With Nashville now into Phase 3 of reopening, more activities and attractions are open to the public. While the pandemic caused all sorts of summer vacation plans to change, travelers across the country are now seeking out destinations a little closer to home, and we’re here to help.

As tour guides, we frequently hear from our local guests on tour; “We’ve lived here for decades and had no idea this was here!” So we thought, what better time share a few of our favorite Music City spots that every Nashville-local must visit. We’ve rounded up a list of 12 activities and experiences that will enhance any Nashville staycation, and provide insight into why so many visitors flock to Music City.

Experience a toned-down Broadway

For the past few years, fewer locals have ventured to Broadway, leaving the live music honky tonks to swarms of tourists and “woo girls” on every imaginable form of transportainment, With travel way down, this is the perfect time to explore a quieter version of downtown Nashville. Live music beckons along many Broadway honky tonks, with plenty of elbow room to sit a spell, especially during the week. A stroll through Printer’s Alley, home to some great blues music, reveals even smaller crowds.. Two of our favorite outdoor spaces for a respite just a few blocks from Broadway are the alley outside Black Rabbit and the Deacon’s New South patio nestled at the base of the L&C tower, once the South’s tallest skyscraper.

Venture inside the Ryman Auditorium

If you live in Nashville and haven’t caught a show at The Ryman yet, you can’t claim to be a Nashvillian. The genres gracing the Ryman stage are as diverse as the audience who comes to fill the sacred space. Although concerts are still on a hiatus, the Ryman is back open for tours, following all CDC, state and local guidelines. Guests will explore a new exhibit honoring the Ryman’s rock and roll history, peer into the backstage wings where Johnny met June for the very first time, and step onto the stage to gaze out at the iconic rows of pews. The Ryman is a tried-and-true Nashville institution every local should experience.

Take in history at the Hermitage Hotel

Locals may breeze past the gilded historic hotel without cause to venture inside. The facade indicates the luxury inside, earning The Hermitage Hotel a reputation as an opulent venue for events and has played host to multiple presidents and other notable guests from Charlie Chaplin and Babe Ruth to Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. A hundred years ago, the Hermitage was the center of the Suffrage Movement, with both sides and countless lobbyists set up inside the hotel for weeks.. To commemorate the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification in 1920, the Hermitage has historical pieces on display in the lobby. The Hermitage will also host a weekly high tea every Thursday through Sunday this summer to honor the southern Suffragette experience. For details and reservations contact The Hermitage. Before you leave, be sure to check out the Art Deco men’s restroom downstairs, named America’s Best Restroom in 2009.

Tour the Lane Motor Museum

For car-enthusiasts and people with an interest in the eccentric, this quirky museum is a must. The Lane Motor Museum houses the largest collection of European cars and motorcycles in North America. Some date back to the early days of motorized vehicles, and a few in the collection are one of only a handful ever created. The showroom allows visitors to get up close with many unique and unusual vehicles and learn the stories of where they originated, and how they were used. Don’t miss the small collection of rarely-seen amphibious vehicles, including the 62-foot-long and 26-foot wide LARC-LX that was driven from the Port of Nashville to the museum in the middle of the night in 2005.

View of the Nashville skyline from Fort Negley

Delve into Civil War history

Atop St. Cloud Hill just south of downtown sits Fort Negley, the largest inland defensive post built during the Civil War. Nashville is teeming with Civil War history, and this star-shaped fort still stands more than 150 years later. Although the fort hardly saw any action during the war, this spot steeped in history sits less than two miles south of Broadway with ample outdoor space and spectacular skyline views. The Battle of Nashville, which took place a few miles southwest of Fort Negley, only lasted a few days but amounted to a stunning defeat for the Confederate forces in December of 1864. The battlefield was huge, encompassing portions of Green Hills through Oak Hill and down into Brentwood. The Union forces held a seven-mile-long defensive line facing south along the southern and western borders of Nashville, while the Confederate line facing north reached almost four miles. The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society has put together a driving tour map with the Civil War sites scattered all across town.

Explore the Frist Art Museum

If you aren’t a member of the Frist Art Museum, now is a great time to join. They have opened the museum back up for members only from June 22-30, with admission for the general public delayed until July 1st. This offers visitors a great chance to visit some new exhibits before the galleries get too crowded. One small silver lining: all exhibits open prior to the shutdown will be extended, giving visitors the chance to catch exhibitions they might have missed otherwise. A can’t-miss exhibit for locals is The Nashville Flood: Ten Years Later, which features photos and stories from ten different neighborhoods, offering the new-to-Nashville and the locals who experienced the flood firsthand some insight into the citywide destruction and relief efforts.

Hotel Rooftop hop

The rooftop scene in Nashville took off in the last few years, as a majority of the bars on Broadway and downtown hotels incorporated rooftop real estate. With many out-of-town hotel guests opting to stay at home, the rooftops are less crowded and claustrophobic for locals looking to explore. The Rooftop Lounge at Bobby Hotel is open Thursday through Saturday for small-group reservations only, and the terrace et Ellington’s Midway on the fourth floor of the Fairlane Hotel has reopened for daily service at limited capacity to allow for social distancing. For those looking for a reprieve from home, the Noelle is offering a staycation package for Tennessee residents that includes a 15% discount on your room and a $25 bar or restaurant credit, redeemable at their rooftop space, Rarebird, Thursday through Saturday nights.

Create your own confection at the Goo Goo Shop

The Goo Goo Cluster was the first combination candy bar invented in America, and this local delicacy has been made here in Nashville for over a hundred years. The original Goo Goo combines milk chocolate, peanuts, caramel and marshmallow nougat into a small circular patty for a delectably composed bite. The originals are made in a nearby factory, but the downtown shop creates premium versions of the candy and even partner with local chefs to design custom flavors. Goo Goo is now offering Behind the Bar classes, a family-friendly chocolate class where guests will design their own custom premium Goo Goo to take home, while savoring decadent sipping chocolate and learning about Goo Goo’s history. Spaces must be reserved in advance on the website, and be sure to inform the staff of any dietary restrictions before beginning your chocolate experience.

Check out Chihuly at Cheekwood

Even if you’ve visited Cheekwood before, now is an especially great time to return. This summer, Cheekwood honors the 10th anniversary of the first Chihuly in Nashville exhibition with a new Chihuly installation opening to the public on July 18. The installation will remain at Cheekwood until January 10, 2021. For more details, including the return of the popular Chihuly Nights, and to purchase tickets, visit Cheekwood’s website.

Stroll 5th Avenue and step back in time

Over the past few decades, 5th Avenue has transitioned from Nashville’s downtown shopping hub, with department stores lining the streets, to a burgeoning arts district that buzzes during the monthly Downtown Art Crawl. In between, it was home to a pivotal piece of Nashville history. The Nashville Sit-Ins famously took place at many of the lunch counters inside the department stores in the spring of 1960. Students pioneered a nonviolent campaign to end segregation at local lunch counters, and Nashville became the first city in the South to integrate its lunch counters. For a deeper understanding of this time in Nashville’s history, plan to spend time at the Civil Rights Room of the Downtown Library when it reopens.

Grab a bite on a Walk Eat Nashville tour

A Walk Eat Nashville tour will give guests a crash course in Nashville culture and cuisine, stopping at five different restaurants and eateries over the course of a few hours. Between sampling classic Nashville bites you’ll have the opportunity to interact with chefs and managers along the way, asking questions about the techniques and ingredients that come together to make southern food. Downtown tours resume on June 24th!

Visit the Nashville Zoo

Perhaps you’ve done the obligatory loop to check out the lions, tigers and bears, but have you gotten up close and personal with a Galapagos tortoise or a red kangaroo? The Nashville Zoo has a number of animal habitats built for close-up observation and has redesigned the walkways throughout the zoo to accommodate one-way pedestrian traffic to allow for social distancing. Be sure to check the website to see each day’s scheduled lectures and activities to best plan your visit. Advance tickets are required, and guests over the age of 4 are required to wear a face mask.