Nashville Music City Legends Walking Tour with Bill DeMain

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.00 (114 reviews) 100% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellation

1/9

Duration1h 30m–1h 50m

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

A Grammy-Nominated Journalist Takes You Through Nashville's Real Music History

You walk through downtown Nashville's music landmarks — the Ryman, Tootsies, the Country Music Hall of Fame — guided by a journalist who's spent thirty years interviewing the artists who made the songs. All entry fees are included, and the route is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. You get the inside story instead of the plaque version.

1h 30m–1h 50m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Nashville's music and history

Visit Tennessee's 5-star hotel
See F.W. Woolworth's sit-in site
Tour Nashville's oldest shopping mall
Visit The Peanut Shop for samples
Explore historic music performance district
Discover site of Nashville's grandest hotel
Tour Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry home
Visit Tootsies Orchid Lounge honky tonk
Explore Country Music Hall of Fame museum
See legendary nightclub with famous artists

The Experience

Bill DeMain has interviewed Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and David Bowie for Rolling Stone and MOJO. He's also written for the BBC and released songs that ended up in Sons of Anarchy. So when he walks you through Nashville, he's not reading from a script — he's telling you stories he actually knows. The Ryman Auditorium, where the Grand Ole Opry lived from 1943 to 1974, isn't just a building on this tour; it's the place where Hank Williams performed and where the real deals got made backstage.

You'll start downtown at the Hermitage Hotel, built in 1910 and still standing with its guest book full of names like Charlie Chaplin, JFK, and Paul McCartney. From there the walking tour moves through the old commercial district — the F.W. Woolworth building where John Lewis led sit-ins in 1913, the arcade from 1902 with the Peanut Shop still operating since 1927. It sounds like a history lesson, but DeMain connects the dots between the buildings and the songs, the neighborhoods and the people who made them matter. Tootsies Orchid Lounge, the honky tonk that once belonged to Tootsie Bess, is where demos of "Crazy" and "Hello Walls" got their first hearing on the jukebox.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum rounds out the walk — the best music museum in the city, with a permanent collection that changes enough to feel fresh. All fees and taxes are included, so there's nothing to sort out as you go. The route is wheelchair accessible, and if you're traveling with small children, strollers work fine on the sidewalks. Public transportation is nearby if your feet need a break, though most people find the pace manageable because DeMain stops to talk, not to rush.

What’s included

Your tour includes entry to all attractions, the guided experience led by Bill DeMain, and all fees and taxes.
You'll visit the Ryman Auditorium, Tootsies Orchid Lounge, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and several historic downtown buildings including the Hermitage Hotel and the Peanut Shop.
No additional costs during the walk.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Bill DeMain

Is this one for you?Book this if you want Nashville's music history from someone who actually knows the artists and the stories, not a memorized script — the guide's thirty years of interviews and BBC credentials are what make the difference between a walking tour and an inside account.