Legislative Plaza, at the State Capital.

Nashville is a fun place to live. There is so much more here than country music. We have free concerts every thursday, down at Riverfront park. It is called Dancin' in the District. We have seen Web Wilder, The EvinRudes, Cowboy Mouth, The Kentucky HeadHunters, The Fabulous Thunderbirds among hundreds of other bands, both local and national. The downtown area is so cool now, all the old riverfront warehouse have been restored into cool shops and clubs. There is a new handcarved Carousel at Riverfront Park. It is called the Tennessee Foxtrot Carousel.

Back in the 1800s and early 1900s the Riverfront Park area was known as the Nashville Wharf. Click on this photo, taken in 1906, to see a larger version and read more about the Nashville Wharf.

Downtown Nashville is a great place to come and visit. You can visit the State Capital complex, or you can take a walking tour of the downtown Historic District and Riverfront Park. Fort Nashborough on the Cumberland River is a re-creation of the first settlement of Nashville. There is so much to see and do downtown.

We have a brand new stadium, called Adelphia Colosium. It opened fall of 1999 on the East Bank, across the Cumberland River from downtown Nashville. It is near the place where James Robertson and his party first crossed the river to found the city of Nashborough. It is also on the spot where the Union forces under General Buell camped for the night, before crossing the river to take Nashville early in the civil war. The stadium is the home of our Tennessee Titans Pro Football Team. We are very happy to have a pro team now and are very proud that our team is doing so well.

We used to have a great theme park called Opryland. It has closed down now and they are building a big mall at the site. It is to be called Opry Mills. The Grand Old Opry still broadcasts from the Opry complex though. The Opryland Hotel is HUGE and it is beautiful. They have three huge indoor gardens: The Conservatory, The Cascades (with a huge indoor waterfall) and now the Delta area is open. The Delta is so huge, they even have boat rides through the middle of it. If you visit Nashville, be sure to check out the Opryland Hotel. It is free to walk through the gardens.

There are two large lakes right next to Nashville - J. Percy Priest Lake and Old Hickory Lake on the Cumberland River. There are lots of cool beaches, campgrounds and fun areas to play at the lake, as well as picnic areas, nature trails, a water park, called Nashville Shores and even a visitor center beside J. Percy Priest Dam. You can reserve camping sites and see all the campgrounds and day use areas at the Reserve USA Website. The photo to the left shows the huge spillway gates on the lake side of Percy Priest Lake. You can see pics and read more about camping on Priest Lake on Shelby's Girl Scout page.

This is the Ryman Auditorium at night.

There are many interesting things to see and do downtown. One of the interesting places down there is the old Ryman Auditorium, pictured to the left. Some call it the Mother Church of Country Music. It was built a long time ago. The Grand Old Opry broadcast from here from the 20s until the mid 70's when they moved out to the new Opry House on the Opryland complex. Some of the biggest stars in country music used to sneak out the side door of the Ryman and visit Tootsie's Orchid Lounge next door. The Ryman was completely restored about 8 or 9 years ago and now is used for concerts. It has some of the best acoustics of any venue in the world.

This photo on the right is World Famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, on lower Broadway near 5th ave. This is the little honky tonk that the stars of the Grand Old Opry used to sneak over and visit to wet their whistles while waiting to go onstage at the Ryman Auditorium. There is a side door at the Ryman that goes right into the back of Tootsies, right across a small alley. Tootsies is still open and still features up and coming country acts.

A little farther out West End, is Centennial Park. The park was the site of the Centennial Celebration for the State of Tennessee. The Parthenon was built to symbolize Nashville's reputation as "Athens of the South". It was rebuilt in the 1920s as a permanent structure in Centennial Park.

Historic Printers Alley, downtown.

This is the old Printers Alley, which runs behind the buildings facing Third and Fourth Avenues. A long time ago there were many print shops (including famous Hatch Show Print) downtown in this area. It was also commonly called the city's red light district, as there were many bars, gambling houses and such in this area as well. Nashville was well known in the late 1800s for its numerous posh saloons and gambling houses. By the 1970s the Printers Alley and surrounding area were run down and kind of seedy, home to many bars and clubs. Today, the area has been restored and is filled with music clubs, upscale restaurants, professional offices and stuff like that. One of the historic buildings still standing is the Southern Turf Building on 4th avenue. It used to house a hotel and gambling house, but is now an attorneys office.

This is the Southern Turf , as it looked in the 1880s . Click on the picture to see a larger version and read more about the Southern Turf.

This is the large Dragon statue at Dragon Park. The real name of the park is Fannie May Dees Park.

Nashville has lots of parks and playgrounds and places for outdoors fun. For more information about Outdoor Recreation in middle Tennessee, visit TENNESSEE OUTDOORS This site has a Comprehensive listing of State Parks, Natural Areas, Camping, Hiking Trails in the Middle Tennesse Area, and Includes photos and directions. Also at this site is CANOE TENNESSEE!, a directory of Tennessees' rivers and streams, outfitters and liveries serving each. The beautiful state of Tennessee offers many types of water recreation opportunities. From serene pastoral paddling to grit your teeth and hang on white water rafting! You can make a splash in Tennessee!!

Another site you might find interesting if you like outdoors fun is KIDS OUTDOORS - A web site detailing kid friendly outdoor recreation destinations in middle Tennessee. Have fun exploring middle Tennessee's natural wonders, state parks, Corp of Engineer Lakes, camping areas and other outdoor recreation locations. The site also spotlights Tennessee's rivers, lakes and streams, discovering what each has to offer for canoe trips, camping areas, fishing and day use. Includes photo gallery, details of facilities. and directions. Updated bi-weekly, previous articles/webpages archived. Subscribe to the Kids in the Woods Newsletter by filling in the listbot form on the main page.