Historic Nashville, Inc.

Historic Nashville Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Ryman Auditorium
2018-11-17 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Ryman Auditorium, 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN, 37219, United States
Join us for a Behind-the-Scenes tour of the Ryman Auditorium on Saturday November 17, 2018 at 10:00 am.
**Ticket reservations open Monday September 24, 2018 at 6:00 pm**
When you walk through the doors of the historic Ryman Auditorium, one thing becomes clear right away: this isn’t just another nightly music venue, and it’s so much more than a daytime tourist stop. This place is hallowed ground. This is the exact spot where bluegrass was born—where Johnny Cash met June Carter, where souls were saved and a slice of history was nearly lost. It was right here that country music found an audience beyond its own back porch, and countless careers took off as deals were signed on napkins and paper scraps backstage. This is a building where anything is possible: a soul can find redemption, a crumbling building can find salvation, and an unknown kid with a guitar can find his or her name in lights.
Our story starts with an 1885 tent revival led by fiery evangelist Sam Jones and attended by 5,000 people, including steamboat captain and prominent Nashville businessman Thomas G. Ryman. The captain was so unexpectedly moved by the experience that he dedicated his life and fortune to building and constructing the Union Gospel Tabernacle, a place where all people could gather and worship. When Ryman died, its name was changed to honor his legacy.
When fearless show promoter Lula C. Naff leased the building and took the reins in the 1920s, the Ryman became the anchor of Nashville’s cultural offerings. The venue was known as the Carnegie of the South, hosting sought-after traveling acts including John Philip Sousa, Roy Rogers, Harry Houdini, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Katharine Hepburn, Bob Hope, Mae West, and even former President Theodore Roosevelt.
When the Grand Ole Opry put down roots here in 1943, the world would never be the same as the live radio and TV show brought the likes of Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Minnie Pearl, Patsy Cline, and Roy Acuff to the stage and into living rooms around the country for thirty one years.
**We will meet in front of the Ryman. Parking is available at the Nashville Public Library or street parking nearby.
=======================================
Ticket reservations open Monday September 24, 2018 at 6:00 pm
**Please use the button below to register via Eventbrite. If the button does not appear in your browser click here to RSVP. **

Historic Nashville Behind-the-Scenes Tour of The New Tennessee State Museum
2018-12-01 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Tennessee State Museum, 1000 Rosa L Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN, 37208, United States
Come experience a tour of the brand new Tennessee State Museum on December 1, 2018 at 10 AM.
** Ticket reservations open Monday November 12, 2018 at 6:00 PM**
The tour will be led by the museum’s very own Curator of History, Rob Dehart. While the Tennessee State Museum has been receiving visitors in Nashville for decades, you will get a chance to visit the museum’s brand new facility, which opened on October 4, 2018 at 1000 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard. Discover a wide range of artifacts and topics which stretch from the geological formation of Tennessee to the present day, all in a new state of the art museum.
The mission of the Tennessee State Museum is to procure, preserve, exhibit, and interpret objects which relate to the social, political, economic, and cultural history of Tennessee and Tennesseans, and to provide exhibitions and programs for the educational and cultural enrichment of the citizens of the state.
**Parking is available at various locations around the museum.
=======================================
Ticket reservations open Monday November 12, 2018 at 6:00 pm
**Please use the button below to register via Eventbrite. If the button does not appear in your browser click here to RSVP. **

Annual Membership Meeting & 50th Anniversary Celebration
2019-01-31 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Woolworth on 5th, 221 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN, 37219, United States
Join Historic Nashville, Inc. at Woolworth on 5th for our annual membership meeting and a celebration of our 50th anniversary.
Speakers include HNI Board President Jenn Harrman, Ex-Officio Board Member Bob Tuke, Restauranteur Tom Morales, and Actor Barry Scott.
Light hors d’oeuvres will be served alongside a cash bar.
The meeting is free to all current members with advanced registration. Non-member fee $20 in advance or at the door. All non-member cancellations are non-refundable and will be considered an in kind donation.
Valet parking is available for $6.00 or self-parking is available nearby at the 505 Building garage.
About Woolworth on 5th
The building at 221 5th Avenue North was built in the 1890s, and after cycling through several businesses, opened as a Woolworth “five and dime” store in 1913. The building is a registered historic site as part of the Fifth Avenue Historic District in Nashville. One of the original five and dimes, Woolworth attracted shoppers looking for quality and value.
Since the Jim Crow laws of the 1890s prohibited African Americans from eating at these public lunch counters, generations of African Americans grew up without being able to enjoy this popular American ritual. That was about to change, as African American students attending college in Nashville sought to challenge this decades-old practice of segregation at lunch counters.
The new Woolworth on 5th reprises the original Woolworth as a restaurant and live music venue that honors its history and invites everyone to sit at the welcome table. Morales and his team began work on the historic space in early 2017, renovating and restoring the building to its original beauty. Through a massive restoration effort, much of the original architecture was preserved, including the upper level mezzanine, gilded handrails and wall accents, and hand-laid tile. Parts of the 18,000-square-foot space that could not be preserved were recreated to echo the style of the past: flowing staircases, the rebuilt lunch counter, wood-paneled walls, turquoise colors and an art deco-inspired vibe. The space remains true to its past, while creating new traditions for the future.
**Photo by Nathan Zucker
=======================================
**Please use the button below to register via Eventbrite. If the button does not appear in your browser click here to RSVP. **

HNI Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Historic Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville
2019-02-16 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Nashville Speedway, 625 Smith Ave, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
Join us for a Behind-the-Scenes tour of the Historic Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at 10:00 am led by Donnie Redd, Historian of the track.

** Ticket reservations open Monday January 21, 2018 at 6:00 PM**

The Fairgrounds Nashville originally opened in 1891 as a horse racing track named Cumberland Park. The park became the home of the Tennessee State Fair in 1906 and was purchased by the Davidson County government (later Metro) in 1910.
The track first featured “horseless carriages” and motorcycles on June 11, 1904, on a 1 1/8 (1.125) mile dirt oval. Races were canceled after a motorcycle ran into the back of a car that was lining up. Harness (horse) racing events were also held at the track. In September 1904 another series of races was organized. Most of the entrants came directly to Nashville from the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. Racing pioneer Barney Oldfield was one of the entrants. People marveled at cars driving over 60 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour). The track began holding annual events in September 1915 to coincide with the state fair. Many of the same drivers from the Indianapolis 500 brought their cars down to Nashville.
In 1958 car racers decided to build a paved racetrack. The racers ended opposition from horse racers by building a horse track. The racers got a 10-year lease from the state fair board in order to build a paved 1/2 mile track which shared the front stretch with a 1/4 mile track. On July 19, 1958, the first race was held at the new speedway. Races were held only on the 1/4 mile track (except for special events).
The track held at least one NASCAR Cup race each year from 1958 to 1984. A capacity crowd of 13,998 watched Joe Weatherly win the first NASCAR race on August 10, 1958. Geoff Bodine beat Darrell Waltrip for his second career win in the last Winston Cup race (1984) at the track. NASCAR left the track because the grandstands are too small, and because of a dispute over who would manage the track took place prior to the start of the 1985 season. Of the 42 Cup races, Richard Petty has nine wins, with Darrell Waltrip right behind with eight wins. Waltrip won 5 of 6 races between 1981 and 1984. Waltrip’s victory in the 1988 Busch Series event gives him the career best nine wins total at the track.
The speedway is currently an 18 degree banked paved oval. The track is 0.596-mile (0.959 km) long. Inside the larger oval is a quarter-mile paved oval. A lot of hard work and support from many has been a part to save the future of the speedway when announced in 2010 the final season. A crowd of over 3,000 people, the largest ever to attend a Metro Nashville council meeting was a determining factor for the track to be saved. The Formosa family last year was awarded a five-year contract for the speedway, the longest lease awarded dating back to the 2004 season. Speedway Motorsports Inc. is presently in negotiation to team with Formosa Productions to bring back the glory days of NASCAR premier national racing events. The addition of major NASCAR events mixed with local racing would contribute to the success of property campus which will include a new Expo Center and a new stadium for use as a soccer complex.

**Enter the Speedway at the back entrance off Wedgewood onto Raines Ave gate there is a ticket booth sitting in the middle of the road.
**We will park behind the track next to the buildings. There will be someone directing us where to park.

=======================================

Ticket reservations open Monday January 21, 2018 at 6:00 pm

**Please use the button below to register via Eventbrite. If the button does not appear in your browser click here to RSVP. **

Historic Nashville Behind-the-Scenes Tour of African American Culture
2019-03-16 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago) | The Nashville Visitors Center, 501 Broadway, Nashville, TN, 37203
Join us for a tour of African American Culture on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at 11:00 am led by Chakita Patterson.

** Ticket reservations open Monday February 18, 2018 at 6:00 PM**

Surrounded in the bliss of country music, it is a little-known fact that Nashville was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. However, students at the city’s predominantly black universities led the way in nonviolent protests in the 1950s and 60s. Journey with us to attractions and local hideaways around the city that is significant to African American history and culture on this 1.5-mile outdoor walking tour.

**Meeting Point: This tour meets by the front door of “The Nashville Visitors Center.”
The Nashville Visitor Center is inside the glass tower of the Bridgestone Arena. We’ll meet outside the front door at 501 Broadway.

=======================================

Ticket reservations open Monday February 18, 2018 at 6:00 pm

**Please use the button below to register via Eventbrite. If the button does not appear in your browser click here to RSVP. **

HNI Behind-The-Scene Tour "Walking Back In Time" with Mary B. Williams and Frank Schwartz
2019-06-22 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Downtown Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St, Nashville, TN, 37219, United States
Join us Saturday June 22, 2019 for a very special Historic Nashville Inc Behind-The-Scene Tour “Walking Back In Time” with Mary B. Williams and Frank Schwartz

** Ticket reservations open Monday June 3, 2019 at 6:00 PM**

Leading the tour will be Mary B. Williams and Frank Schwartz, both are 94 years young.
Mary B Williams is a Southern jewel with a smile that lights up a room and stories that entertain for hours. Her laughter is contagious. She is sunshine with red lipstick with an educated charming Southern accent. From her early days in East Nashville, to her role as a wife, mother, model, actor and entrepreneur, she has documented it all. Was one of the most notable tour guides of Nashville, she has a passion for history.
Morris Frank Schwartz, Jr. was president and CEO of Rich, Schwartz & Joseph from 1957 to 1976. He was the third generation in his family of brilliant retail merchants of women’s fine apparel here in Nashville. The company had store downtown on 5th and then 6th Avenue North, moving in 1955 to West End, and in 1961 then opened a second store in the Belle Meade Shopping Center. Customer service and high-quality apparel were the foundation of their success. Merchandise included dresses, furs, lingerie, accessories, and shoes. They were innovative in many ways. Frank has spent his working career in Nashville with class and culture and quality, and we are proud to know him as a gentleman. He is a Vanderbilt graduate and served in the Us Navy during World War II.

This circa 1927 photo (from the Rich-Schwartz 60th anniversary booklet) shows a window of the original store, which opened in 1902 and was located on Fifth Avenue North. (Image: Frank Schwartz and Jewish Federation of Nashville Archives)

Important info:
– Group will meet in the 1st floor conference room.
– Suggested parking the Nashville Public Library Garage or various free street parking if available

=======================================

Ticket reservations open Monday June 3, 2019 at 6:00 PM
**Please click here to register via Eventbrite**

Historic Nashville Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Barbershop Harmony Society
2019-07-13 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Barbershop Harmony Society, 110 7th Avenue North, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
Join us for a tour of Barbershop Harmony Society on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 10:00 am.

**This is a RESCHEDULED tour (original date was May 11th, 2019)
** Limited ticket reservations open Tuesday July 25, 2019 at 6:00 PM**

Cassi Costoulas, Strategic Initiatives Manager of Barbershop Harmony Society will be leading the tour.
Founded in 1938 as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA), the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) preserves and extends the reach of a uniquely American close harmony musical art form whose roots lie in African-American improvisation and European harmony traditions. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee since 2007, our nonprofit organization provides active programs and resources in music education, publishing, performance, and community outreach.

Fun facts about the BHS building:

Our building was built in 1923 and was formerly a Bible printing press.
The final decision to use this as our headquarters building on 7th Avenue was because of the popular Dominant 7th chord commonly found in the barbershop style of music. Call it serendipity.

Important info:

Tour group will meet at the front entrance on 110 7th Avenue North
Suggested parking the Nashville Public Library Garage or various free street parking if
available

=======================================

Limited ticket reservations open Tuesday July 25, 2019 at 6:00 PM
**Please click here to register via Eventbrite**

Historic Nashville Behind-The-Scenes-Tour of Gower Cemetery
2020-04-04 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Centenary United Methodist Church, 6809 Gower Road, Nashville, TN, 37209, United States
Join us Saturday, April 4 at 10:00 am for a tour of Gower Cemetery led by Gower’s descendants Marsha Fagnani and Jana Stephenson
One of the earliest settlers in this area, William Gower (1776-1851) arrived in 1780 at the Bluffs settlement, now Nashville. He and his wife Charlotte Garland settled near Overall Creek in 1800 and had fifteen children, many of whom became prominent community leaders. A Methodist minister for over half a century, William founded Gower’s Chapel on his farmland. A larger chapel, erected in 1850 on Gower land, served as the local schoolhouse. Also on his original farm, The Gower Cemetery was established in 1816 with the burial of William’s mother, Obedience Blakeley Gower.
In early 2017, the Friends of Gower Cemetery initiated efforts to restore and preserve the cemetery with the help of historian Fletch Coke and Tim Walker, Executive Director of the Metro Historical Commission. Metro Nashville Public Works did an initial cleaning and continued to maintain the grounds while work was in progress. Archaeologist, Dan Sumner Allen IV was hired to oversee the restoration; completed in 2018. Mr. Allen has identified 115 burials which include Gower family members and 6 enslaved Gower and Woodward African Americans. There are 13 tombstones for 14 burials. An incredible amount of history for this family, the land, original Gower’s Chapel and present Centenary United Methodist Church has been located by the Friends group.
Important info:
– Free parking at the church
– It is a short walk to the cemetery
=======================================
**Please click here to register via Eventbrite**

Behind-the Scenes Tour of Hastings Architecture
2022-02-26 10:00 - 11:30 UTC | Hastings Architecture Associates (former Ben West Building), 225 Polk Avenue, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
We’re excited to announce the return of members-only Behind-the-Scenes tours! Join us at Hastings Architecture, the former Ben West Library downtown, on Saturday, February 26th at 10:00am.
This is a members-only event, so be sure to renew your membership before you register. The event is free, but registration is required.

Behind the Scenes Tour: Nashville Public Library
2024-03-09 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Chicago) | Downtown Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St, Nashville, TN, 37219, United States
Join Historic Nashville for a members-only tour of the Civil Rights Room, the Votes for Women Room, and NPL Special Collections at the Downtown Public Library!
In special appreciation and honor of both Black History Month and Women’s History Month (February and March) the Nashville Public Library is offering HNI members a unique opportunity, pairing self-guided browsing of the Civil Rights Room and the Votes for Women Exhibit with a private tour of the library’s Special Collections.
These two thought-provoking exhibits chronicle the amazing and progressive events that took place here in Nashville and influenced our nation’s history.
We will meet at the Nashville Room reference desk at 10 am (2nd floor of the library.) Splitting into three groups, we’ll enjoy self-guided exploration of the Civil Rights Room and the Votes for Women Room and receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the library’s Special Collections.
Please note: you must be a current HNI member to go on this tour. You can renew your membership here: https://www.historicnashvilleinc.org/get-involved/membership/
If you are unsure of your membership status, please email info@historicnashvilleinc.org. Attendees with lapsed or no memberships will be billed.
Reserve your tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hni-members-only-tour-of-the-downtown-public-library-tickets-852996183547?aff=oddtdtcreator

Behind the Scenes Tour: Mt. Olivet Cemetery
2024-10-20 14:00 - 15:30 UTC | Mount Olivet Cemetery, 1101 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN, 37210, United States
This is a members only tour. Reserve tickets here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/historicnashvilleinc/1429362
Join HNI for a tour of Nashville’s Gilded Age in one of our city’s most magnificent cemeteries. This tour, led by Davidson County Historian Carole Bucy, will shed light on how Nashville became a business town with railroads leading the way for Nashville ‘s boom after the Civil War. We will meet at the top of the hill and people can park around the Confederate Circle there. Everyone should wear comfortable shoes. We will be walking on paved roads in the historic part of the cemetery.
The cemetery entrance is located at 1101 Lebanon Pike.

Historic Happy Hour: Jimmy Kelly's
2024-10-30 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Jimmy Kelly’s Steakhouse, 217 Louise Avenue, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
This is a members only event. Reserve tickets here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/historicnashvilleinc/1429373
Jimmy Kelly’s is an iconic restaurant in Nashville renowned for its steaks, fine service, and atmosphere, legendary for business deals and political hobnobbing. It also has a fascinating history through Prohibition and a proud family legacy of several generations of restaurateurs. Come join us for this HNI members-only event and hear Mike Kelly tell how the fabric of Nashville has been laced with steaks and whiskey in this genteel setting. Mike’s book A Generous Pour will be presented. Guests are on their own pay for food and drinks (appetizers and light fare available) and complimentary valet parking.

HNI Annual Meeting
2025-01-23 17:30 - 20:00 UTC | A Room with a View, 1305 Clinton Street, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
Historic Nashville, Inc. invites you to our annual meeting on Thursday, January 23, at 5:30 PM at Marathon Village. This is a free event exclusively for HNI members, and tickets and membership are required. Memberships can be purchased or renewed on our website at historicnashvilleinc.org/get-involved/membership.
The event will begin with a reception including hors d’oeuvre refreshments, followed by a program beginning at 6:00 PM. Our keynote speaker will be Barry Walker, owner of Marathon Village, celebrating the successful adaptive reuse of the former Marathon Motor Works complex. A guided tour will be offered after the meeting.
The meeting venue will be A Room With A View at Marathon Village, located on the third floor of 1305 Clinton Street in Nashville. Complimentary parking is provided in Lots B and D just south of the building at 14th Avenue North and Milson Street.
Join us in celebrating our mission of preserving and promoting the places that make Nashville unique!

HNI Member Tour of TN Central Railway Museum
2025-03-29 09:30 - 11:30 (America/Chicago) | Tennessee Central Railway Museum, 220 Willow Street, Nashville, TN, 37210, United States
Come join the annual open house for visitors at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum on Saturday, March 29!

The history of Nashville and its success can, in part, be attributed to railroads, especially as they replaced steamboats. The “iron horse” helped Nashville thrive on a large-scale in flour milling, hardwood lumber products, passenger transportation, and in many other ways. Come ponder our history, industrial might, and the collection that has been put together by enthusiastic TCRM volunteers. Included will be a look at the restoration of a magnificent steam engine, the “576,” formerly at Centennial Park. TCRM also has a passenger train open and serving lunch, as well as a great model train display to admire. Railroad enthusiasts will be there to show visitors around and answer questions.

This is a free event exclusively for HNI members, and tickets and membership are required. Memberships can be purchased or renewed on our website at historicnashvilleinc.org/get-involved/membership.

There are two tours offered, 9:30 am and 10:30 am. Be sure to note your correct time!
Get your tickets here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/historicnashvilleinc/

Historic Happy Hour: Urban Cowboy
2025-04-22 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Urban Cowboy, 1603 Woodland St., Nashville, TN, 37206, United States
Historic Nashville inc. invites you to mingle and socialize in the casual outdoor and indoor spaces at Urban Cowboy’s Public House Bar and Parlor Bar. Wood-fired pizza is served in the backyard and craft cocktails are sure to please. Urban Cowboy is a historic Victorian mansion dating back to the 1800s restored into a hotel, bars, and events space.
Drop in around 5:30 pm and enjoy this preservation success firsthand. Parking is wherever convenient along the street.

HNI Tour of Historic Columbia Studios A and B
2025-05-24 10:00 - 12:00 UTC | Columbia Studio A, 34 Music Square East, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
Come join HNI for a guided tour of historic Music Row studios on Saturday, May 24!
We will visit Columbia Studios A and B (formerly known as the Quonset Hut), which was the first commercial recording studio on Music Row, and now part of Belmont University’s Curb School of Entertainment and Music Business. Coincidentally, this HNI tour will be on the date of Bob Dylan’s birthday, and he recorded three albums there. The studio produced hundreds of hits by artists including Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Patsy Cline, Red Foley, Brenda Lee, Marty Robbins, Sonny James, Roy Acuff, Buddy Holly, and others. Quonset Hut Studio was the nickname given to Bradley Studios in 1954 by Harold and Owen Bradley. This studio was the genesis of what would later become known as Music Row.
Tour guides will be:

Host and moderator Mike Porter, Facilities Manager at Belmont University
Garth Shaw, the former road manager for Kenny Rogers
Brian Mansfield, Music City historian and past HNI president

Parking is available out front on street, or along Music Circle South (side street) as well as in the alley behind with sign noting parking for Belmont School of Music.
This is a free event exclusively for HNI members, and tickets and membership are required. Memberships can be purchased or renewed on our website at historicnashvilleinc.org/get-involved/membership.

HNI Member Tour of the Neuhoff District
2025-06-14 10:00 - 12:00 UTC | Neuhoff District, 1312 Adams St, Nashvile, TN, 37208, United States
The Neuhoff Abattoir and Packing Company, Inc. was founded in 1906 by German immigrants Henry and Lorenz Neuhoff. Serving Germantown as a vital job center and one of Nashville’s earliest mass production meat processing facilities, the business thrived and expanded throughout the early twentieth century. By 1930, fresh meats from Neuhoff were sold across the greater Southeast, attracting Chicago’s processing giant, Swift & Company, to purchase the facility in 1931. In 1979, Swift consolidated operations and promptly closed Neuhoff. Thereafter, the Baltz Brothers Packing Co. bought the plant and performed limited operations until 1992, when Robert Baltz transferred the property to a family friend in Nashville’s McRedmond family.
Under the McRedmonds’ care, portions of the campus were home to various uses, such as the Nashville Jazz Workshop, Tennessee Craft, an Italian shoemaker, and singer/songwriter John Prine’s sound studio. However, several unique structures, including the massive five-story slaughterhouse, remained unoccupied, deteriorating from decades of water and fire damage.
The McRedmonds’ determination and stewardship led to the seemingly impossible rehabilitation of this coveted neighborhood icon. They enlisted local architect and friend Hunter Gee and his firm to develop a master plan and attracted a like-minded developer in Jim Irwin and his company, New City. Having preserved the 1-million-square-foot historic Sears Distribution Center in Atlanta, known as Ponce City Market, Jim was committed to preserving as much of Neuhoff as possible.
Experience the newly developed Neuhoff District and the metamorphosis of several unique historic structures, including the district’s crown jewel, the Curve Building.
Parking option: Enter the garage from Monroe or Taylor Streets (before you reach Adams Street). The first hour is free and $6 per additional hour. Go to the garage’s top level and meet at the Adams Street plaza.
This is a free event exclusively for HNI members, and tickets and membership are required. Memberships can be purchased or renewed on our website at historicnashvilleinc.org/get-involved/membership.
