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The Nashville outpost of Mike Wolfe's American Pickers shop, stocked with vintage finds, rusted-and-restored oddities, and a heavy dose of the show's merch — set inside the same brick-and-timber factory floor where Marathon cars were once assembled.

(615) 810-9906

A working craft distillery inside the old Marathon Motor Works factory, pairing a 30-minute production tour with a taproom pouring house-made spirits, local beer, and wood-fired pizza. Nashville's original grain-to-glass distillery, still running its 1920s pot still daily.

The mixed-use district that replaced Nashville's old convention center downtown — a city block of retail, apartments, offices, and two of the block's real draws: Assembly Food Hall and the National Museum of African American Music. Built to give visitors a reason to stop between Broadway's honky-tonks and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Germantown

A century-old car factory turned creative complex in Germantown, where the brick-and-timber halls that once assembled the South's first automobile now hold a distillery, a vintage shop made famous by American Pickers, a free automotive museum, and a rotating cast of local makers.

The only museum in the country built entirely around the genres African Americans created — from spirituals and blues through jazz, gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Six interactive galleries, a wristband that builds you a custom playlist as you go, and a 190-seat theater inside Fifth + Broadway.

A warehouse-sized entertainment bar in the Gulch built around duckpin bowling, free arcade games, and a patio full of yard games and fire pits. Loud, all-ages until 8pm, and one of the easier ways to fill a few hours in Nashville that has nothing to do with live music or barbecue.

Belle Meade

A 55-acre botanical garden and art museum set on the former Cheek family estate. The seasonal exhibitions are spectacular — Cheekwood in bloom during spring is one of Nashville's most beautiful sights. Holiday LIGHTS in winter draws massive crowds for good reason.

(615) 356-8000

Downtown

The world's premier country music research center, and genuinely one of the best music museums anywhere. The rotating exhibitions are always fresh, and the Hatch Show Print Gallery next door is a must-visit for design lovers.

(615) 416-2001

Downtown

Nashville's premier art museum, housed in a stunning 1934 Art Deco post office. The Frist hosts major touring exhibitions year-round — Frida Kahlo, Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams — alongside a world-class permanent collection. The Martin ArtQuest gallery makes it a great family stop too.

(615) 244-3340

Midtown

A full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon, sitting in Centennial Park. Built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition and never torn down, it houses a 42-foot gilded statue of Athena — the largest indoor sculpture in the Western Hemisphere. Weird, wonderful, and completely Nashville.

(615) 862-8431