First Time Visiting Nashville? Reviewers Say This Tour Is A Great Way To Start Your Trip

At first glance, you may think Nashville is all about music and nothing else. Sure, America's Music City has plenty of history, performances, and lively venues for fans of most genres, but there's so much more to experience. The problem is, it's very easy for first-timers to end up on Broadway, visit some adjacent attractions, and spend the rest of their time hopping from one honky tonk to the next. While tons of fun, you may miss out on seeing really cool spots, such as White Limozeen, a pink and perfect Dolly Parton-themed bar.

If you want to discover more than just Nashville's iconic country music strip, the best way to do this (according to actual visitor reviews) is by taking an Old Town Trolley Tour. These old-school sightseeing buses offer hop-on, hop-off tours, stopping at 13 distinct areas around the city and covering over 100 interesting places to see and visit. The popular tour has a Google rating of 4.5 stars and over 3,000 Tripadvisor reviews, with many of these coming from first-time visitors and others from those who wish they'd hopped aboard when they first visited the city.

One first-timer says on Tripadvisor, "Great trolley tour that tells you so much about Nashville. This was our first time and it was a great introduction to this great city." Other reviews praise the entertaining and informative drivers, show appreciation for the comfortable seating and large windows, or highlight how riding the Old Town Trolley helped them find places they wanted to explore more. Like with any sightseeing tour, the quality of your driver or guide can greatly change your experience. Fortunately, the buses run frequently, so you can hop off one and then onto another if you want a different guide.

You can purchase tickets for the Old Town Trolley online or at various stops around Nashville, including Downtown, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. At the time of writing, tickets cost from $44 for a one-day pass or $73 for two days. Once you have your ticket, you can hop aboard the trolley at any of its 13 stops, which make a loop. To go in order, Stop One is Marathon Motor Works, passing attractions like Centennial Park, Belmont Mansion, and Broadway, before reaching Stop 13: Capitol View.

If you're feeling peckish, Stop 12 is the Nashville Farmer's Market, considered the best in the city. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the indoor market house offers an enticing range of cuisine created by local chefs, from crêpes and Jamaican jerk chicken to vegan tacos and gyros. You can also browse stalls selling artisanal goods, handmade clothing, and crafts. Another great stop for first-timers is The Gulch, an artsy neighborhood that feels more local than Broadway with a tucked-away shopping alley, a cute dog park, and trendy bars and restaurants. It's also home to Kayne Prime, one of Nashville's internet-approved steakhouses with mouth-watering Tennessee bites.

The Old Town Trolley Tours run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and you can ride it as often as you want during your chosen day (note that during weekdays, some stops will close a little early). Heated, enclosed buses run during winter, while open-air ones provide better sightseeing when it's warmer. The company also runs a night tour along Lower Broadway for anyone interested in Nashville's music history and culture. If you're not a fan of sightseeing buses, you could opt for the Murals of Nashville Instagram Tour, a top-rated Tennessee tour that helps Nashville's most artsy destinations thrive.