Jackson-Crockett's Nashville Guide: Downtown

AROUND THE USA

Downtown Nashville is fun and exciting

To us, the real Nashville begins downtown, so please join us for a walking tour.
A map of downtown is at the bottom of this page.

[Postcard of wharf downtown]
The photo for this antique postcard was taken from the east side of the Cumberland River. The wharf across the way is now Riverfront Park (great for a picnic). The buildings behind the wharf are across First Avenue and today are the heart of The District, an entertainment zone that includes Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood and the Wildhorse Saloon. Fort Nashboro, though indistinguishable, is at the right edge of the picture.

The intersection of Broadway and the Cumberland River is the zero-point for the Nashville street system and a fitting place to orient yourself. There's even a park -- Riverfront Park -- and parking. This is the location of the Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel designed by internationally famous artist Red Grooms, a hometown guy. It's worth riding it just to appreciate the artistry.

Standing at Riverfront Park, one can see the river, which brought the first settlers to Nashville. They built Fort Nashboro a couple of blocks north -- about one block north of the replica that you can visit today.

At the base of Broadway, you can see the 19th-century buildings that were the heart of Nashville commerce in that era. Riverfront Park was a wharf. Goods were unloaded from packet boats and across First Avenue into the basements of buildings whose storefronts face Second Avenue.

Today they've been reborn as The District, a vibrant entertainment zone with all kinds of music. Hard Rock Cafe is across the street from Riverfront Park, and Planet Hollywood is a few blocks up Broadway. (The only non-authentic building in the row is Opryland's Wildhorse Saloon. Typically, Opryland tore down old buildings to put up a new building that looks old.) Looking across the river, the new Adelphia Coliseum -- home of the NFL Tennessee Titans -- looms large.

Dancin' In The District is a weekly, free concert on Second Avenue during good weather months.

Wander up Broadway (westward), and you're following the route taken by wagons that transferred merchandise from the packet boats to the railroad lines, which are about 10 blocks away. The Merchants restaurant at Broadway and Third Avenue was originally a hotel for salesman. It degenerated into a house of ill repute by the 1970s and was turned into a deservedly popular restaurant in the 1980s.

At Fifth Avenue, the Nashville Convention Center is on the right, and the Gaylord Entertainment Center is on the left. It's a good place for us to take a right (heading north and uphill).
The Ryman Auditorium on Fifth Avenue was the home of the Grand Ole Opry for decades, including the period when it became the mother church of country music. Step inside for a tour. Of the sights controlled by Opryland, it's our favorite and the most authentic. It was restored in the 1990s and is now an entertainment venue. In January 2000, the Opry returned to the Ryman for a month worth of shows.

Up two blocks, at Church Street, is the antebellum Downtown Presbyterian Church. Go inside, if your timing is right. It's one of the nation's few examples of Egyptian Revival architecture. Notice the clever murals. This building was designed by William Strickland, an architect of the U.S. Capitol. He was in town supervising the construction of the Tennessee Capitol and knocked out the church design in his spare time. It was a Union hospital during the Civil War.

Church Street looks a bit haggard. One renewal attempt in the 1970s didn't work so well. Another one is under consideration, and a new Main Public Library is under construction on Church Street at Seventh Avenue. Downtown Nashville is economically strong -- and very safe -- thanks to an adept Metro Development and Housing Agency, but Church Street has been laggard economically.

One-half block farther up Fifth Avenue from the Downtown Presbyterian Church is The Arcade, one of the nation's first (c.1900) indoor shopping malls. It's fun to walk through, and you'll probably spend a dollar before you depart.

Two blocks north and two blocks west (at Sixth and Charlotte) is the Tennessee Capitol (free tours inside).

[Postcard of State Capitol]
The Tennessee Capitol is on one of the highest points downtown. Architect William Strickland died during construction, and he's buried in the building's north wall on the first floor. The Capitol is still in use -- one of the nation's oldest working state capitols. The governor's office is on the first floor, as is the reception desk where tours start.

The Capitol was built before the Civil War, and photos show it ringed by defensive cannons. It didn't matter. Nashville fell early in the war, and the Battle of Nashville was actually a futile Confederate attack south of town in 1864 as Sherman ravaged Georgia. The only alleged bullet scar at the Capitol is inside and was a result of the bitter fight over ratifying the 14th Amendment. Architect Strickland died during construction, and he's buried in the building's north wall on the first floor.

On the second floor of the Capitol, you can visit the legislative chambers. The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution (women's suffrage) became part of the U.S. Constitution when the Tennessee House ratified it here. The Tennessee General Assembly is typically in session from January until mid-spring, and all sessions are open to the public.

On the north end, step through the doors and onto the balcony. You'll be looking down at the Bicentennial Mall. It's the legacy of 200 years of statehood (1796-1996). The hearty can walk to the Mall; the rest can drive, but the Bicentennial Mall is worth a walking tour.

Legislative offices are in the underground Legislative Plaza on the south side of the Capitol, which is accessible via the Capitol elevator and a tunnel.

Also part of the Capitol complex is the War Memorial Building. The southern wing is an auditorium and was an early -- before the Ryman -- home of the Grand Ole Opry. The northern wing is used for legislative offices. The building was Tennessee's monument to its dead in World War I.

Downtown Nashville has many other points of interest -- Printer's Alley, the Tennessee State Museum, the new Nashville Public Library, the Hermitage Hotel and the War Memorial Building are just a few. You passed within a block of each of these walking from Riverfront Park to the Capitol, and most are free. One could easily spend a couple of days touring these downtown attractions, and you would begin to develop an appreciation for the true Nashville.
Links

Metro Historical Commission

Map