A sampling of the Nashville-area's top facilities for holiday parties, including art galleries and stand-alone, double-duty, hotel, historic and outdoors/rustic venues.
Aerial
411 Broadway, Nashville
615 251-9882
This private rooftop event space is in the middle of ground zero of Lower Broadway in downtown Nashville. A transformable space for up to 225 guests – or much less for a more intimate environment – Aerial is a blank slate that can be customized to any private event including wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events or birthday parties. Owned by Strategic Hospitality (Pinewood Social, The Catbird Seat), there is a 2,000-square-foot glass room surrounded by a 2,000-square-foot patio. Saturday venue rental starts at $2,150 from April through October.
The Bridge Building
2 Victory Ave. #100, Nashville
615 216-7165
Built in 1908 on the east bank of the Cumberland as office space for the Nashville Bridge Company, this renovated venue – recognized as one of the greenest buildings in the country – features many different customizable areas with a blend of modern amenities and local history, as well as an incredible view of the newly redeveloped waterfront. One option is renting just the Observatory, which includes the top floor and rooftop patio, or even the whole building. Can accommodate 1,000 or a maximum of 350 for a seated dinner. Corporate rental rates in the Infinity Room start at $7,000 on a Saturday night.
The Bell Tower
400 4th Ave. S., Nashville
615 369-6474
There is something about celebrating in a renovated church from 1874 that really combines the history and modernity that exemplifies Nashville right now. The first church built in Nashville by freed slaves after the Civil War, part of the original sub-flooring is made of salvaged wood from homes destroyed during the war. Now a premium event space, there is an on-site kitchen and space that can accommodate up to 700 for cocktails. Corporate rental rates on a Saturday night start at $6,000.
Ruby
2411 Blakemore Ave., Nashville
615 512-5751
A boutique event space that was once home to the Blakemore Primitive Baptist Church, Ruby opened in 2011 after some major renovation preserved the original wood ceilings, metal trusses, brick exterior and hardwood floors. Can accommodate a maximum of 275 reception style or any number of smaller parties too, though they do set the minimum at least two people. Evening rental rates start around $3,000, with coordination and planning add-ons available.
Art Galleries
Ed Nash Studio
1015 W. Kirkland Ave. #414, Nashville
615 496-2402
Because it is actually used as an artist’s studio there is some edginess and grit that reflects the creative community in Nashville. At 3,000 square feet, there is plenty of room to accommodate up to 250 people, making it a great place for holiday parties, class reunions and cocktail receptions. There is a stage, kitchen and bar on-site that makes things easy for hired caterers, but possibly the best amenity is being surrounded by the work of the artist.
The Rymer Gallery
233 5th Ave N, Nashville
615 752-6030
Perfect for wedding receptions, wine tastings, or private or corporate parties, The Rymer Gallery has 3,000 square feet of sophisticated loft space right downtown in the Arts District and can accommodate up to 150 guests, making it just the right space for receptions, corporate holiday parties and private events.
Tinney Contemporary
237 5th Ave. N. First Floor, Nashville
615 255-7816
Available for private events, the gallery in the ground floor of the Kress Building goes for $200-$300 per hour in the evenings, hitting a sweet spot of affordability for holiday party goers. Plus, it is right downtown for easy access to any number of after-party revelry.
Kidd Epps Art Shop
906 Buchanan St., Nashville
931-933-0992; 615 970-1244 (venue rental)
The 2,000-square-foot design studio turns into a modern, clean venue starting at just $220 an hour to rent. One of the small spaces that partners with 12th Table, by day it is a hub of design, lighting and furniture, which makes any party almost like a private showing.
Double Duty
Country Music Hall of Fame
222 Fifth Ave. S., Nashville
615 416-2001
While weddings are popular – especially on the original circle of wood from the Opry in the rotunda – the hall can accommodate a variety of events thanks to the number of different spaces throughout the building. At 11,000 square feet, the Mike Curb Conservatory can accommodate 750 people, while the event hall can handle as many as 1,200. More intimate occasions will call for the courtyard with room for 100 seated, or the Marj and George Aubrey Crump Terrace with room for 70 seated.
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts
919 Broadway, Nashville
615 244-3340
Looking for something upscale, impressive and easy to find? The Frist is it. Located downtown just a bit above the fray, the museum is a great option with many different rental options with rates that start around $2,500 during public hours but go up from there once the doors close. If price is no object, opt for the run of the house with access for you and your closest 2,500 friends to the Grand Lobby, Auditorium, Rechter Room and Turner Courtyard. Prices start at $10,000 for that option.
Schermerhorn Symphony Hall
One Symphony Place, Nashville
615 687-6400
There are a variety of flexible meeting spaces on site for board meetings or conferences at the neoclassical Schermerhorn, but the venue really shines when it’s the site of a celebration. The Laura Turner Concert Hall can be transformed with lighting and décor for any special occasion, and they even supply the alcohol, sound engineer, ushers and more of anything that will help make the event go smooth. Evening rentals of the hall start at $7,000, while exclusive use of the entire building all day begins at $15,500.
Oz Arts Event Space
6172 Cockrill Bend Circle
615 350-7200
Open since 2014 Oz has become one of the go-to places to find great contemporary art exhibits as well as host a party. A concierge event rental company combined with event space, Oz makes going individual as easy as it gets thanks to a peaceful outdoor garden, lounge area with fire pit and contemporary décor.
Opryland Resort & Convention Center
2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville,
615-889-1000
Elegance and functionality are built into every aspect of Gaylord Opryland’s over 700,000 square feet of flexible and event meeting space. Gaylord Opryland’s Ryman Exhibit Hall offers over 260,000 square feet of space, making it the largest non-gaming, in-hotel exhibit space in the world. They offer an assortment of meeting space options including six ballrooms, ranging in size from 3,364 square feet to 55,314 square feet. All providing incredible options for your reception, banquet, gala or general session.
Peter Nappi Studio
1308 Adams St., Nashville
615 248-3310
Built in 1906 and formerly the Neuhoff Meat Packing plant, guests will love the 4,200 square feet of space in the refined Germantown warehouse that is now the home of the premium leather goods maker. Another venue used by 12th Table, the prices start at $2,500 for event rental.
Hotels
The Westin Nashville
807 Clark Place, Nashville
615 248-2800
Owned and managed by Castlerock Asset Management, Westin Nashville is appealing for many reasons, including its central location. Adjacent to the Music City Center, The Westin has 20,000 square feet of flexible event space, plus the city’s highest rooftop bar, L27.
Hermitage Hotel
231 6th Ave. N., Nashville
615 244-3121
You can’t go wrong with a classic, and the century-plus Hermitage Hotel is iconic Music City accommodations at its finest. Start off with some pre-partying at the Oak Bar and post-partying at the in-house spa with a deep tissue treatment.
Union Station
1001 Broadway, 615 726-1001
Unionstationhotelnashville.com
This restored century-old railway station is absolutely gorgeous, especially with the stunning 65-foot, barrel-vaulted stained-glass ceiling overhead. Another venue that offers access to downtown, it is somewhat just outside the fray with easy interstate access and parking guests might appreciate.
21C Museum Hotel
221 2nd Ave. N., Nashville
615 610-6400
21c Nashville is a space that offers curated exhibitions, cultural programming and more than 120 rooms in addition to the 10,500 square feet of exhibition and event space. A multi-venue museum, the hotel was originally built as the Gray & Dudley building in 1900.
Historic
Carnton Plantation
1345 Carnton Ln, Franklin, (615) 794-0903
Historic Carnton, known for its weddings, also has event space for corporate or private parties. Treat your guests to a true back-in-time experience at the 1826 McGavock family home. The Fleming Center and the Garden Area are available and planners can help make your event special.
The Cordelle
45 Lindsley Ave., Nashville
615 354-8746
Built in the late 1800s, the Victorian building originally had ties to the steamboat culture of the Cumberland River, and the walls still hold the original patina. Today, it is one of the last remaining homes of that era in the neighborhood, so the historic backstory it has will add character to any event.
Belmont Mansion
1900 Belmont Blvd, Nashville
615 460-5459
While most people associate weddings with Belmont mansion, dinner parties are a big part of what they do, and for $750 you have the space for four hours, for 50 guests. One caveat – there is no alcohol allowed on the premises. That leaves a lot of people out of the running, but could be just the right thing for many other groups.
Historic Rock Castle
139 Rock Castle Lane, Hendersonville
615 824-0502
Historic Rock Castle is gorgeous, sitting on 18 picturesque acres of land right up against Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, providing the perfect private outdoor location. And outdoors it will have to be – the furnishings are historic as well, and need to be kept from careless partiers. But, rental packages do include access to the 1784 historic home, the lake and the outdoor pavilion.
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art
1200 Forrest Park Drive, Nashville
615 356-8000
For something a bit more rustic than downtown venues with city views, head to the outskirts of town for the wilds of Cheekwood. With many different spaces to use and choose from, including the Museum of Art itself, a 1920s Georgian-style mansion starts at $6,500 and is ideal for small, seated dinners among the paintings and decorative arts in the former home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek. Rental of the museum includes use of the Swan Lawn.
Outdoors/Rustic Loveless Barn
8400 Highway 100, Nashville
615 724-7991
The barn is so much more than that at Loveless, with the ability to host any number of events, from cocktail receptions to banquet and award dinners. Rental rates start at $2,600 in the evening, and all music must be 75 decibels or lower by 11 p.m. – something to think about when wondering if an outdoor space is the right space for an event.
Green Door Gourmet
7007 River Road Pike, Nashville
615 942-7169
A 350-acre organic farm is a lovely place to host a party from sophisticated and sleek to rustic and chic, especially with the air-conditioned Grand Barn for an escape from whatever the weather might bring.
Graystone Quarry
4520 Graystone Quarry Lane, Franklin
[email protected]
An abandoned rock quarry never looked as good as it does at Graystone, where weddings, concerts and corporate parties take place on the once abandoned property that was originally used as the limestone source for Interstate 65 from Columbia to Nashville. In 2014 it was bought and rezoned to accommodate an event venue and live music amphitheater.
Fontanel Nashville
4125 White’s Creek Pike, Nashville
615 724-1600
Fontanel offers multiple venues for small and big events alike. For large events, the Great Room and Pool Atrium are the best options. The Mansion at Fontanel, which used to be the largest log home in America, can seat up to 400 people. The expansive space likewise includes a theater, a classroom, and a reception area for other private events. The Mansion also has an expansive outdoor deck for groups up to 200 or more.