Family Trip to Nashville
Family Trip to Nashville with Teens
When I mentioned we were headed to Nashville, TN for Spring Break many people asked what we planned to do with teen kids. Bring them along I said! Before we started on our journey I did a lot of
research on what events were family friendly, age appropriate for our kids, and could be packed into our
very busy few days. There was plenty to do to keep us busy and we would have seen more if we had
stayed longer.
Drive vs Fly
First up – how to get there. There are flights on the bargain airlines straight to Nashville and if the dates
match, it’s not a bad choice. We drove so we could stop along the way and include a college visit if we
wanted. From Williamsburg, driving took about 10+ hours with stops added in. Uber is plentiful so feel
free to park or fly and let someone else drive you while in the city!
Accommodations
Where to stay… if you want to be right in the heart of it all, there are plenty of hotels downtown to be
right in the middle of the action. For luxury accommodation, try the amazing Gaylord Opryland Resort.
We opted to find an AirB&B which always suits our family with more space and a quiet place to start and
end the day. Our rental was walkable to the downtown area via Music Row and the famous Honkey
Tonk Alley (about ½ mile) and about a mile + to the Country Music Hall of Fame and right next to the
Vanderbilt University campus.
Day 1/Travel
We arrived later in the day around dinner and our first order of business was to walk and stretch our legs and find something to eat. We discovered Hop Doddy Burger Bar with rock music, delicious burgers, and a good beer. It was just what we needed to end the travel of our day and settle in. After dinner, we found a nearby grocery store and grabbed some breakfast items before heading back to our rental.
Day 2/the Fun Starts
Madame Tussands Wax Musuem
After breakfasting at our rental, we planned two types of days for Nashville: One with a lot of indoor activities that was farther from our rental and required driving and one with outdoor
activities we could walk to. Day 2 was cooler spring weather and overcast so we used this day for our
indoor activities. First up was Madame Tussands Wax Musuem. I’ve always wanted to visit one of
these life-like wax museums and it was not a disappointment. There were stars from past eras and of
course plenty of today’s top performers including Taylor Swift with her iconic guitar, Kid Rock, Beyonce,
Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan and so many others! Plan to spend about 2 hours here and
have your camera ready. You will take lots of selfies as well so don’t feel bad adding some extra bling to
your look!
Gaylord Opryland Resort
Next up was the Gaylord Opryland Resort which was short drive from the wax museum. Not only could
you stay in this fabulous resort if you wanted, but you don’t have to be a guest to visit for the day. We
spent the day here touring the various indoor botanical gardens which were so beautiful and amazing
and definitely achieved our 10,000 daily steps! Each wing had a different theme, and there were
restaurants, an indoor waterfall, fountains, and a short boat ride on the inside moat. The boat ride was
a lot of fun and you can learn some history and fun facts of the resort. The resort also hosts special
programs throughout the year, including a light up Easter egg hunt while we were there (but didn’t stay
for). Younger tweens/teens might like the VR codes to scan throughout the inside botanical garden and
the fountain show timed to music was a hit. It’s warm inside with all the humidity to keep the tropical flowers healthy so consider wearing a layer you can remove. The restaurants are a bit pricy since it is a
resort but provided a great experience to relax and enjoy the view. Plan to spend anywhere from 3-6
hours here depending on how leisurely you want to walk, eat and enjoy the view. There are amenities
for guests only such as the water park so spending a night or two hear could be fun if your budget
allows.
We wrapped up day tired from all the walking and opted to order pizza for dinner from Bella Napoli and
watch a movie in our AirB&B Rental as the chilly day gave way to a little rain.
Day 3/Out and About
Country Music Hall of Fame
We knew this would be our outside day so we donned comfortable walking shoes, grabbed our water bottles and headed out after breakfast. By way of Music Row, we made our way to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. There is something for everyone here – as country music fans ourselves, we enjoyed some of the slightly older music history and the kids liked seeing Taylor Swifts iconic sparkle guitar (the original!). The museum will take you ‘way back’ to the early days of music including country folk and country rock. The walls of Hall of Fame inductees and gold and platinum albums was impressive. Plan to spend 2-3 hours here, depending on how much you like to read and learn about country music history
Country Music Walk of Fame
After leaving the Hall of Fame, we walked across the street to see the Country Music Walk of Fame and
admired all the stars who had earned their stars and saw the famous Bridgestone Arena. The walking
had made us hungry so we pulled out google maps and made our way by foot to find food, first seeing
the pedestrian bridge. The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge provides great views of the city and
plenty of photo opportunities. The Dolly Parton Mural near 1 st Ave & Broadway wasn’t far off so we
snapped a picture of Dolly before we continued on to whole reason we came to Nashville – the Honky Tonks!
Honky Tonk Highway
Honky Tonk Highway is one of the most popular and iconic Nashville attractions. First off, YES – your kids
can get into the honky tonks! Most honky tonks allow those under 21 years until 7pm or 9pm. For us,
we found 9pm was the norm when we visited in early April. Some of the honky tonks will have 21 and
older floors and rooftops so it’s always good to ask the hostess when you arrive. Second, it’s LOUD. So
if loud is not your thing, you may not want to go inside but just stroll outside for a few blocks.
Luke’s 32 Bridge
For my family, we needed food so my son being a huge Luke Bryan fan picked his bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge. This was one where the rooftop was only for those 21 and older so we didn’t get to enjoy the beautiful
Nashville spring while we ate. There was live music downstairs and we enjoyed a good meal to nourish us for the rest of the day.
We walked the streets of Honky Tonk Highway taking in all the sights and sounds. If you are a people
watcher, you will have you fill here! There are so many great places to just stop and hear the music –
you never know if you will watch will be the next big up and coming country music star! Don’t be
surprised to see a bachelorette party at any time and be prepared for crowded streets and sidewalks. I
recommend leaving your purse at home or just carrying something small you sling over as crossbody
because big bags will get in the way!
Blake Shelton’s Old Red
After an hour or two taking it all in, we made another pit stop to rest and grab a beer for the parents and a soda for the kids at Blake Shelton’s Old Red. Blake knows how to do it right – Old Red was a great place to enjoy music downstairs, or enjoy the rooftop bar, listen to music from other venues (there was not a rooftop band when we visited, though there is a stage) and plan out the rest of the day and rest.
Nashville Murals
I could have spent hours here enjoying the weather, music and drinks but my restless kids wanted to
move on so we journeyed on to search for the famous Nashville murals. There are many ways to see the
murals, including a guided tour but we opted to pick the ones that interested us and put our feet to
good use. If you want to see them all, a guided tour would probably be your best bet. You could spend
hours if not all day to see them all across the city. Some of the murals have similar names (such as What
Lifts You) – so make sure you are headed to the correct mural! We found this out the hard way when we
walked quite a bit out of the way for What Lifts You – Wings but instead found the What Lifts You –
Rainbow. Nothing wasted though and we found a bench to sit down and snag an Uber for a ride back to
our rental after a long day of walking.
Day 4/One Last Stop and Travel
The Parthenon
We specifically planned to visit The Parthenon as we headed out of town as we knew we could then jump on the interstate back to Virginia. We got a little lost heading through Downtown Nashville and ended up passing and stopping by Biscuit Love and grabbing a second breakfast. Known for their biscuits of course, it was worth the stop! Flaky biscuits with topping were just what my carb-loving kids wanted! With full bellies we headed towards The Parthenon a replica of the famous Parthenon in Greece. It’s an amazing structure and a visit would not be complete without an inside tour to see huge golden Athena Parthenos statue. Make sure you get a picture taken in front of the statue to truly realize the scale!
With our tour done, we loaded back into the car for the drive home, tired and happy. We packed a lot
into about 2 ½ days of sights sandwiched with a day of travel on each end. Traveling with teens allowed
us to visit places that might be too much for younger kids but the tweens and older set will be
entertained and have fun and can handle the walking (if you chose to walk). While we enjoyed all of
Nashville’s country music, there is plenty to do if you are not a country music fan. It was a trip full of fun.
~Liz, Travel Writer
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