Free Things To Do in Nashville (2024)

You already know we’re home to free music 365 days a year, but music isn’t the only free attraction in Nashville. Read on to find out which parks, attractions, and venues are free to visit in Music City.

Nashville is nicknamed Music City for good reason. It’s home to historic venues, a major arena, and numerous music artists and industry professionals. If you want to hear live music in Nashville, just pick where to go! Our Live Music Venue Guide can help you plan the perfect visit.

Pro Tip: Most places don’t charge a cover fee, but remember to tip the band!

If you want free things to do in Nashville for families, visit one of the city’s many parks. Enjoy hiking, fishing, picnicking, and more. Use the interactive Parks Finder from Metro Parks Nashville to search for parks by activity, location, or name.

• Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park
  Tour Tennessee via a 200-foot granite map of the state, a walkway featuring the state’s 95 counties, 31 geyser-like spray fountains representing lakes, rivers, and tributaries of Tennessee, and an extraordinary wall depicting the state’s history.
• Centennial Park
  Centennial Park is Nashville's premier park. Located at West End and 25th Avenue North, the 132-acre park features the iconic Parthenon, a 1-mile walking trail, Lake Watauga, the Centennial Art Center, historical monuments, an arts activity center, a beautiful sunken garden, a bandshell, an events shelter, sand volleyball courts, a dog park, and an exercise trail.
• Cumberland Park
  Cumberland Park, nestled against the scenic backdrop of Nashville's riverfront, offers an innovative play space for families. It features interactive water features, an outdoor amphitheater, and lush green spaces for picnics and relaxation. It's a perfect spot to enjoy the outdoors and discover Nashville's beauty and vibrancy.
• Music City Walk of Fame Park
  The Music City Walk of Fame Park on Nashville's Music Mile is a landmark tribute to those with a connection to Music City from all genres of music who have contributed to the world through song or other industry collaboration and made a significant contribution to the music industry.
• Radnor Lake State Park
  Radnor Lake State Park is a 1,368-acre park offering an abundance of wildlife viewing opportunities, environmental education programs, and hiking opportunities. The park is perfect for nature enthusiasts who want to observe owls, herons, and waterfowl, as well as many species of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals such as mink and otter.
• Warner Parks
  Edwin and Percy Warner Parks, collectively known as “The Warner Parks,” are one of the largest municipally administered parks in Tennessee. Together, they span more than 3,100 acres of forest and field. The Warner Parks have a Nature Center, picnic shelters, dog park, scenic roadways and overlooks, hiking trails, mountain bike trails, equestrian center and horse trails, cross-country running courses, golf courses, and athletic fields.

Nashville is home to interesting landmarks, educational museums, and free attractions. Visit these unique places for a guided tour, enjoy free offers, and learn more about the city’s history.

• Arrington Vineyards
  Visiting Tennessee’s premier vineyard is free. Bring a picnic lunch or enjoy dinner year-round. On Saturdays and Sundays, April through October, Arrington Vineyards hosts Music in the Vines. Each concert is free and the perfect opportunity to taste amazing wine.
• Cooter's Place
  "Cooter," Ben Jones himself, operates this "Dukes of Hazzard" museum, which features pictures, props, costumes, memorabilia, and classic Dukes cars, including Cooter's two trucks, Daisy's Jeep, Rosco's Patrol Car, and a General Lee. Admission is always free.
• Nashville Flea Market
  On the fourth weekend of each month, the Tennessee State Fairgrounds hosts the Nashville Flea Market, where dealers and vendors from 30 states offer their wares to the buying public. Visitors will find a variety of gifts, antiques, collectibles, jewelry, arts and crafts, tools, housewares, handmade clothing, and more.
• Downtown Presbyterian Church
  This Presbyterian Church is a national landmark. Guests in Nashville have marveled at its Egyptian revival interior and organ. Tours are available on Tuesday and Thursday at 2pm.
• Fort Donelson National Battlefield
  Discover the history behind Fort Donelson and the Union victory, which elated the North and stunned the South during the American Civil War. Within days of the Confederate surrender at Fort Donelson, Clarksville, and Nashville would fall into Union hands. General Ulysses S. Grant and his troops created a pathway to victory for the Union after this great victory.
• Fort Nashborough Interpretive Center
  Nashville was founded when James Robertson led his group of pioneers across the frozen Cumberland River to a place called The Cedar Bluffs. It was here that these men built a fort called Nashborough, which would be the shelter for the first families of the city. Today, a replica of the fort is located at the end of Lower Broadway and is open for self-guided tours. The site also holds a Native American Plaza that honors the tribes and people who populated the area before the arrival of James Robertson.
• Fort Negley
  Explore the largest inland masonry fort built during the Civil War. Fort Negley offers interactive exhibits and educational videos on Nashville's surrender in 1862 and the fort's construction. Self-guided walking tours are available year-round from dawn until dusk.
• 
  Take a walk around the resort's nine acres, complete with indoor gardens, pathways, and waterfalls, any day of the week.
• Nashville Farmers' Market
  The year-round Market provides retail space to farmers, artisans, and small businesses. It includes two covered open-air sheds, a garden center, a culinary incubation center, and an international food hall that includes more than 20 restaurants and shops.
• Nashville Public Library
  The Nashville Public Library offers free year-round fun, events, and classes, including weekly Story Time on Tuesdays at 9:30am, 10:30am, and 11:30am, puppet shows on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30am to 11:30am, music in the courtyard, book clubs, craft days, and more.
• Musician’s Corner
  Musician’s Corner is a summer and fall music series in Centennial Park. It features Nashville’s diverse musical landscape and artists from all genres. Admission is free.
• Tennessee Agricultural Museum
  The Tennessee Agricultural Museum features an extensive collection of home and farm artifacts from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The property also includes a log cabin community with a wooded trail and heirloom gardens.
• Tennessee State Capitol
  The Tennessee State Capitol is one of the oldest operating capitols in the country. Guided tours of the Capitol are provided free of charge by the staff of the Tennessee State Museum.
• Tennessee State Museum
  The Tennessee State Museum tells the entire story of Tennessee's rich history, including Music City, from its early beginnings to the present day. Self-guided tours are available Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 1-5pm. Free highlight tours are offered on Friday and Saturday at 2pm.

Nashville is family-friendly, and many museums, attractions, and destinations in the city offer free admission for kids of certain ages. No matter what your family likes doing together, there are plenty of kid-friendly activities in Nashville to enjoy.

• Adventure Science Center
  Free for Toddlers Under 2
  From the biggest celestial bodies to the tiniest molecules on Earth, Adventure Science Center showcases innovative, dynamic learning experiences that open minds of all ages to the wonders of science and technology.
• 
  Free for Ages 5 and Under
  The Belle Meade Plantation is a 30-acre historic site 6 miles west of Nashville where guests can enjoy history, horses, and hospitality. The mansion, built in 1853, is the estate’s centerpiece. The plantation grounds feature an art gallery, guided tours, and rotating Living History activities, such as storytelling, period dance, and demonstrations.
• Belmont Mansion
  Free for Ages 5 and Under
  Completed in 1853 by Adelicia Acklen, Belmont was recognized as one of the most elaborate and unusual homes in the South. Adelicia secretly conspired with both the Confederate and Union forces to emerge from the Civil War with her fortune intact.
• Carnton
  Free for Ages 5 and Under
  Carnton, home of Carrie and John McGavock, served as the largest Confederate field hospital following the Battle of Franklin, fought in 1864. The McGavock Confederate Cemetery is on the site, as well as a fully restored garden and slave quarters.
• 
  Free for Ages 2 and Under
  Experience Cheekwood, the 55-acre estate built by the Maxwell House Coffee fortune in Nashville, Tennessee, and one of the finest examples of an American Country Place Era estate in the United States. The Botanical Garden is a spectacular showcase of color and horticultural diversity with 11 specialty display gardens and a stunning natural landscape.
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
  Free for Ages 5 and Under
  The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville is home to priceless artifacts, photographs, recorded sound clips, dynamic exhibitions, Nashville’s legendary recording studio, and more. Its permanent exhibition, “Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music,” reveals the origins, traditions, and honored architects of the country music genre.
• Frist Art Museum
  Free for Ages 18 and Under
  The Frist Art Museum presents rotating exhibitions throughout the year. The award-winning Martin ArtQuest Gallery hosts events, such as Free Family Days and Family Mondays, for kids to discover, explore, and create art. The Frist is always free for ages 18 and younger.
• Historic Travellers Rest
  Free for Ages 5and Under
  Historic Travellers Rest is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the Overton home and serving as a gateway for learners of all ages to explore and experience Nashville's historic past. Built by Judge John Overton in 1799, Travellers Rest is the oldest historic home in Nashville open to the public.
• Johnny Cash Museum
  Free for Ages 5 and Under
  With state-of-the-art exhibits, personal letters, stage costumes, guitars, handwritten lyrics, contributions from family members and notable friends, and an expansive gift shop, the museum is THE premier Cash venue to visit.
• Lane Motor Museum
  Free for Ages 5and Under
  Lane Motor Museum is home to the largest European automobile collection in the United States and features 150 extraordinary cars and motorcycles from around the world. Visitors will discover oddities like propeller-driven vehicles, microcars, amphibious vehicles, one-of-a-kind prototypes, military vehicles, competition cars, and more.
• Lotz House Museum
  Free for Children 6 and Under
  In 1855, German immigrant Johann Lotz built Lotz House, using it as a showroom to sell his carpentry work. In 1864, Lotz House was at the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin and still bears several battle wounds.
• Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
  Free for Ages 5 and Under
  The Musicians Hall of Fame honors musicians from all genres who have played on thousands of iconic recordings, and the Museum exhibits take visitors on a tour of cities that greatly influenced music culture.
• Nashville Zoo
  Free for Ages 2 and Under
  The Nashville Zoo, ranked among the top 10 best zoos and aquariums by Charity Navigator, features animals from around the world, including spider monkeys, a white rhinoceros, a Masai giraffe, clouded leopards, and much more.
• National Corvette Museum
  Free for Ages 4and Under
  The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, showcases America's sports car. The museum features more than 80 Corvettes displayed in period settings, including a mid-century barbershop, a service station, and a historic racetrack.
• National Museum of African American Music
  Free for Ags 5 and Under
  The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is the only museum of its kind dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of Black music in America. The museum’s expertly curated collections share the story of the American soundtrack by integrating history and interactive technology to bring the musical heroes of the past into the present. Must include children in reservation to ensure enough seats are available.
• Storytellers Hideaway Farm & Museum
  Free for Ages 10and Under
  Storytellers Hideaway Farm & Museum brings to life the history of the property, which was once owned by Johnny Cash. Tours allow you to see the Little Stage, which once hosted "Saturday Night in Hickman County," view memorabilia from the Man in Black, learn about the house, which was built before the Civil War, and more.
• Wave Country
  Free for Ages 2 and Under
  Dive into this wave action, freshwater pool, and water slide complex. Packing your own picnic is acceptable. Floats are available to rent, and there's plenty of shade.

For a city known for music, Nashville has many art galleries, art studios, and museums. Take a break from the sounds of Music City and absorb the culture of Nashville’s Art Scene.

• The Bankers Alley Hotel
  The Bankers Alley Hotel Nashville is an art-filled hotel in the bustle of downtown that has reimagined a historic building to showcase more than 10,500 square feet of exhibition space. The galleries are open free to the public every day of the year and feature rotating exhibitions. Free guided docent tours are offered on Thursday evenings at 5:30pm.
• First Saturday Art Crawl
  Every first Saturday of the month, art galleries open their doors from 6-9pm for special events and exhibit openings. Admission is free, and most galleries offer free wine and refreshments.
• Hatch Show Print
  One of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, Hatch Show Print is open to art lovers, music lovers, collectors, and everyone in between. Step inside the print shop and see how these legendary posters are made. Shop for prints and posters in the print store or peruse Hatch Show Print’s Haley Gallery of historic ad blocks and artwork.
• 
  LeQuire Gallery & Studio features contemporary paintings and sculptures from local emerging artists to established, nationally recognized artists. Owner and artist Alan LeQuire is one of the nation's premier sculptors, best known for his colossal-scale Musica and Athena Parthenos statues. Works by the sculptor are on view and available in bronze and terra cotta.
• Nashville's Murals
  Looking for a fun and unique photo opportunity? Discover the impressive murals that can be found throughout Nashville. Created by local and internationally known artists, murals can be seen on the side of restaurants, shops, garage doors, water tanks, and even old silos.
• Nashville Shakespeare Festival — Shakespeare in the Park
  For 30 years, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival has educated and entertained. During the summer months, the Nashville Shakes offer free performances (with a suggested $10 donation) in Centennial Park.
• Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery
  The Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery hosts rotating exhibits throughout the year. During the academic year, the gallery will close for breaks and installations. Please call ahead to verify the schedule at 615-322-0605.
• WeHo Art Crawl
  On the first Saturday of the month, join art lovers in visiting a dozen Art Galleries within walking distance in Nashville's Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. Admission is free and open to the public.
• Zeitgeist Gallery
  Zeitgeist Gallery, located in Wedgewood-Houston, spotlights both local and regional artists. It is a contemporary art gallery with rotating exhibits that provide viewers with an enriching in-depth look into art, artists, and the creative process.