Downtown, Nashville

At 116 5th Avenue N is the Ryman Auditorium, in which the Grand Ole Opry show was performed from 1943 to 1974, which is now a museum.The Ryman Auditorium opened in 1892 in Nashville as a vision of Captain Thomas G Ryman. It was originally called the Union Gospel Tabernacle. The Ryman has been restored and features classical and concert series, bluegrass shows, musical theater and television tapings.

The Tennessee State Capitol was built on the most prominent hill in downtown Nashville. It is overshadowed by large buildings. The building was designed in a simple neoclassical style by William Strickland. It is capped with a temple-like lantern rather than a dome. It was started in 1845 and is mostly made of Tennessee marble.On the grounds are statues of Tennessee-born Presidents Andrew Jackson & Andrew Johnson.The capitol is the anchor of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park which links the legislature with downtown which traces Tennessee history and geography and contains a Greek theater.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is set in a stunning 1999 building in the heart of downtown Nashville. The museum features a multi-media display of historical performances, costumes, instruments, gold records and the memorabilia of the large American country music industry. The appeal is widespread because this style of music and its stars have reached into every aspect of U.S. culture.The design is by Tuck Hinton Architects and consists of a multi-story entrance atrium and a tower beneath a sweeping wing-shaped roofline.

The Upper Room Chapel in Nashville features a woodcarving of Leonardo da Vinci's painting, The Last Supper, which was sculpted by Ernest Pellegrini. The woodcarving was created by more than fifty woodworkers under his guidance over fourteen months' time.The Upper Room Museum displays religious paintings from 1300 to present day. Two special exhibits are Ukrainian eggs in spring and 100 Nativity scenes during the Christmas season.

The Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville is an example of Egyptian Revival architecture. The Egyptian decorative theme is continued inside with wall paintings, woodwork, and the stained glass windows. The church was used as a hospital during the Union occupation of the city during the Civil War. It was designated Hospital No. 8 and housed 206 beds.

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville is a 19-acre site that commemorates the 200th year of Tennessee as a state. A granite map of the state is imbedded in the concrete plaza. An area containing 31 vertical water fountains marks each of the predominant waterways in Tennessee.

The Tennessee State Museum in Nashville features exhibits that began 15,000 years ago and continue through the early 1900s highlighting the Prehistoric, Frontier, Age of Jackson, Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods. Special displays of furniture, silver, weapons, quilts, and paintings are on display.

On the banks of the Cumberland River is a reconstruction of Fort Nashborough, the original nucleus of the city, established by pioneers in 1779.