Tennessee State Capitol

My friend and I try to visit every state capitol when we travel. This one is located on top of a hill and parking was not available (lots of open reserved spots which required a permit which made no sense to me). We came across one lot with a couple of open spots that did not have "reserved" signage so we stopped to ask an employee whom was having car trouble and he stated to park nose forward and not backwards and we should be fine (unfortunately, we did not fit). We parked down the hill curbside (paid) and walked up the numerous steps but all was so beautiful (lots of greenery and scenery).As for the capitol itself, it was very nice and clean (as all are) and we had missed the guided tour that was taking place but we were able to self guide. We got to see some employees at work which was interesting and got to see some of the chambers and take pics. Overall, plan on spending about an hour here, especially if you are going to go out on the balcony to check out the views. Very friendly security guards upon entering as well (you do go through a metal detector which made me feel safe).

I love touring state capitols. I love hearing the history told by passionate guides. I love the history.Unfortunately, I wasted $50 in Uber fees to get down here and back just to hear from the gal at the desk, who was the guide, who was enjoying being in her phone more than the history that was around her, tell me she wouldn't do a tour for one person. What?C'mon, man. If I had that job I'd be wanting to get out of my chair and walk around. Not this one. She told me to "take the unguided tour." If I wanted that one I could've done it online, which she apparently prefers as she can't get off her phone. Not really Southern Hospitality. At all.So I took the unguided tour and it was as bland as you'd expect. I asked her on the way out where Polk's final resting place was. She looked up at me long enough to explain that so I'll give it two stars, I reckon. I mean, c'mon, man.

Enjoy visiting state capitols and Nashville was no different. Open Mondays-Fridays. Parking was a bit tricky but found a few blocks away on the street. Rich in history and art, worth a visit. And if you time it right, tours are also available. Take the kids, it's free.

We were walking around O Fallon, different public, art and landmarks in statues and we had a good time. This is a nice spot to check out. It's got plenty of everything you want to see.

I truly need to focus on visiting state capitols more often. Before visiting this state capitol, the only one that I had visited was the one in Saint Paul, MN. I don't know why I stopped because I enjoyed that visit. It's free to visit a state capitol. If you are new to the city where one is, it's a great learning experience.Did I mention free? Yep, keep some money for souvenirs! On my first full day in Nashville, I hit the Tennessee state capitol. I'm glad that I kicked it off early. It was the least humid day out my entire trip. It was humid, but it didn't have an excessive heat warning tagged to it. I parked in the lot next to St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows. You know you are in good hands when your car is next to a church. It's also easy to find when you look for a steeple.It was a couple of blocks away from the state capitol. You can't park in front of it because all the parking around the building is reserved. State police are there like hawks, so it's best to park in a valid, safe place.There was construction happening both outside and inside the capitol building. There are stairs to get you up and down it. However, if you have accessibility needs, I didn't see a way to get a wheelchair up all those steps.There is air conditioning inside. What a relief! I spoke to a security guy when I first entered. You do need to go through a metal detector. I elected to take off my wrist splint before going through it. He was okay if i had left it on, which was sweet. Then again, I didn't want to set off the alarm and startle folks. I cleared it fine and put my splint back on. If you have a purse, he does ask that you open it up so he can look into it.The second floor is where you can see the House of Representatives in session. Since it was closed for construction, I have no idea what it looks like up there. I'll need to return whenever I'm back in Nashville.The first floor is pretty. It's marble everywhere. You have each past Govenor's oil painting displayed through the hallways. There are also a few busts of important representatives to appreciate. I elected to do a self-guided tour. You can also sign up or a 45-minute one if you need a guide and don't want to read as much.The ceilings are gorgeous, as is the lighting. Do look up. It's worth it.I spent a lot of time in the old supreme court chamber. It was fascinating. I learned so much from the information in front of the room and inside it. It is nicely maintained. You also get a nice shot of flags, both for the state and country.There are statues outside the capitol, too. There are a couple of Andrew Jackson. The larger one required timing when the maintenance working took a break from doing his work around it. I ended up taking a photo when he stepped away briefly.You have the option of picking up a free Tennessee Blue Book as a souvenir. It's published once every two years. It contains cool facts about the state, people, and more. It's essentially a book with lots of statistics. It's up my alley, but it was over 400 pages and it was pretty heavy to lug around.I had a great experience as a tourist. I recommend dropping by to check it out whenever you're visiting Nashville.(249)

When I travel to other states, I like to visit the State Capitol if I am able to. What is really great about state capitols is that they are always free, and you have an opportunity to learn about the history of the state. My husband and I visited Tennessee's state capitol back in December. During that time, there were no group tours (but have since resumed) and picked up a visitor guide which provided a very informative tour of two of the floors inside and also outside.The architect for the state capitol was William Strickland, in which you can see his portrait on the first floor (he was actually buried on the northeast corner of the capitol grounds in a tomb structure that was designed by himself). There is also a portrait of Andrew Jackson (the 7th president of the US, he also served as the elected judge of Tennessee's superior court), James K Polk (the 11th president of the US, interestingly he and his wife, Sarah, are buried on the capitol grounds, in the East Garden. After former president Polk's home was sold and later demolished, his tomb was moved to the state capitol grounds), Andrew Johnson (the 17th president of the US, he was the only US president to serve as US Senate after his presidential term).When you take the stairs up to the second floor, there is a noticeable chip in the handrail (and the wall), which is believed to be from a bullet that was fired from the stairs above during a fight in the legislature over the ratification of the 14th amendment in 1866.Once upstairs on the 2nd floor, in the center of the hallway there are these beautiful gasolier lamps, which are beautifully crafted. These lights have been converted from gas to electricity in 1895.During our self-guided tour, we were able to visit the House of Representatives room since there was no meeting in session. The House chamber holds 99 members. We were also able to visit the Senate chamber due to no meeting in session as well. The Senate has 33 members and there is a beautiful gasolier lamp in the middle of the room. We also were able to visit the State Library (also know to be called the Legislative Lounge), which is down the hall from the Senate chamber). But the State Library may be closed if a meeting is being held in there. This library has been restored to its mid 19th century appearance. What you may notice as soon as you come into this room is the original spiral staircase. You may also notice another beautiful gasolier lamp that is right next to the spiral staircase.This state capitol is one of 12 state capitols that does not have a dome. The State Capitol is located in downtown Nashville, specifically on the highest point on top of a hill (which was purposely picked for the capitol to be built on). It took about 15 years for the State Capitol to be built.Because I came during the month of December, the State Capitol was decorated with garland, red bows, poinsettias and Christmas trees (there are glass ornaments that were hung on the trees, whom I suspect were painted by the staff here). I spent a little over an hour here going through the self tour and looking at everything inside and most of highlighted items from the self tour, on the outside.When we came, it was pretty much empty (which was nice and quiet). But typically state capitols aren't normally that crowded (at least all the many ones that I have visited so far, which is over half of the US). Parking can be a challenge. We were lucky that we stayed at a hotel that provided free shuttle, that dropped us off at the bottom of the hill so we didn't have to worry about that.It is worth a visit to the State Capitol if you are visiting Nashville and at hour of time to give. Maybe even consider joining in on the free docent led tours (which takes about 45 minutes).

No trip to Nashville is complete without a visit to the State Capitol building.It's really beautiful inside and after you pass through security you immediately feel the difference between life in California controlled by Democrats vs. this Republican controlled State. It's a step back in time to when you did not have to worry so much about expenses, crime, and a more friendly peoples.Very interesting is that so many times on our trip to Tennessee, locals including the assistant to a representative at the capitol asked us where were from and when we said California, they presumed we were looking to move to Nashville.

I love visiting state capitols, so this was at the top of my list on my recent and first time visit to Nashville. The capitol building is atop Capitol Hill, which requires you to go up many steps to reach the building, especially if you walk from Bicentennial Park like we did! You can walk around the first and second floors on your own, or join a short 30-40 min guided tour. Guided tours start at the first floor information desk Monday through Friday on the hour between 9 AM and 3 PM.Be sure to check out the old/original Supreme Court chambers on the first floor, as well as the galleries for the House and Senate chambers on the second floor.

Lovely state Capitol building and very imperious, standing atop a hill over Nashville. I did a self guided tour and found it to be just magnificent inside, especially the library with its restored spiral staircase, which was original to the building In 1859. The ornate ceilings, the busts, the portraits, the flooring, and the architecture are just stunning, if not a bit imposing. I've now visited 18 State Capitol Buildings. While this is not my favorite one, it is a very lovely one, well worth a visit.

This is a nice state capital. We got a very good tour guide who was very knowledgeable on the capital and just a good person. I would highly recommend taking the tour if available. It is a trek to get to the capital, it is on large hill so be prepared for that. It was not very busy. Overall recommend to anyone.