Travelers looking for authentic, story-rich ways to experience Music City now have an expanding resource at their fingertips. Nashville Sites, an innovative self-guided digital tour platform, is redefining how visitors explore the city—pairing credible historical storytelling with the flexibility today’s travelers crave.
What began in 2017 as a post-graduate digital humanities project by historian Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel has grown into one of Nashville’s most dynamic cultural tourism tools. Officially launched in 2019 and supported by the Nashville Historical Foundation, Nashville Sites now features more than 40 walking and driving tours spanning hundreds of landmarks across the city. Each tour blends multimedia content, curated narratives, and interactive maps that immerse visitors in Nashville’s people, places, triumphs, tensions, and often-overlooked histories.
Earlier this year, Nashville celebrated the platform’s impact with a 6th anniversary event at Sunnyside Mansion—highlighting Nashville Sites as a trusted, accessible gateway to understanding the city beyond its stages and skyline.
“This anniversary is more than a celebration—it’s a reflection of how far we’ve come in connecting people to the soul of our city,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, Founder and Director of Nashville Sites. “We’re proud to continue our mission to make Nashville’s history accessible to all, one story at a time.”
For travelers, Nashville Sites offers a flexible, choose-your-own-pace way to explore—from iconic downtown locations to vibrant neighborhoods rich with local culture. Whether visitors are seeking Civil Rights history, architectural gems, music heritage, literary paths, or hidden-in-plain-sight landmarks, Nashville Sites provides an experience that is both educational and highly engaging.
Guided by the motto “Our Story. Your Tour.,” Nashville Sites continues to modernize cultural exploration—proving that history in Nashville is not just something to read about, but something to walk through, interact with, and share.
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