First Saturday Art Crawl

The first Saturday evening of each month is a smorgasbord for art lovers: dozens of galleries open their doors to the public free of charge. Most also offer complimentary cocktails. Participating galleries along 5th Avenue, known as the Avenue of the Arts, and upstairs in the Historic Arcade, run the gamut from photography to contemporary to fine art. The Nashville Downtown Partnership offers a free shuttle service from 6pm.
• 5th Avenue downtown, nashvilledowntown.com. Every first Saturday, 6pm to 9pm, free

Oz

One of the newest galleries in town, Oz is the first of its kind locally: an innovative contemporary art experience in a renovated cigar warehouse. Started by father-and-son team Cano and Tim Ozgener – former cigar moguls who sold their company in 2010 and were left with a vacant 10,000sq ft space on their hands – Oz is in the far reaches of West Nashville, near a small public airport. It's not the easiest place to find and thus is a destination in itself. Focusing on visual and performing arts, the venue lends itself to artists who have a concept to explore, be it dance, music, theatre or design. It also has a swanky lounge, roomy outdoor patio and peaceful Zen garden.
• 6172 Cockrill Bend Circle, oznashville.com. Gallery open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, see website for evening events, prices vary

Fisk University Galleries

Fisk is just one of more than a dozen universities in Nashville but it has the best art scene – and an impressive array of buildings to boot. Spanning three centuries of history, the galleries maintain a permanent collection of more than 4,000 objects, from Africa, Oceania, and Asia. Exhibitions have featured work from Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Henry O Tanner, Elizabeth Catlett, Diego Rivera, Aaron Douglas, Winold Reiss, Georgia O'Keeffe and more. O'Keeffe was responsible for donating works comprising the Alfred Stieglitz Collection of modern American and European art, which rotates in every two years. It will be back at the Fisk in 2016.
• Jackson Street, fisk.edu. Open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm Aug-May, Mon-Fri 10am-5pm May-August. Carl Van Vechten Gallery adult $10, under-18s free, Aaron Douglas Gallery free

Frist Center for the Visual Arts

Spearheading the local art scene is the Frist Center, which opened in 2001. Occupying an opulent art-deco building – an architectural marvel that once served as a post office – the Frist highlights local and regional artists alongside some of the nation's biggest travelling exhibitions. There are also 30 interactive multimedia stations in the Martin ArtQuest gallery, where visitors can create their own art. Every Thursday and Friday night sees Music at the Frist in the grand lobby or cafe, with the exception of "Frist Fridays", a series of outdoor concerts on the final Friday of June, July and August from 6pm (admission to Frist Fridays is $10 for non-members).
• 919 Broadway, fristcenter.org. Open Mon-Wed 10am-5.30pm, Thurs-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 1pm-5.30pm, adult $10, under-18s free

Hatch Show Print

Opened in 1879 on Nashville's main drag, Broadway, Hatch Show Print is one of the world's oldest letterpress print shops still in existence and is often considered symbolic of the city's legacy. Hatch is responsible for printing many a well-known musician's and band's posters, from concerts to tours to album releases, as well as much of the event signage around town. Now owned by the Country Music Hall of Fame and housed in the adjoining Omni Nashville Hotel (opened in 2013), the shop has tall windows that allow passersby to peek at the antique equipment and watch the printing in progress. Hatch also offers occasional letterpress art workshops and sells a wide range of new and vintage prints.
• 224 5th Avenue South, hatchshowprint.com. Open Sun-Wed 9am-6pm, Thurs-Sat 9am-8pm, free

Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC)

TPAC puts on regular theatrical productions, from touring shows to local companies. The Nashville Ballet, which stages a variety of shows including a contemporary dance set to Johnny Cash tunes, calls TPAC home, as does the Nashville Opera and the Tennessee Repertory Theatre. Andrew Jackson Hall is the biggest TPAC venue, with 2,472 seats, but the James K Polk Theater, Andrew Johnson Theater and War Memorial Auditorium also see frequent performances.
• 505 Deaderick Street, +1 615 782 4000, tpac.org. See website for times and prices

Coffee shops

If you don't make it to any of the museums or galleries, you can still sneak a taste of the local art scene while getting your caffeine fix: a handful of the city's independent coffee shops do an impressive job of not just caffeinating the city but also curating great work. Sip on a "Local Latte" (honey, cinnamon, espresso, milk) at Fido while you peruse the original art on its concrete walls (most are available to buy). Sandwiched between Belmont and Vanderbilt universities, Bongo Java (part of the same group as Fido) capitalises on the abundance of young creative talent and features a rotating list of local artists. Frothy Monkey in the hip 12th South district hosts art receptions and talks, and will soon open a new outpost – its fourth – on the Avenue of the Arts at 235 5th Avenue North.

Celebrate Nashville

Nashville's population may not be the most ethnically diverse – only one in six is foreign-born – but that doesn't stop residents from honouring cultures around the world. This festival, on the first Saturday of October, offers traditional dances and musical performances – from Aztec to blues – on six stages, plus food booths selling curried goat from Africa, paletas (ice-lollies) from Mexico and Nashville's signature hot chicken. Entrance is free, but there are plenty of vendors in the World Market area, so bring cash if you're interested in taking home a piece of the event.
• Centennial Park, 2598 West End Avenue, celebratenashville.org. 4 October 2014, starts 10am, free

Wedgewood-Houston

This artists' neighbourhood seemed to pop up overnight when beloved galleries such as Zeitgeist relocated to this Midtown corridor. Other buildings of note are Fort Houston (500 Houston Street) and Chestnut Square, a 100-year-old brick warehouse that was formerly a hosiery mill and now is home to many smaller galleries and studios, including Ground Floor Gallery. The neighbourhood even hosts a more contemporary version of the 5th Avenue art crawl – Arts & Music at Wedgewood-Houston – from 5.30pm-11pm on the first Saturday of each month.

Tomato Art Fest

How can you not love a festival that encourages you to come dressed as your favourite produce? One of city's quirkier, but most beloved, annual events pays homage to the tomato and takes place in bohemian east Nashville at the end of each summer, attracting more than 35,000 people, who come for the art installations, food trucks, interactive booths and live music (this is Nashville after all). Often celebrities are in attendance, and entertainment also includes a 5km running race, a parade, a wading pool for your canine friends and the Tomato King and Queen Contest. The festival officially takes place Friday-Saturday, but you'll find a bevy of related events in the days leading up to it.
• Five Points neighbourhood, east Nashville, tomatoartfest.com. 8-9 August 2014, free

Kristin Luna is a travel writer and photographer. She blogs at camelsandchocolate.com

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