Double-Decker City Bus Tour Nashville

The Parthenon in Centennial Park

The Parthenon in Centennial Park is a full-size replica of the Greek temple in Athens, built for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897 and rebuilt in concrete in the 1920s. Inside stands a huge gilded statue of the goddess Athena, and the building also houses an art museum. It is the reason Nashville has been called the Athens of the South, and one of the most photographed places in the city.

The double-decker bus passes the Parthenon on its loop, and the open top deck gives you a clear view of the columns and the park around them. Your guide explains why Nashville built it. If you wonder whether the Parthenon is worth visiting, the bus shows you the outside and helps you decide whether to return later, since entry tickets are not part of this tour.

Vanderbilt University and the West End

Vanderbilt University, founded in 1873 with a gift from the shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, has one of the prettiest campuses in the American South, with old trees, stone buildings and a long green lawn. The campus is also an arboretum. West of downtown, the streets around it have restaurants, bookshops and student life.

On this one-hour Nashville bus tour you drive past the university and its leafy neighbourhood, with your guide describing the school's history and its place in the city. It is a calm stretch of the route after the busier streets, and the top deck offers a good view over the trees.

Broadway, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Music Row

The route follows Lower Broadway, the neon street of live-music clubs, and passes the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, a large building whose windows and shape recall piano keys and a vintage Cadillac fin. Your guide explains what is inside and how country music grew from regional roots into a national industry.

The tour also touches the Grammy Museum Gallery and other music landmarks, so it works as a quick orientation if you plan to visit the museum or the clubs later. If you search for how to see Nashville's music sights in one hour, this section of the loop is the answer, and it helps you choose which venues to return to on foot.

The Capitol, Nissan Stadium and the Farmers' Market

The Tennessee State Capitol, a Greek Revival building completed in 1859, sits on a hill above downtown and is one of the best-looking public buildings in the state. Below it, the Bicentennial Capitol Mall, the colourful Nashville Farmers' Market and the riverbank by Nissan Stadium, where the city's American football team plays, complete the loop.

Your guide points out the history of each place and the landmarks on the skyline. The tour starts near the Court of Flags and returns there, so you can plan the rest of your day. The best time for photographs is the morning, when the light is soft, and the top deck can be warm in summer, so bring sun protection.