Going on tours of any city's main historical and architectural destinations is an excellent way to get your bearings and the lay of the land. Maybe you are from Nashville and are curious what free tours are available in the city offering insight you may not already have into your home town, or maybe you are traveling through and interested in the best ways to see the city without paying for expensive guided sightseeing. Either way, there are a number of tours of businesses and battlefields to entertain you for no charge.
With the possible demise of printed daily newspapers looming on the horizon, take your family to see a real newspaper in action, from the printing presses to the newsroom to packaging for delivery. The Tennessean offers free tours to guests age six and older at their headquarters in downtown Nashville. Call ahead to schedule your tour for a group of 30 or fewer people.
While visiting a cemetery for a tour may sound morbid or unpleasant, the Nashville City Cemetery offers tours based on the immense historical importance of the city during the Civil War. There are frequently free tours offered to view the military burial sites of soldiers from the Civil War. Civil War burial tours are given by battlefield preservationist John Allyn.
The Davidson County Master Gardeners have worked for years to plant beautiful and historically appropriate plants and flowers in the City Cemetery. The gardeners offer tours of their plantings, offering instructions on how to plant and nourish similar gardens at home.
The City of Nashville publishes a map offering two self-guided walking tours of historic Nashville. Each walking tour visits 20 unique architecturally or historically significant places and takes about 45 minutes to an hour to complete. Give yourself plenty of time to wander through the living history of Nashville and to appreciate the role it has played in the country's history.
If you will have a car on your visit to Nashville, print or pick up a copy of the Nashville Historical Commission's map for a self-guided driving tour of the Battle of Nashville. Stop only at the stops marked with green stars on the map or stop at the historical markers along the route, too, for a more thorough perspective on the area and what each location's role was in this decisive Civil War battle.
