Things to do in Nashville:
1. Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
2. Opry Mills Mall (IMAX, NASCAR ride thingy, Bass Pro-shop, glow in dark putt-putt, aquarium restaurant, rainforest cafe, and maybe some more non-shopping related stores inside can't remember)
3. Opryland Hotel - if go to the mall walk across the back parking lot and go into the hotel, HUGE place, it is something to see, indoor boat ride, shop and walk throught the delta and cascades area, the conservatory is also a must and there is a stamp hidden among the maze of plants and trails, i believe it was placed by she who plants)
4. General Jackson Showboat
5. Frist Museum
6. Country Music Hall of Fame/Museum
7. Head South on I-65 (15-20 minutes) and stop at the Cool Springs Exit - in this area around the mall you can go to Pump It Up, Laser Quest (or something like that, i know lasers are involved), Southern Ice (ice skating), i think there is still a go-kart/putt-putt place there too, it was in the same area as southern ice (LOTS of shopping oppurtunities in this area if you are into that sort of thing, also look up "The Factory" in downtown Franklin if you like the unique or would want to take a cooking class/paint pottery/or see an enormous rocking chair)
8. Back to Nashville - Downtown (2nd Avenue, etc...) is also a cool place just to walk, look, and eat there is a bit of a riverfront, you might be able to catch a hockey game (Go Predators), go across the pedestrian bridge and see if the Titans are home (i have no idea when sports are in season), there are lots of downtown restaurants as well as The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (catch a show), the TN Museum (always free), the Bicentennial Mall, maybe the Farmers Mrkt will be open by then (next door to the Bicenn. Mall), and you may be able to catch a ride on the train by the riverfront

I hope some of these peaked your interest. If you prefer historical places let me know. I have taken quite a few fieldtrips in my time. If you want more info on any of these let me know, but I believe all the places have a website, or are at least on the TN tourism site.
Hope you enjoy your stay & be sure to let us know what we can do to make it as happy as possible.
B L3

Wow! Thanks so much for the cool ideas. We went to the zoo when the 7 year old was an infant and thought it was a really nice little zoo - so that was on our list of possibilities. We do enjoy the historical so those suggestions would be appreciated (if you're not worn out from all that typing!) I'll start researching your suggestions right away.

Thanks!!!!

Galaxy4

When we were in Nashville in the fall, we took our grandson to the Science Museum. There is an old Civil War fort right next to it. There is a box hidden there. The box isn't that long a walk and it is a two-sided stamp worth the trip. He loved the old fort because the front looks like a castle. He also loves the Opry Mills Mall, there is so much to see and do there too. Have fun. We visit them 3-4 times a year and he always asks to go to the mall.

Probably my all time fave is the Carnton Plantation. You can still see the blood where the surgeon stood at the window and operated on one of the barn doors. It is an amazing house. The canvas flooring is also cool. Carnton is around the Franklin area, not far from I-65. If you go to that house and grave site (oh the things i could tell ya but don't want to spoil it) you should also go to the Carter House (in Franklin, still see a hole made by a cannon AND wait till they tell ya where they buried everybody & what happened to the bodies), and to Rippavilla Plantation which is a little closer to Columbia. Once I had seen all of them I had a better appreciation for what happened in the area during that time. There is another one not far from Carnton, but the name alludes me. If you go the Franklin route check out their local historic tours. They do all sorts and they start around the square. Ghosts, history (love how they used to hang people at the square), and even one that focuses on the little kiddies.
Nashville is home to the Hermitage, beautiful home. Of course there are the museums of Nashville that I mentioned AND if I can find it I will try to scan a copy of the historic/math tour that one of my fellow teachers devised about downtown Nashville. (I can hear the kids cheering! ☺) It takes you to Fort Nashborough (along the river front), to the bicentennial mall, and all over downtown. You know there may even be one on-line. It has been a couple of years since we have done it so it is all a blur. Oh, just remembered a GREAT place to go to find ideas. I should have just told you to go here to begin with, could have saved a lot of typing. We have parenting magazines for the bigger counties. They list all the fun/educational things to do in each county. If you will goggle "Davidson County Parent Magazine" (Nashville) or Williamson County Parent Magazine (Franklin) you should get all the ideas you can handle. There is even a page for the historical/educational stuff to do. I am so sorry I did not think of that sooner. If you think you might go to Murfreesboro that one is the Rutherford County Parent.
Hope this was as helpful as it was longwinded. If you think I type a lot, you should have a conversation with me. ☺
B L3

I'd suggest the Science Museum. They have this huge maybe two or three story high climbing contraption/playground type thing.

Have fun. We used to live in Knoxville, and I always loved visiting Nashville.

You have been given some really great suggestions of stuff to do. All of this sounds great, but if you want to let the little ones run and play while mom relaxes in a rocking chair, there is a great place in Murfreesboro, TN called The Discovery Center that is a blast. They can battle the Chinese Monkey King, build a Keva tower, play in the water table, see live animals and even hold and pet them, they can hike the wetland, they can slide the tube slide, they can... play while mom collects on the 4 letterboxes there on site (3 outside planted by 4 little piggies, and 1 on the inside planted by the one and only, mstrwndl! [who is that guy?]). You might even get a chance at an exchange with one of the planters, and a shot at a personal traveler stamp if you know your stuff. And guess what, the kids are still playing! Just 30 miles East of Nashville on I-24, to the Murfreesboro/Shelbyville exit (81B), then a couple of miles to S.E. Broad St., turn right, 2 blocks to The Discovery Center at Murfree Springs on the right.

We'll leave the light on... (www.discoverycenteronline.org)

Murfreesboro (my hometown) is only 30 miles southeast of Nashville. We have some pretty cool stuff, like Stones River National Battlefield (where an important Civil War battle was fought), Cannonsburgh, a model of the original settlement with its original name, and Murfree Spring Wetland and Discovery Center, which is like a smaller version of the McWane Center but better because there is a significant wetland ecosystem on site. Then there is the geographic center of the state of Tennessee, Oaklands Mansion, Fortress Rosecrans, and more...and lots of boxes to be had.

I know a couple of people from Murfreesboro. I went home with a college friend one weekend and she took me to this little restaurant - I can't think of the name, but they had a band that played on the front porch. Everyone brought lawn chairs and sat out in the street. When a car came, you just got up and moved your chair. Manuel's rings a bell for some reason, but that might not be anywhere near the name. It was really cool. I'll e-mail you my friend's names to see if you know them.

Manuel's is correct, but it is in Milton. It serves some authentic cajun food, as the owners are from New Orleans. Milton is about 8 miles NW of Murfreesboro. Boy, am I reading this post late or what?