By Jeanni Ritchie
Nashville had already become one of my favorite cities, but visiting in November—when the whole town is halfway between fall foliage and full Christmas—feels like stepping into a holiday movie where every corner hums with anticipation. From twinkling lights at Opryland to songwriter stages downtown, this trip blended Christmas magic with Music City soul in the most unforgettable way.
Christmas in Nashville Begins at Opryland
If Christmas has a headquarters, it’s certainly the Gaylord Opryland Resort. With nine acres of indoor botanical gardens, waterfalls, and sky-high atriums, it’s stunning year-round—but when the holidays arrive? Pure magic.
Upon arrival, I was immediately swept into the glow of thousands of lights. My balcony overlooked the Cascades Atrium where holiday music drifted upward as guests strolled below, pausing for photos beneath the lanterns and cascading string lights. It was impossible not to slip into the Christmas spirit.
The holiday attractions at Opryland Hotel made it a destination unto itself:
ICE! featuring A Charlie Brown Christmas
Inside a room kept at 9°F—parkas provided—artisans had transformed 300-pound blocks of ice into glowing sculptures, tunnels, slides, and full storybook scenes. From Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree to a breathtaking clear-ice Nativity, it was nostalgic, whimsical, and awe-inspiring.
Ice Tubing, Bumper Cars & The Gingerbread FEMA House
I slid down a frozen chute spinning wildly like a Christmas-themed astronaut, rode the bumper cars, watched ice skaters glide across the frozen surface, and attempted to decorate a gingerbread house that ended up… well… structurally questionable. I called it the FEMA Gingerbread House!
Delta Riverboat Christmas Cruise
Imagine floating through an indoor river beneath lights so bright they began installing them in August. It was the perfect blend of spectacle and serenity, while Santa himself sang the Opryland version of The 12 Days of Christmas.
Build-A-Bear Workshop
In the Holiday Hall, I built a companion bear—Opry Belle—for my longtime travel companion, Beary. They’re now officially a couple.
Opry Fountain Show
I ate my Paisano’s pizza in the courtyard while the daily fountain show played—water rising and falling in time with the music as lights shifted through scenes of the Nativity. It was simple, calm, and a sweet pause in the end of a very festive day.
General Jackson Showboat Holiday Cruise
On the final night of my stay at Opryland, my friend Susanna joined me for the General Jackson Evening Holiday Cruise. After dinner and cabaret performances, we stepped onto the deck and watched downtown Nashville light up as we floated down the Cumberland River. The final hour was a full Christmas show—Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Mary Did You Know, and more performed by an amazing cast. The harmonies, the costumes, the lights…it was spectacular.
From atrium twinkles to riverboat shows, Opryland is Nashville’s Christmas crown jewel.
Nashville Decks the Halls Everywhere
Even outside of Opryland, Nashville is already buzzing with Christmas cheer.
The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum had trees in the lobby and Christmas décor woven throughout the exhibits. New displays included a Dolly Parton feature and a Lainey Wilson retrospective. Louisiana native Lainey would go on to win CMA Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year while I was in town—and invite everyone to an afterparty at her Bell Bottoms Up bar.
The Evening Trolley Tour by Gray Line Tennessee took us through Nashville with stops at Bicentennial Park, The Parthenon, and Music Row, all glowing beneath holiday lights.
Gray Line Tennessee also had a day trip to Dollywood tour! I was able to experience Dollywood’s 40th anniversary of A Smoky Mountain Christmas and still be back in my Nashville hotel room that evening.
Wicked: For Good (4DX)
Yes, the Wicked sequel in 4DX is technically a movie but felt like an amusement park ride—the chairs tilt, lift, shake, and nearly fling you into Oz. If you can bend down and touch your toes with ease, you can handle the 4D version. If not? Go with 3D or IMAX. Your neck will thank you. Perfect holiday movie.
The Grand Ole Opry
No Nashville trip is complete without the Opry. On this trip, I went twice! The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year so I saw both an Opry 100 show (with Maoli—making his Opry debut— and Deana Carter, Vince Gill, and Jackson Dean) and an Opry Country Christmas (Chris Jansen, The Gatlin Brothers, and Asleep at the Wheel).
Hotels across the city, including my stays at the newly-built Holiday Inn West End and the hip Moxy Vanderbilt, had fully embraced the season with wreaths, trees, and fall-to-winter décor transitions.
Even the diners, bakeries, and boutiques— hello, Lucchese— felt festive as the city readied itself for December travelers. City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style indeed!
Beyond Christmas: A Full Nashville Adventure
While Nashville sparkles for Christmas, the city’s heartbeat is still its music, museums, food, and creative culture. Over the course of ten days, I dove headfirst into as much of it as possible.
Backstage Nashville: The Songwriters’ Stage
If you ever want to truly understand Nashville, spend time with the songwriters. Across two Saturdays, I listened to the creators behind some of country music’s biggest hits—Tony Arata, who penned The Dance for Garth Brooks; Johnny Clawson, who co-wrote Blake Shelton’s CMA-nominated Texas; and Bridgette Tatum, the powerhouse behind Jason Aldean’s She’s Country. I laughed, cried, and connected songs to seasons of my own life. These showcases are where Music City magic lives.
Museum of Christian and Gospel Music
Opened on October 3, this museum was one of the highlights of my trip. I remixed God Only Knows on a soundboard, sang vocals to Chainbreaker in the recording studio, listened to stories from Matthew West and Lecrae on the interactive screens, and even recorded an audio message to Amy Grant—the first artist who showed me that worship music could bridge the gap between a wandering soul and the Father. The final stop was the Dove Theatre, where a giant screen played decades of Dove Awards performances, including my grandkids’ #1 request: Praise by Elevation Worship.
Dukes of Hazzard Museum
Walking into Cooter’s Nashville felt like stepping straight back into my childhood living room. My dad and sister loved The Dukes of Hazzard, and Sherri and I had several of the collectibles on display—including the View-Master reels now sitting behind glass. One wall after another was lined with masks, lunchboxes, posters, and even original scripts from the show’s heyday. I even have my own hometown connection: I met Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) when he served as Grand Marshal of the Pecan Festival Parade in Colfax. Seeing those artifacts again brought all of that rushing back.
Legends of Country Music
Just a few steps away, the Legends of Country Music Museum sits behind Nashville Souvenirs—one of the most affordable spots in town to pick up postcards, shirts, and bumper stickers. Inside, the museum houses artifacts, costumes, and memorabilia from some of country music’s most influential names: Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and more. It’s a fun, immersive look at Nashville’s musical history.
Music City Rollin’ Jamboree
Jenny Carson is one of the funniest entertainers in Nashville, and Gil Grand is a hit songwriter and amazing vocalist. The combined talent on that bus rivals anything on a Broadway stage. The show is part comedy, part music, and full-on roast that Chat GPT has nothing on. From the moment we pulled away from the Moxy, the entire bus was howling, including my new friend and seatmate Sue from Kentucky!
Goo Goo Chocolate Company Class
I took a Goo Goo making class and created my own custom cluster this time. It’s a hands-on, candy-covered adventure where you mix, melt, and mold your own signature Goo Goo. A Nashville must-do, and even better when you get to eat your masterpiece at the end.
Musician’s Hall of Fame
This museum covers all genres—Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, and more. Artifacts fill every room, telling stories of musicians who shaped entire eras. I even walked in on a live auction where a Rolling Stones guitar sold for nearly $200,000. It’s the most underrated museum in Nashville.
Hop-On, Hop-Off Trolley
The trolley is one of the best ways to see Nashville, especially on busy CMA week. I rode through Broadway, past the stadium where artists were rehearsing, through Printers Alley, Centennial Park, and Marathon Motor Works with a stop in Bang Bang Fizz Fizz Candy. Perfect for sightseeing and getting off to explore a little more on your own.
Food Highlights
Nashville is a city with some famous foods, and I was committed to trying them all:
Biscuit Love
Their lemon mascarpone BONUTS (biscuit-donuts) are legendary; the to-die-for B-Roll (pecan cinnamon roll) is now a top seller on Goldbelly; and the farm-to-table ham on the Southern Benny belongs on every holiday table.
Prince’s Hot Chicken
The original—and the story goes that a vengeful woman accidentally created a multi-million-dollar hot chicken empire.
Elliston Place Soda Shop
A 1939 classic diner with “breakfast served all dadgum day” and every kind of milkshake imaginable.
Assembly Food Hall
It was hard to choose, but I ended up at DeSano’s with a personal pepperoni Margherita pizza.
Five Daughters Bakery
Home of the famous 100-layer donut, which I first saw on 9-1-1: Nashville. I chose the chocolate sea salt.
Hattie B’s
Another famous hot chicken restaurant—this time I went with the Sweet & Smoky dry rub instead of the infamous Shut the Cluck Up level.
Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen
“Buffet brought to your table” — my favorites were the pot roast, green beans, and candied yams.
D’Andrews Bakery
Pastries that look like they belong in a French café—gorgeous and delicious. I got the pain au chocolat.
Broadway on the Weekends
The energy level jumps from 10 to 100 in downtown Nashville by Saturday night, with bar buses and pedal taverns, so if I’m not at a show, I’m usually back in my hotel room. But I was already on Broadway for my Night Trolley Tour, so I decided to check a few things out.
Category 10
I wandered in after my Night Trolley Tour to watch the line dancing. It’s high-energy, packed, and wildly fun whether you’re dancing on the floor or in your head.
Taco Bell Cantina
Yes, Taco Bell. But not just any Taco Bell—the Taco Bell Cantina with live music and a full bar. I’ve never been carded at a Taco Bell before! When I walked in, Tori Hughes and Taylor Teasley were singing Baby Girl, and it felt like the most Nashville thing ever: music everywhere, even between taco orders.
Pete’s Dueling Pianos
A mix of crowd energy, musical requests, and spontaneous singalongs. A fun, high-spirited stop compete with giant duck photo op!
Redemption
This is exactly what Ashley McBryde envisioned when she opened the bar on the 5th floor of Eric Church’s Chiefs—an intimate gathering where guests could enjoy music, plus plenty of alcohol-free drink options. I had the pleasure of meeting Aliyah Good- daughter of country star Jamie O’Neal- who sang her mother’s hit (There Is No Arizona) just for me. A welcoming place for everyone to enjoy Nashville on their own terms.
Like Miranda once sang, it truly takes All Kinds of Kinds — and in Nashville, there’s a spot carved out for each of us.
Jeanni Ritchie is a travel writer from Central Louisiana. Follow her at jeanniritchie.com.
