Things to do in Nashville

Vanderbilt’s closely connected park-like campus, set in the heart of the rapidly growing city of Nashville, Tennessee, ensures visitors can sample the best the city has to offer. As the hub for several booming industries, the home to a global community—including the nation’s largest Kurdish population—and “America’s friendliest city” according to Travel + Leisure magazine, Nashville combines history and hospitality with diverse culture and growth.

Nashville's neighborhoods

• Each of the city’s neighborhoods carries its own identity and benefits. The Vanderbilt campus is located approximately 1.5 miles southwest of downtown in the West End neighborhood of midtown Nashville. Among the closest neighboring areas are Music Row—often considered the heart and historic center of Nashville’s recording industry—and Hillsboro Village, a pedestrian-friendly area filled with shopping, restaurants and bars.
• A quick walk from campus is Hillsboro Village, a historic neighborhood and shopping and dining district that offers some of the city’s best options for gifts, home décor and other essentials. The four-block-long stretch between Vanderbilt and Belmont University has a laid-back college town feel and is home to the Belcourt Theatre, which has brought cinema and film programming to Nashville since 1925.

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Music and entertainment

• In recent years, the world has discovered what locals knew all along: Nashville is so much more than a country music mecca. While institutions like the Ryman Auditorium and Station Inn pay fitting tribute to the city’s musical heritage, local culture also is enhanced by visual and performing arts, architecture, renowned museums, historic landmarks and more.
• Nashville is home to countless music venues, including several devoted to rock, jazz, pop, Americana and soul. In addition to the larger stages downtown, several legendary venues—including EXIT/IN and The End—are within easy walking distance of Vanderbilt’s campus.
• Just a few blocks away from the beloved Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is the National Museum of African American Music, the nation’s first institution dedicated to Black musicians’ innumerable contributions to our nation’s soundtrack.

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Nashville's outdoor fun

• Make the short trek across the street from Vanderbilt’s campus to visit Centennial Park. This park has 132 acres of green space and paved trails, a band shell, a dog park and other attractions. Centennial Park also has a rich history as the host site for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition and home to Nashville’s Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the classical Greek temple.
• The Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park is modeled after the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and a short trip from campus. The park features several tributes to Tennessee history, including a 200-foot granite map of the state, the Rivers of Tennessee Fountains, and a carillon of 95 bells representing the 95 counties of Tennessee. Also nearby is the Nashville Farmers Market, full of restaurants, vendors to buy from and the Gardens of Baylon Garden Center.
• Other popular parks within 10 miles of Vanderbilt’s campus include Shelby Park, the Percy and Edwin Warner parks, Radnor Lake and Riverfront Park. The city has developed an extensive greenway network for cyclists and joggers; the greenways connect key parks and make up many of Davidson County’s nearly 200 miles of trails.

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Dining in Nashville

• Nashville’s dining scene has grown dramatically in the past decade and is now regularly included on “best-of” lists by publications such as Bon Appetit, Travel + Leisure and Southern Living. Home to a number of award-winning restaurants and chefs, the city’s ever-expanding food options include cuisines from around the world, as well as signature dishes like Nashville hot chicken and other Southern classics.
• In the nearby Gulch neighborhood, there are a number of trendy brunch spots and a growing range of vegetarian and health-forward options. The city also offers casual favorites close to Vanderbilt’s campus, such as the Pancake Pantry, Biscuit Love, the Grilled Cheeserie, Banh Mi and Roll+, and San Antonio Taco Company, a cherished Commodore gathering spot started by a pair of university alumni.

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Coffee Spots On/Near Campus

• Café Carmichael – Carmichael College: Café Carmichael, located within the new Carmichael College, will feature an all-day café with coffee handcrafted espresso beverages in partnership with Frothy Monkey, pastries, sandwiches and more. With soaring ceilings and lounge-style seating, Café Carmichael will be less dining hall and more in the style of a grand European café for the campus community and visitors to enjoy.
• Local Java at Alumni Café – Alumni Hall: Local Java proudly features tea and locally roasted Frothy Monkey coffee, which many already enjoy. But did you know about the “special” menu item? Local Java offers $2 flavored lattes that rotate each week—and you’ve got to go in person to find out what’s featured this week.
• Red Bicycle – Peabody College: Have a hankering for a warm crepe with your coffee? Then head over to Nashville-based Red Bicycle, now with two locations on the campus of Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development. Located in the Connector Building at 6 Magnolia on the ground floor and in the Peabody Library, ground floor (“Iris Cafe”) Place an order for pickup here.

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Shopping in Nashville

• Nashville is a shopping destination for the broader Middle Tennessee region, with nearby luxury and discount malls, outdoor markets, and one-of-a-kind boutiques and indie bookstores.
• The Mall at Green Hills features an Apple store, Nordstrom, Crate & Barrel and other well-known brands. Several blocks away are popular grocery stores including Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. This neighborhood also includes Nashville’s world-famous Bluebird Café music venue and Parnassus Books, owned by international bestselling author Ann Patchett.
• In addition to the destination shops across Hillsboro Village, 12 South, Germantown, The Gulch and East Nashville neighborhoods, the city also has several marketplaces. Highlights include the Nashville Flea Market, which draws antique dealers and history buffs alike, and the Nashville Farmers' Market, which offers unique souvenirs, spices, gifts, home accessories and ready-to-eat meals in addition to fresh produce.

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Frist Art Museum

• The Frist Art Museum occupies Nashville’s former main post office building – an art deco building that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. On display in November is an exhibition of the work of Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cornelius Vanderbilt endowed chair professor of fine arts at Vanderbilt University.
• In addition to her practice as an artist and professor, she has made a significant contribution to the larger art world and to Tennessee through her ongoing program, Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice, which brings together scholars, critics, and artists from around the world in virtual seminars and physical artist interventions.
• Her gallery exhibition Behold includes more than three decades of the artist’s work in photography, installation, video, painting, and performance. Hauntingly beautiful and emotionally charged, Behold shows how Campos-Pons’ layered identity as a Cuban woman with ancestral roots in the Yoruba culture of West Africa as well as in Spain and China inform her multimedia, sensorial artworks.

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