We are so excited to share with you our spring break in Nashville, Tennessee! We had the best time visiting The Grand Ole’ Opry, The Nashville Zoo, the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, and the Adventure Science Museum for kids. There is a lot of fun to be had for families in Nashville! Read on for our Nashville itinerary with kids to learn how to spend 4 days and 3 nights in Nashville, Tennessee! We even made some fun free printable Nashville scavenger hunts for kids for you to use. We have a free kids Nashville scavenger hunt. And then we also have a free adults Nashville scavenger hunt, perfect to add to a Nashville bachelorette party itinerary or other adult group!
We stayed for four days and 3 nights in Nashville. Our first day was rainy so we planned things out so that we visited the outdoor attractions on the better days. You always have to be ready to modify and adjust when traveling!
Staying at Home2 Suites by Hilton in Downtown Nashville
Being Hilton Honors members, we often try to stay at Hilton so we can add to our Hilton points. Plus, with the Home2 Suites by Hilton, you can’t argue that the kitchens and optional upgraded living room spaces don’t come in handy when traveling with kids!
We had a pleasant stay at the Home2 Suites by Hilton in downtown Nashville. The customer service was great, and the family appreciates a hotel breakfast! The lady that checked us in voluntarily moved our rooms so that we would avoid disturbances by some construction that was going on next door.
If you prefer a room to spread out a bit more or for a provided kitche, you might check out the Hilton Garden Inn in Nashville Downtown. The two hotels are very close and even share a parking lot.
Day 1 of Nashville Itinerary with Kids
Lunch at Assembly Food Hall
Assembly Food Hall, a huge food court with over 30 eateries and bars, is a must when visiting Nashville! There is truly something for everyone. And speaking of everyone…everyone and their mama was there! So many people!
But there is also cost to consider. Parking in the parking garage at Assembly Food Hall for 2 hours cost us $20 (3 hours costs $28 at the time of this writing) so if there is a way you can work around paying for parking, you might want to try! Or at least time your day so you can spend the three hours and use some of that time to tootle around the very touristy Broadway.
Additionally, food courts tend to get costly and hectic for families, in my opinion, since different members of the family feel free to request different food from different vendors. But that is the whole point of a food court, right? Options galore!
The girls enjoyed waffles from Liege Waffle Company while the Hubs got shrimp tacos from Dock Local. I enjoyed a chicken cheesesteak and hand battered onion rings from The Philly Special.
After we had all eaten, Harper got a coffee from Whisk Crêpes Café while Norah and I each got an ice cream cone from Hattie Jane’s Creamery. I got the mint chocolate chip (which was a bit too minty, in my honest opinion), and Norah got the unicorn cotton candy which she loved.
We then went strolling around the Broadway area a bit before our parking meter went out.
Adventure Science Academy
Afterward, we went straight to the Adventure Science Academy. You can read our details about our thoughts on the Adventure Science Academy for kids over on our sister site! Toddlers up to tweens were having a great time at this interactive exploring center.
A huge storm was brewing, and we made it to our hotel – the Home2 Suites by Hilton Nashville – for check in just as the sky was opening up. We waited things out a while and then headed to dinner.
Dinner at Nacho Daddy
The atmosphere at Nacho Daddy is casual whether for a family or for an adults-only meal. It has a definite sports bar vibe about it. The restaurant was a quick walk from the restaurant – maybe 5 minutes.
Several of us split the nachos. We had the cheeseburger nachos and a side of corn off the cob. Norah had the kids nachos off the kids menu – which is for 10 and under.
There are a few other Nacho Daddy locations around the country, but this is the first we’ve ever heard of it!
Day 2 of Nashville Itinerary with Kids
We got up and had breakfast in the lobby of the hotel before getting ready for our day.
Country Music Hall of Fame Museum
We headed out for a morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. We chose to walk the 30 minute walk through the downtown area from our hotel to the museum. The walk itself was fine and the weather was spectacular. But some of us had on our (not so comfortable) cowboy boots, and the kids were struggling after a few hours. We wound up taking an Uber for $13 back to the hotel later in the day. But parking probably would have cost just as much or more.
See more details about visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame with Kids.
Lunch at The Diner
I asked an employee at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum for lunch recommendations. He recommended the Assembly Food Hall, The Diner, and Martins Bar-B-Que. We opted to try The Diner since we had already eaten at Assembly Food Hall the previous day (though I could eat there nearly every day with so many choices).
The Diner is a six-story building that has different restaurant experiences on different floors. Cool concept! We stayed on the first floor which is set up with an old style diner/soda shop vibe. The girls were hard-eyeballing some milkshakes kids at the next table had ordered!
We enjoyed the scrambler platter, the B.L.T.A. sandwich with homestyle potatoes, and the cheeseburger and fries. Amazing!
Back to the Hotel for Rest
We returned to our hotel for an afternoon of rest before venturing back out to Broadway later in the day for boot shopping, live music, and dinner. We could easily have skipped the rest break and stayed on Broadway area the whole day (and saved some Uber money). But one of us wasn’t feeling great, and so we went back for some rest.
Shopping on Broadway as Part of Nashville Itinerary for Kids
One thing we had already planned to do white in Nashville was buy some new cowgirl boots! In our photos here, Harper is wearing her grandmother’s vintage cowboy boots from the 1970s. They are fun but so painful with a high arch. I am wearing some lower-budget cowboy boots I’ve bought online over the years. And Norah is wearing a pair of mine that are really too big for her, but she insisted. (I pick my battles, people!)
It was super fun to try out an endless selection of boots from actual boot shops! The store that turned out to be my favorite was the Boot Barn on Broadway. The boot colors and styles are incredible! They also have a small selection of kid boots. Another boot on the corner, called Boots Boots, has a larger selection of kid boots and a buy-one-get-two-free deal, but the styles seemed more rustic and didn’t appeal to me quite as much.
Dinner at The Valentine
Now, depending on your family’s comfort level, you may or may not wish to take your kids into one of the many bar and grill types of places on Broadway. Also, many of the places don’t allow kids under 18 in once evening hits.
Our kids are in the tween ages now, and they really enjoy live music. So, after boot shopping, we popped into The Valentine when we were drawn in by a talented guy with a guitar singing Garth Brooks on a small wooden stage. His first song led to another and then another so we opted to stay on the first floor of this four-story refurbished boot store and have dinner.
The menu is very casual bar fare. The bathroom doors don’t stay closed. And kids are only allowed in up until a certain time. But we had such a fun time listening to this artist (wish I had caught his name) play our favorites by Garth, Tim, and Alan!
We had the queso with beef, the Nashville hot chicken sliders, and the pretzel sticks. All was really good!
Day 3 of Nashville Itinerary with Kids
Day 3 in Nashville started out low key but ended in a grand way! It was Grand Ole’ Opry day!
Walk Down Music Row
Our morning started out slow with a leisure walk down Music Row. The main thing you will see on Music Row are industry buildings and music studios. The hustle and bustle is missing, and the walk is mostly peaceful.
Ice Cream Sandwiches at The Baked Bear
The girls were delighted with the idea of ice cream for lunch at The Baked Bear – which is just down the street from our hotel. Y’all. The homemade ice cream and cookies at this shop is spectacular! The two are married together for a giant ice cream sandwich!
I had the blackberry crumble ice cream in a waffle cone which was just delicious! Norah had cookies and cream ice cream. The Hubs and Harper both opted for the ice cream sandwiches – which is the specialty of the place. Those sandwiches included two homemade cookies and a huge scoop of ice cream in between. The Hubs had a brownie ice cream sandwich and Harper got the Cookie Monster ice cream sandwich.
Freshen Up at the Hotel and Hit Opry Mills Mall
We walked back to the hotel for a little chill time and to get ready for the big outing! We got all dolled up and headed toward Opryland. Along the way, we made a stop by Opry Mills Mall for a few items Harper needed for some upcoming school events. Then, we pulled in right next door to Opryland. No joke, the two parking lots connect. That is how close the Grand Ole Opry is to Opry Mills Mall!
Visit Opryland for a Tour and the Grand Ole Opry
We arrived at Opryland just in time for our 4:00 behind the scenes tour. I had paid extra for the tour tickets for The Hubs and I because kids tour free up through 12 years old. I realized we wouldn’t have the opportunity again for the girls to tour for free. I’m so glad we did the tour. We saw lots of neat things and we got some fun info about the country music stars from the employees of the Grand Ole’ Opry – people who actually work and interact with the singers at the Opry.
Be sure to read my other post on what to wear to the Grand Ole’ Opry and a first timer’s guide to visiting the Grand Ole Opry!
Day 4 of Nashville Itinerary with Kids
Our day 4 is primarily made up of getting up and having breakfast, packing, and then a trip to the Nashville Zoo.
Visit the Nashville Zoo
Who doesn’t love a good zoo? I really like to make it my mission to visit a zoo nearly everywhere I go! Last year, on a girls’ trip with my friends, the three of us visited the San Diego Zoo with no kids involved.
Additional Things to Do with Kids in Nashville
Still looking for more things for your Nashville itinerary with kids? Check out these other ideas!
- If it is early enough, pop into one of the many live music venues along Broadway and eat early dinner while enjoying live music. (If it is early enough, kids are allowed in. After 11 p.m., most establishments do not allow kids, according to our Uber driver. And some establishments are adult-only after 6-7 p.m. ) Things get a little wilder at the night goes on as you can imagine of any adult-centric tourist area!
- Spend a morning or afternoon exploring The Gaylord Nashville. Grab a late lunch at one of the restaurants at The Gaylord Nashville. (Reservations are encouraged at some of the dining establishments at the Gaylord.) Be prepared to take plenty of photos while exploring the beautiful indoor gardens of The Gaylord. Maybe pay the extra fee for the Gaylord boat ride, too! The Gaylord is near the Grand Ole Opry so you might want to plan to do all of this on the same day. We considered staying at Gaylord Nashville Resort, but I want to save that special time for when the water park is fully open (summer) or the gorgeous Christmas displays are up in winter.
- Go by Centennial Park for kid activities and see the Nashville Parthenon.
- Stop in at Puckett’s or The Farmhouse for one last good meal before heading out of Nashville! (kids menu offered)
And that, my friends, is how you spend 4 days and 3 nights in Nashville, Tennessee with kids!
More Travel Posts for Nashville and Beyond
For thorough details of parts of our Nashville itinerary with kids, click over to our other posts on this site and our other website!
Tips for Your First Time at the Grand Ole’ Opry
What to Wear to the Grand Ole Opry
And check out some of our other family travel itineraries:
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