10 Things to Do in Nashville at Christmas

If you plan to visit Nashville in December you'll find cold weather, heavy snowfall and frequent rain, but also a magical Christmas scene filled with shows, musical concerts, light shows and parades that make the city the epicentre of Christmas in the southern United States.

Some of the best things to do in Nashville at Christmas time include enjoying the traditional parade, experiencing the GLOW Festival light show, marvelling at the caroling street performers, attending a concert by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and having breakfast with Santa at Opry Mills, a great plan if you plan to visit Nashville with children.

The Ryman Auditorium is one of Nashville's most traditional venues. For more than 50 years, it was the site of the live broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry and today it is the premier venue for Southern music shows. Every year at Christmas time, the auditorium also organises Christmas concerts.

From country music shows to ballet performances, the auditorium has a calendar full of Christmas events that you can also enjoy with your family or children. If you're a theatre-goer, the auditorium also hosts Christmas-themed plays by local artists.

Please note that if you want to attend a show at the Ryman Auditorium, you'll need to book in advance on the official website, as the events held there are among the most popular in Nashville in December and during the Christmas season.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets for the shows start at approximately 31 euros.
• Where.... 116 5th Ave N, Nashville.
• Please note... You'll need to book in advance, as Ryman Auditorium events are among the most popular in the city.

The Gaylord Opryland Hotel takes centre stage year-round in Nashville with its year-round activities and entertainment calendar, and the Christmas season is no exception. Beginning in mid-November, the hotel becomes a permanent fixture for local families as it sets up holiday displays in its front courtyard topped with more than 3 million sparkling lights.

Gaylord Opryland's spectacle reaches its peak each year on the Friday before Christmas, when the displays close with concerts, holiday film series, ice skating and snow tubing activities, and tours of the hotel's garden, which you can enjoy in its splendour if you visit Nashville in April during the spring.

Gaylord Opryland Resort is located on the outskirts of the city, so you can get there by public transportation on the 34 bus or the Nashville Sightseeing Bus.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to the Christmas displays is free.
• When... Every year from mid-November to the Friday before Christmas.
• Where... 2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville.

For nearly 100 years the Nashville Christmas Parade has been one of the city's traditional December events. This parade of floats and costumes begins on the morning of 24 December and runs the entire length of North 1st Ave from Brandon Street well into the evening.

This Christmas event is known in Nashville as the Rudolph's Red Nose Parade, as the endless column of more than 100 floats is always led by a structure of Santa's most famous reindeer. In addition, the parade also includes concerts and musical performances, food stalls and trucks, the participation of artists at the opening and closing and entertainment for children.

You can watch the parade for free from street-side venues or you can buy VIP tickets, which cost around 30 euros up front and allow you to watch the shows up close. If you want to opt for these tickets you should book in advance as it is one of Nashville's best attractions and sells out quickly.

During the parade, you can also enjoy the giant Christmas trees set up by the cultural and shopping centres along the sides of the parade floats and the Christmas decorations in the shops.

Details of interest

• Price... The show is free and tickets to the VIP boxes cost approximately 30 euros per person.
• Where... The parade runs along North 1st Ave from Brandon Street.
• Please note... If you wish to purchase VIP box tickets you will need to book in advance.

One of Nashville's great traditions on Christmas Eve is putting on light shows and the GLOW Festival, which takes place a few days before December 24 each year, makes the Fontanel Scenic Trail in Whites Creek, a county just outside Nashville, sparkle.

This trail of lights gets bigger every year and consists of more than 5,000 lanterns placed in the bushes and on the main stage. The lights form Christmas figures as well as a giant Christmas tree in the centre that is covered in snow, making a visit to Whites Creek one of the best things to do in Nashville during the winter

This Christmas extravaganza also includes activities for children such as ice skating rinks, Santa encounters, winter treats and drinks for sale and Nashville's best scenery for Christmas photos.

There are many Christmas light shows in Nashville, but the GLOW Festival is traditionally the most popular, the most famous and the most representative of the city, so if you are planning to spend Christmas Eve in the capital of Tennessee I advise you not to miss this show.

Details of interest

• Price... Tickets start at approximately 15 euros per person.
• When.... Held every year a few days before 24 December.
• Where... Fontanel, Whites Creek.

At Christmas time, as at every other time of year, Nashville offers a host of shows, concerts and musical performances, but if you're on a budget or just want to opt for a less elaborate plan you can attend the city's street shows, which on Christmas Eve are highlighted by Christmas caroling.

The best street shows can be found on the pavements of the honky tonks on Broadway Avenue or in the areas around Centennial Park, although to a lesser extent you'll see performers on every street and in every park and square. You can also combine these shows with tours of Nashville or food tours of the city

Caroling shows are free, although performers often ask for a fee. Some bars also organise shows at their entrances in exchange for food, which is then donated to charity, or charge a small entrance fee for charity.

Details of interest

• Price... Tickets to discotheques for Christmas parties have an initial cost of approximately 18 euros.
• When... Organised in December, especially in the early hours of New Year's Eve.
• Where.... In different parts of the city.
• Please note... You must be over 21 to enter the discotheques.

Nashville can be a magical city for children at Christmas time, but also for adults. In the run-up to 24 December and on New Year's Eve, the capital of Tennessee hosts many parties for the over-21s, some of them them themed or costume parties.

Most of the parties are held downtown, in nightclubs or bars that close for the occasion and only allow admission to those who have bought tickets in advance, while others, such as Crown on Ninth, remain open to the public until they are sold out.

If you're in the mood for some Christmas Eve fun and want to get out of the main circle of parades, light shows and carol concerts, Nashville's festivities are a great place to relax and enjoy an alternative side of the city.

Opry Mills is one of Nashville's largest and most famous shopping centres and a week before Christmas Eve it hosts an event for kids where they can have breakfast with Father Christmas, take pictures with him as he reads letters with their orders, compete in children's games and activities and enter raffles for goodie bags.

In addition, on the day of Breakfast with Santa, Opry Mills is offering discounts on Christmas gifts and organising activities for the whole family.

The event takes place at Rainforest Cafe and is free, although you can also purchase seats near Santa for breakfast.

If you want to attend Breakfast with Santa, just come to the mall on the day of the event and participate in the activities. The breakfast only lasts 2 hours, so it's a plan you can do even if you are planning a short stay in the city, as it won't take you long. If that is your case, here is a list of activities you can do to discover Nashville in 2 days.

Interesting details

• Price... Admission to the activities is free, although you can buy the seats closest to Santa for breakfast.
• When... Every year a week before Christmas Eve.
• Where... 433 Opry Mills Dr, Nashville.

The Schermerhorn Symphony Center is home to the Nashville Symphony and each year in December hosts Christmas concerts featuring local and international artists. The shows feature dancers, Broadway singers and other stars of the American arts scene.

The local Symphony Christmas concerts are among Nashville's most popular Christmas events and are an alternative plan to escape the interactive activities with Father Christmas and the offerings downtown, which fill up on Christmas Eve, as the Schermerhorn Symphony Center is located on the outskirts of the city.

There are usually several concerts each year, so you can get tickets once you arrive in town, but if you want to attend the Nashville Symphony's shows, I advise you to book in advance.

Details of interest

• Price... Tickets to the concerts start at approximately 40 euros per person.
• When... In December during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
• Where... 1 Symphony Pl, Nashville.

At almost 100 years old, the Grand Ole Opry is America' s oldest country music radio show and an inseparable tradition in Nashville's history. The show is broadcast live from the Opryland Theatre once a week and attracts a large number of listeners and attendees. During the Christmas season, Opry Country Christmas is also held.

This country music event is held in the two weeks leading up to Christmas and features top country music artists and guests from the national scene. It is one of the most traditional Christmas activities in the city and also a reference in the southern United States.

In Nashville, it is very common for all the traditional shows to offer themed shows during Christmas, but the original tradition of that in the city started with the Opry Country Christmas, so the Grand Ole Opry, besides being one of the best Christmas events, is also the first.

Tickets for the Grand Ole Opry Christmas shows go on sale every year from November and usually sell out quickly, so if you want to attend this event I advise you to book early.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets for the live Christmas radio show start at approximately 38 euros.
• Duration... The show lasts approximately 3 hours.
• Where... 2804 Opryland Drive, Nashville.

The Gaylord Opryland Hotel hosts an annual Christmas dinner on the evening of December 24th with entertainment by the Oak Ridge Boys, a classic country and gospel band representing Southern genres since the 1940s with varying combinations of members.

This dinner is an excellent opportunity if you are planning to spend Christmas in Nashville and have no one to share the Christmas toast with, or if you are planning to travel with your family, as it is an entertaining show and a local tradition that hundreds of Nashville diners attend year after year.

Tickets for the dinner cost approximately 45 euros up front, consist of a set menu and the show is followed by a party until the early hours of the morning, so if you're looking for New Year's Eve fun you'll also find it at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel's dinner.

Interesting details

• Price... Tickets for the dinner and show cost approximately 45 euros per person to start.
• When... Every year on the night of 24 December.
• Where... 2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville.