STEP INTO NASHVILLE’S HISTORY BOOKS

Civil War battlefield areas in Franklin, Tenn., are denoted by stake and rider style wooden fences. (©VISIT FRANKLIN)

Travel from Fort Nashborough to Music City

BY MADISON SULLIVAN

Planning a tour that encompasses Nashville’s history might feel like catapulting through time as you read about one storied attraction after another.

Once inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Shawnee, this land was occupied long before Europeans settled in 1779 and began calling their Cumberland River community Fort Nashborough (according to Metro Archives and Nashville.gov). And while our city later takes on a name with a familiar ring—and stays a stage for events that’ll fill history books—you’ll want to pause in the past for a self-guided tour of the reconstructed settlement.

Even with “fort” missing from our moniker, wars are written into our records. Once you return from the War of 1812 Memorial on the Natchez Trace Parkway, flip forward to 1864. While in Franklin, visit Carnton and the Carter House. Then, check out the Battle of Nashville Trust’s driving tour (battleofnashvilletrust.org) to map your visit to Civil War fortifications, monuments and more.

The Civil Rights Room in the Main Nashville Public Library tells another significant story. Here you can honor those who helped end segregation through their brave actions in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Your itinerary wouldn’t be complete without seeing a show at Ryman Auditorium, where melodies have been made in Music City since 1892. Finally, grab a bite to eat at Prince’s Hot Chicken, the creators of the city’s most iconic meal.

Even though it may not be possible to pack all of Nashville’s past into one trip, that’s all the more reason to return in the future.