Margaret Littman

Nashville is well known for its country music scene and tastebud-scorching hot chicken, but Tennessee’s capital also boasts a rich history, vibrant cultural scene, and enough big-city glitz to merit your finest duds on a night out (paired with cowboy boots, obviously). One thing’s for certain, though. You’ll be sharing your time here with the over 16 million visitors who flock to Music City yearly. And you really can’t blame them. Live music fan? Nashville’s got bands and artists in spades. Curious gourmand? There’s everything from hot chicken to Kurdish delights at your fingertips. Sports fanatic? Grab tickets to a Titans, Preds, or Nashville SC game. Not to mention the lush hiking trails, parks, lakes, and waterfalls, all within short driving distance. So whether you’re here for a bachelorette bash, a family vacation, or just exploring on your own, here are some of the best things to do in Nashville right now. This guide was updated by Nashville-based writer Jackie Gutierrez-Jones. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.  RECOMMENDED:🍽️ The best restaurants in Nashville🕺 Guide to the best nightlife in Nashville🥑 The best brunch in Nashville🏠 The best Airbnbs in Nashville 🍗 The best hot chicken in Nashville🏘️ The best places to stay in Nashville

Hot chicken has a long (maybe true) history. In the 1930s, a woman revenged her partner for stepping out on her (as they say in the South) by giving him blow-your-head-off spicy chicken, but it backfired when he – shock horror – loved it. He and the rest of the Prince family made Prince’s hot chicken. And though you’ll find it all over the place now, it’s a fact that nowhere does hot chicken like Nashville. Getting your hands on fluffy white bread, bone-in chicken, a pickle to cut through the spice is pretty much a right of passage when you’re here, and nowadays it comes in every form you can imagine. Traditional. Extra spicy. Even vegan (you heard us). Here are the best spots for hot chicken in Nashville – just remember your glass of milk on the side.  RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Nashville🍗 The best restaurants in Nashville🍸 The best bars in Nashville🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Nashville🪩 The best nightlife in Nashville Margaret Littman is a writer based in Nashville. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

You’ll never forget your first time in Nashville. There are pockets of culture and fun all over the city, but where you stay can when you’re there can make a trip that extra bit special. And we’re not just talking about hotels; we’re talking about Nashville’s neighborhoods.  Whether you’re looking for a honky-tonk-filled musical vacation, a foodie trip in the city or a culture-crammed excursion through Nashville’s many museums and galleries, our list of the best places to stay will give you everything you need for a perfect trip. Oh, and we’ve included exactly what to eat, drink and do when you’re there as well. Here is exactly where to stay in Nashville.  RECOMMENDED:🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Nashville📍 The best things to do in Nashville🍗 The best restaurants in Nashville🍸 The best bars in Nashville Margaret Littman is a writer based in Nashville. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

Pigeon Forge isn’t your usual destination city. For one, it has a fantastic name, a moniker that comes from a 19th-century forge and not some sort of pigeon-inspired success. What makes Pigeon Forge famous? Dollywood, in a word. Dolly Parton is everywhere here, but the best things to do in Pigeon Forge stretch far beyond the magic of the country icon.In a way, Pigeon Forge is a fascinating mixture of Vegas, Orlando, and Branson, a manufactured town of tourism accentuated by unparalleled natural beauty. There is nowhere like it. Family-friendly fun rules the roost, with excellent amusement parks, theme hotels, and fun restaurants. That might be the best word to sum up Pigeon Forge; fun.

Pigeon Forge is famous for two reasons: its stunning location next to the Great Smoky Mountains and its connection to the immortal Dolly Parton. Which, together, explains why this tiny town of only 5,000 inhabitants regularly gets upwards of 10 million visitors per year. To help you make the most of your visit, we’ve compiled a list of the area’s best hotels that will make your trip even better. There’s a gorgeous Victorian-style farmhouse, a yes-please-I’ll-book-now spa and several options with great indoor swimming pools. After working 9 to 5, you deserve it. Plan the rest of your trip with a little help from our list of the area’s unmissable things to do.  This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.

Gatlinburg is the "Gateway to the Smokies," a mountain town at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As the town has become more popular (this is the most-visited national park in the country) it has developed a reputation for vacation kitsch. Certainly, there’s a ton of it in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg’s neighbor to the north. There's no shortage of old-time photo booths and believe-it-or-not attractions here either, but you can balance the man-made fun by exploring Mother Nature’s bounty. The Parkway is the main drag through town, while many of the best attractions require you to go up into the mountains—and Gatlinburg has fun ways to make that happen. Take a look at our guide to the best things to do in Gatlinburg to learn about them all. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.

Family-friendly Pigeon Forge is known for quantity when it comes to dining, offering lots of all-you-can-eat buffets and family-style meals. But that doesn’t mean quality can’t be found. Eateries dot both sides of the Parkway (US 441), the main road that leads to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, nestled between neon-signed attractions and quirky things to do. Pigeon Forge is right outside the entrance to the national park; nearby Gatlinburg and Sevierville are essentially all connected to Pigeon Forge and close enough that a few of their restaurants are included in this best list, too. Few, if any, restaurants in the area have a dress code, so plan to mosey up straight from your hotel (or nearby water park) and feast away in delicious, casual, vacation style.

The 432-mile length of Tennessee stretches from the Appalachian Mountains to the mighty Mississippi River; in between is a state chockfull of beauty and fun. The Volunteer State is home to mountains and rivers, and its four major cities—Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga—have distinct personalities and tastes. You'll eat barbeque and hot chicken, listen to blues and country, hike and study at universities, make music and make art—and, of course, drink Tennessee whiskey. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.

As compared with Tennessee's other cities, Knoxville isn't exactly on the national radar. Memphis and Nashville have music and food; Chattanooga has outdoor excellence and, well, Knoxville is known for football (it is the home of the University of Tennessee). But that sells this vibrant, innovative city short. Sitting atop a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River, Knoxville, the site of the 1982 World's Fair, is a charming town with great outdoor recreation (the Great Smoky Mountains are just to the east), fun bars and restaurants, a robust creative community, and a live music scene that is more diverse than you'd expect. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Alabama is probably not the beach. But the state’s 60-mile coastline along the Gulf of Mexico is a paradise of white sand, much of it protected, providing an ecosystem for wildlife including nesting sea turtles. The twin cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are its main draws – ripe with beach vacation staples, from fudge shops to waterfront bars to airbrush T-shirt shops. The nearby communities of Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan, on the west side of the city, are part of the area’s vacation fun too – a little less crowded, but just a seashell's throw from the heart of action. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.

ナッシュビルでラインダンスを踊りたい？　あるいは、グレート・スモーキー・マウンテンズ国立公園のルコント山をハイキングしたい？　メンフィスでエルビス・プレスリーのように過ごしたい？　そうした楽しみに事欠かないアメリカのテネシー州政府が、この夏の夢をかなえてくれるかもしれない。 テネシー州政府は2021年7月5日、『Tennessee on Me（「ぼくのおごりでテネシー」の意）』キャンペーンをスタート。同州を訪れる旅行者に、4つの主要空港を発着するデルタ航空、アメリカン航空、サウスウエスト航空のフライトで利用できる250ドル（約2万7,500円）分のデジタルギフトをプレゼントしている。 観光はテネシー州の第2の産業。2020年の「停滞」を経て、州政府は、同地のホテル、美術館、バー、ライブハウス、アミューズメントパークなどが、営業再開していることを人々に皆に知らせたいと考えている。 そのためテネシー州知事であるビル・リーは、カントリー界の大スターでテネシー州在住のブラッド・ペイズリーとタッグを組み「グッとくる」キャンペーン動画も製作。ペイズリーはプレスリリースの中で、「テネシー州にライブ音楽が戻ってきたことに、とても興奮しています。今後、この地のライブ音楽シーンはさらに大きくなるでしょう」と語っている。 このデジタルギフトを受け取るためには、TennesseeOnMe.com経由でのホテル予約が必須。対象宿泊都市はナッシュビル、メンフィス、チャタヌーガ、ノックスビルで、最低2泊、かつ1泊は日曜から水曜までのどれかの曜日を含むのが条件となっている。 対象ホテルには、ナッシュビルの高級ホテルであるJoseph、メンフィスの駅舎を改装したクールな、Central Station、チャタヌーガの新ホテルKinley Chattanooga Southsideなどがラインアップされている。ホテル代金は事前支払いが必要で、返金はできない。 テキサス州が用意したデジタルギフトは1万予約分。250万ドル（約2億7,500万円）規模となるこの取り組みに対しては、観光客のためよりも、住民向けの優先事項に投資すべきだとする批判的な意見も。しかし、一方で旅行が再び注目されることに期待する人もいる。 同キャンペーンの予約期間は2021年9月15日（水）まで（予定数が超えたら終了）、旅行期間は2021年12月30日（木）まで。テキサス州に滞在中は、ミシシッピ川の断崖絶壁、グレートスモーキー山脈、オコーのホワイトウォーターなどへドライブするのもおすすめだ。 原文はこちら 関連記事 『日本で海外旅行気分が楽しめるスポット8選』 『週末、銀座周辺で北欧を旅する5のこと』 『地中海の島国、マルタが観光客のホテル代を補助』 『アメリカで最も検索されている旅行先ランキング』 『アメリカで最も急成長している街トップ20が発表』

Want to boot-scoot in Nashville? Or hike Mt. LeConte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Well, the state of Tennessee is about to make your dreams a lot easier to achieve. The state recently launched a 'Tennessee on Me' initiative to give visitors $250 in digital gift cards from Delta Airlines, American Airlines or Southwest Airlines in order to travel to the Volunteer State this year. That's right, a free flight for anyone who wants to live like Elvis in Memphis.  Tourism is the state’s second largest industry, and after a slow 2020, hotels, museums, bars, live music venues, and amusement parks want everyone to know they are open again for business. The state even released a goofy video with country megastar and Tennessee resident Brad Paisley, who wrote a song about the giveaway with Governor Bill Lee. “I’m more excited than ever that live music is back in Tennessee – and bigger than ever,” Paisley said in a statement. Here’s the deal: You must book a two-night minimum stay at one of 60 participating hotels around the state. At least one night of the stay must be between Sunday and Wednesday. You pick from one of four major Tennessee cities – Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga or Knoxville – plus your hotel and airline. You have to book your trip between now and September 15, 2021, and you must travel between July 11 and December 30, 2021. You also have to book through TennesseeOnMe.com. Participating hotels include: Nashville’s luxury Joseph, Memphis’s cool Central Statio