiple times as the best spot for daytime activities. One visitor listed local shops, distilleries, an amazing coffee shop, and a winery all in one area.

Franklin kept coming up, with multiple people saying you could spend a whole day in downtown Franklin eating, drinking, and shopping. One person called it gorgeous. The Factory — an old factory turned into a cool mall — is walkable from downtown Franklin and got specifically recommended. Someone even mentioned the farmers market there on Saturdays as super cute.

East Nashville got described as having more breweries and a dive bar vibe compared to other neighborhoods.

Germantown came up for cute shops and restaurants.

Music Row appeared on lists, with one person mentioning a bar called Bobby's where the staff is lovely, plus you can possibly use the Virgin Hotel pool.

Green Hills got a mention for having a cute garden bar and mall with fun shops.

Leipers Fork showed up for art galleries and lunch stops.

Getting Outside

The Parthenon in Centennial Park got mentioned repeatedly. One visitor said it has great art and history inside, including Athena — the largest indoor sculpture in the U.S. The park itself came up as worth visiting, with one person mentioning the history of Tennessee carved in marble on the Capitol grounds.

Cheekwood appeared multiple times. Some visitors said to tour it, others said just walking the grounds is enough.

The Cumberland River footbridge got recommended for a nice walk with views.

Nashville Zoo showed up on several lists.

Kayaking the Cumberland River came up as an option, as did renting e-bikes to explore.

The Natchez Trace got suggested for heading south, stopping at walking trails for hikes, or stopping in Leipers Fork for lunch.

Cummins Falls State Park appeared on one comprehensive list.

Percy Priest Lake has a beach at Anderson Road Day Use Area that got mentioned.

Bell Witch Tanking — floating the river — came up for summer visits.

Montgomery Bell State Park got described as a beautiful state park with lush nature, golf, and dining over a lake.

Food Stops Worth Making

The Nashville Farmers Market appeared frequently. It's across from the Capitol and got called out multiple times as worth visiting.

Assembly Food Hall on the second floor of 5th and Broadway came up as having lots of restaurants and live music while being less hectic than Broadway itself.

Loveless Cafe kept appearing, especially for people planning day trips out that direction.

Biscuit Love got a strong recommendation for breakfast.

Monell's showed up on multiple lists.

Hattie B's got mentioned for hot chicken during the day.

Red's Hot Chicken got called “the best of Nashville hot chicken” by one visitor who said to eat in next door at Springwater Supper Club and Lounge — the oldest bar in Tennessee.

Distillery And Tasting Adventures

Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg came up repeatedly. Multiple people suggested renting a car through Turo and spending the day between the distillery and Lynchburg's town square. One person said you won't be disappointed and can easily spend the whole day there.

George Dickel Distillery appeared as an alternative to Jack Daniels.

Ole Smoky for moonshine tasting got mentioned as walking distance from Broadway.

Nelson's Greenbrier in Marathon Village came up for whiskey tastings and lunch.

Nashville Barrel Co and Tennessee Legend both got mentioned for whiskey tastings.

Bootleggers showed up for moonshine flights.

Unique Daytime Experiences

The Gaylord Opryland Hotel earned multiple mentions just for visiting and walking through, even if you're not staying there. One person said to go for lunch and be amazed at the plants and the river boat tour nearby.

Goo Goo Cluster Factory got called “a Tennessee thing” worth experiencing.

Nashvox lets you record a song, which appeared on the comprehensive activity lists.

Bad Axe Throwing came up as something different to try.

Donut Distillery got called “a must” by one enthusiastic visitor.

Pins Mechanical in the Gulch got recommended as fun.

The 16-bit bar and arcade came up for something different — apparently there's a mini bowling alley inside.

Carter Vintage Guitars showed up for music lovers wanting something off the beaten path.

Historic Sites And Mansions

The Hermitage — Andrew Jackson's home and plantation — appeared on multiple lists. It's about 30 minutes to a half hour ride from downtown.

Belle Meade Mansion got recommended for food and wine pairing, with several people saying the tour and wine tasting is worth the Uber ride.

Belmont Mansion on Belmont University campus showed up on the comprehensive lists.

The civil war history sites in Franklin — Carnton, Carter, and Lotz Houses with the battlefield walk — got mentioned for history buffs.

Day Trip Destinations

Franklin dominated the day trip recommendations. Multiple people said to spend a whole day there. The downtown, The Factory, and the scenic drive all got praise.

Lynchburg for Jack Daniels came up repeatedly as worth the drive.

Arrington Vineyards near Franklin appeared several times.

Leipers Fork got mentioned for lunch and galleries.

Someone even suggested checking out Dickson, Tennessee for quaint shopping and eateries.

What Made These Suggestions Stand Out

One massive comment literally listed 100+ daytime options organized by category — museums, tours, food, neighborhoods, seasonal activities, and more. That level of detail showed just how much there is to do beyond Broadway bars.

Multiple visitors emphasized that you don't need to stay in the Broadway bubble. One person pointed out that Assembly Food Hall is less hectic than Broadway while still having live music and restaurants.

Several people mentioned renting cars through Turo for day trips, suggesting it's easy and worth it for exploring beyond downtown.

And one visitor perfectly captured the Nashville experience: there's so much to see and do that you'll always find a reason to return.