Belle Meade is one of the South's most luxurious suburbs. It is also home to the 19th century Belle Meade Plantation. Known as “the Queen of Tennessee Plantations,” Belle Meade offers an excellent look back at plantation life. The house, a Greek revival structure, was built in 1853 and has a curved staircase and 14-foot-high ceilings. The site contains a creamery, mausoleum, log cabin, smoke house and a carriage house. The plantation operated as a thoroughbred horse farm and today it is a museum that is open to visitors. Belle Meade is also home to Cheekwood, which features extensive gardens and an excellent art collection housed inside the Cheek family mansion. The Cheeks were the founders of Maxwell House Coffee. Each December, Cheekwood displays Christmas trees with themes from all over the world.

Green Hills has some of Nashville's most desirable homes. It is also a great place for a night on the town. The Bluebird Café is the place to be if you wish to pursue songwriting. The list of performers that have graced the stage at the Bluebird is a veritable “who’s who” in the music business. If jazz is your type of music, F. Scott’s is the ideal place to be. For a literal change of scenery from the usual restaurant and pub scene, the Greenhouse Bar is actually a greenhouse with fountains, gravel floors and plants everywhere. Shopping in Green Hills is a treat. There are antique shops and interesting boutiques. The Mall at Green Hills offers a variety of stores. The Brandywood and Bavarian Village stock the finest luxury items including jewelry, gourmet foods and designer clothing.

The area around Vanderbilt University is referred to as Vandy. The Thomas E. First Centennial Sportsplex is located here. It offers ice-skating year-round, swimming, fitness facilities and tennis. The university itself is made up of 10 schools and has more than 12,000 students in various undergraduate and graduate programs.

Berry Hill is located across from the 100 Oaks Mall. This growing neighborhood has a host of small specialty shops located in renovated houses along the tree-lined streets. The Curious Heart is a great place to find usual gifts, Venus & Mars is the place to find vintage clothing and Grimey's Record Shop sells new and used CDs and vinyl. If you have a craving for Caribbean cuisine, stop by the Calypso Cafe.

The city of Nashville lies in the Nashville Basin, a verdant, gently rolling and low-lying area surrounded by the western and eastern Highland Rim. The Cumberland Mountains rise to the east and the Cumberland River flows through the basin. Cherokee, Chickasaw and Shawnee Indians originally used the Nashville area as a hunting ground.

The Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in downtown provides a way to see and touch Tennessee’s history via a 200-foot granite map of the state. A walkway features the state’s 95 counties and 31 fountains represent its major rivers. The park also includes the Carillons, a World War II Memorial, Court of Three Stars and a 2,000-seat amphitheater and Visitor Center.

Six miles from downtown Nashville is Radnor Lake State Natural Area. The park is a wildlife sanctuary and the nature observatory features hiking trails, interpretive programs, a museum and a visitor center. Located on the estate of Henry H. Horton, the 36th governor of Tennessee, is Henry Horton State Park. An 18-hole golf course, pro shop, restaurant, 72-room inn, cabins, campsites, trap and skeet range, pool, lighted tennis courts, archery range, playground and recreation center make this a wonderful park for the entire family.

Downtown Nashville is less than 10 minutes from the communities located in southwest Nashville. The Country Music Capital of the World is home to the Grand Ole Opry with the longest running continuous radio music program in the country. The shows last 2.5 hours and features more than 20 artists. The Texas Troubadour Theatre is the home of the Earnest Tubb Midnight Jamboree radio show and broadcasts of gospel music. The Tennessee Performing Arts Center has three stages for live drama and comedy productions, musical concerts and dance presentations. Centennial Park hosts live concerts from May to September.

The Ryman Auditorium has hosted famous performers from around the world including Sarah Bernhardt, Mae West and Katharine Hepburn. Today one can attend concerts, musical theatre and television tapings at the Ryman Auditorium. The Country Music Hall of Fame showcases the essence of country music beginning from the exterior of the building, which is designed to look like a curving piano keyboard. The hall of fame rotunda honors the singers, songwriters, producers and other industry notables who have contributed to country music.

Nashville isn’t only about music. Called the “Athens of the South,” the city’s architecture was influenced by the Greeks as is seen in government buildings, The Parthenon in Centennial Park and the plantation homes. The Capitol building was built in 1825 in Greek revival style. The tomb of James K. Polk and his wife are on the grounds. The city’s museums showcase the fine arts as well as Civil War artifacts, displays and exhibits celebrating the state of Tennessee. The Cumberland Science Museum features interactive exhibits about astronomy, the physical sciences, natural history, health and world cultures. The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere contains exotic and native animals along with an aquarium and play area. The General Jackson paddleboat leaves from Opryland’s Cumberland River dock and churns along the river for an afternoon of sightseeing or nighttime dinner and dancing.