Daily; winter tour-road gates 8am–4:30pm, visitor center 9am–4pm
Stones River National Battlefield · Murfreesboro
Stones River National Battlefield charges no entrance fee. Drive the park tour road, walk the trails and visit the national cemetery where one of the Civil War's key Union victories was fought. From November through February the tour road and parking gates are open 8am–4:30pm and the visitor center 9am–4pm; March through October the gates are open 8am–5pm and the visitor center 9am–5pm. Walkers and cyclists can use park roads and trails from sunrise to sunset. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Nashville Public Library Main Library, Civil Rights Room
Overlooking the downtown corner where the 1960 lunch-counter sit-ins took place, the Main Library's Civil Rights Room lets you sit at a symbolic lunch counter, read the protesters' Ten Rules of Conduct, follow a timeline of local and national events and see photographs of Nashville's school desegregation and student movement. Main Library hours: Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 2–5pm.
Historic Cannonsburgh Village recreates about 100 years of early Tennessee life, from the 1830s to the 1930s, with a gristmill, schoolhouse, general store, blacksmith shop, caboose, chapel, museum and the World's Largest Cedar Bucket. Self-guided tours are free. November through March it's open Tuesday–Friday 9am–3pm, weather permitting. Call ahead (615-890-0355), since the village can be closed for private rentals. Closed Nov 11, Nov 26 and Dec 24–25.
Park dawn to dusk daily; visitors center Tue–Fri noon–4pm, Sat 9am–4pm
Fort Negley Visitors Center and Park · Nashville
Fort Negley Park in South Nashville is free and open dawn to dusk for self-guided walks past education panels, with a great view of the city. The visitors center, also free, has interactive exhibits and a 20-minute video on building the fort; it's open Tuesday–Friday noon–4pm and Saturday 9am–4pm. The park is under construction: the half-mile trail stays open, but the historic fort at the top of the hill is closed for now. Parking is very limited, so carpool.
Admission to the Tennessee State Library & Archives is free. The exhibit lobby is open to everyone Monday through Saturday, 8am–4:30pm, and the reading room (Tuesday–Saturday) lets you dig into Tennessee records and family history; email ahead to set up a research appointment and staff can pull items in advance. Closed on state and federal holidays and on Saturday, November 28.
Vanderbilt University Museum of Art, Cohen Memorial Hall · Nashville
The Vanderbilt University Museum of Art is dedicated to making art freely available to the community. Its galleries are on the second floor of Cohen Memorial Hall on the Peabody campus, open Tuesday to Friday 11am–4pm and weekends noon–5pm during the fall and spring semesters. It's closed for Thanksgiving break (November 22–29). A few visitor spots are in the Zone 10 lot on 21st Avenue; other unmarked spots are permit-only.
Metro Parks' Centennial Art Center runs six gallery shows a year of local and regional professional and emerging artists. The gallery is free and open Monday–Thursday 9am–5pm and Friday 10am–4pm. From November 20 to December 10 it hosts the students' and staff's holiday show and sale.
Verified Oct 28 · nashville.gov
No catch
This weekend 1 listings
AttractionsFree (worth about $20)Eligibility applies
Mon 10am–5:30pm, Thu 10am–8pm, Fri–Sat 10am–5:30pm, Sun 1–5:30pm (closed Tue–Wed)
Frist Art Museum · Nashville
Guests 18 and younger always get free admission to the Frist Art Museum, Nashville's art exhibition center in the art deco former main post office on Broadway. The museum is open Monday and Thursday through Sunday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday), and the hands-on Martin ArtQuest gallery keeps the same hours. Adults pay $20, so bring the kids and budget for the grown-ups. Visitor parking in the museum lot is $3 an hour with validation.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (pass from Nashville Public Library)
Nashville Public Library cardholders can check out a Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum passport that admits two adults free. Place a hold with your card; passports go out for 7 days with no renewals, and you show it at the museum's information desk.
Verified Oct 28 · library.nashville.gov
Catch: Nashville Public Library card required · Place a hold; limited passes, 7-day checkout
College students with a student ID get free admission to the Frist Art Museum on Thursdays from 5 to 8pm, when the museum stays open late. The regular college price is $16.
Bicentennial Capitol Mall and Capitol Hill · Nashville
Pick up a free Passport to Tennessee History and collect stamps at four free sites around Bicentennial Capitol Mall: the Tennessee State Library & Archives, the Tennessee State Museum, the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park visitor center and the Tennessee State Capitol. Admission to all four is free. Hours differ by site, so check each one before you go.
This 20-acre state park below the State Capitol has the Tennessee World War II Memorial, the Rivers of Tennessee fountains, the 1,400-foot Pathway of History and a 95-bell carillon that plays Tennessee songs at the top of every hour. Rangers lead in-person tours of about 60–75 minutes (about a mile on paved paths) from the visitor center; groups email the rangers to set a time. Some areas may be closed for ongoing improvement work.
Verified Oct 28 · tnstateparks.com
Catch: Guided tours by arrangement: email the park rangers to book
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