Things to Do in Goodlettsville

Amid the sprawling halls of Hendersonville Expo Center, outdoor enthusiasts wend through upwards of 100,000 square feet of displays helmed by thousands of local and regional purveyors of outdoor recreational equipment for land and sea. Fleets of RVs and personal watercrafts sit patiently as visitors daydream about future fresh air adventures or daring action movies they could film aboard the crafts. An onsite food court prevents stomachs from interrupting leisurely strolls through the show with whining growls.

Gray Line's Homes of the Stars trip includes a cruise past downtown, historic Second Avenue, the State Capitol, Fort Nashborough, and Ryman Auditorium. The tour lasts about three hours, and you will be able to see the homes of such stars as Alan Jackson, Ronnie Milsap, Dolly Parton, the late Hank Williams, Lorianne Crook, Little Jimmy Dickens, and several others—with the exception of Roger Moore, who lives in a station wagon floating in the river. Gray Line is an established Nashville business that organizes several tours, shuttle services, and group trips, providing guests a hassle-free way to explore the city's rich celebrity history.

The din of scattering pins echoes like distant thunder over billiard tables and arcade games, sonic evidence of the bustling alleys that tie Oak Valley Lanes' entire entertainment center together. As bowlers unleash balls toward distant pins, digital screens impartially tally scores. The smoke-free facility's billiards room features both full-size regular tables and felt fields for snooker. At the arcade, players can warp into digital football games, grapple the steering wheel in frenetic street races, or make up for the fact that they converted all their pocket change into tiddlywinks by hitting up the coin machine.

A log cabin sits huddled in the woods as breezes sway rolling grasses and flowerbeds across the 1,120 acres that surround it. A Federal-style mansion stands tall against the sky, its columns flanking a towering front door and presidential balcony. Carrying on a 200-year tradition, The Hermitage tells the story of the presidential family, its plantation's slave population, and the atmosphere of the time through 32 historic buildings and more than a dozen archaeological sites.

The mansion and visitor center boast 3,000 original objects and 800,000 archaeological artifacts on display, as well as 1,200 printed items, 3,000 photographs, and 800 manuscripts bearing the president's original handwriting and cappuccino stains. The mansion's Greek-revival woodwork and mantels frame original wallpaper, and glass cases hold Andrew Jackson's authentic glasses, slippers, top hats, swords, and canes. Inside the visitor center, the Jacksons' actual private carriage guards a hallway leading to collections of artifacts from the plantation's slave families and communities. Most items in the collections were purchased directly from the Jackson family, though many artifacts were uncovered in the late 1800s by the historic Ladies' Hermitage Association when they broke ground for a new Olympic-sized swimming pool.

On the outdoor grounds, trained guides usher visitors to the first Hermitage, a log cabin where the Jackson family lived while the mansion was being built, and Alfred's Cabin, the preserved 1840s quarters of the former groundskeeper. In the garden, winding trails take visitors past period plants and the Grecian-style tombs of Andrew and Rachel Jackson. The rest of The Hermitage's grounds contain a network of winding walking trails, as well as grassy areas and cabins where museum staffers host events, weddings, and birthday parties. Across the grounds, interpreters in authentic period dress direct visitors to the sites of historic events and often train grade-school students to do the same through the center's special school programs.

At Sumner Skate Zone, disco balls shower the blue-and-white-checkered floor with sparkling patches of light. As the beat rolls onward, so too do the wheels of traditional, speed, and inline skates. Off the rink, an arcade room buzzes with the sounds of reckless point scoring and the giggles of ticklish joysticks.

During skating breaks, visitors can refuel on pizza, nachos, and cookies at the snack bar or peruse the center's stock of skating gear and accessories. Open-skate sessions, parties, and special events populate the arena on a daily basis. An afterschool program helps to ensure kids have a safe place to do their homework or discuss the impact of performance-enhancing drugs in the world of spelling bees.

Night has chased the light out of the sky, forcing the lone figure weaving in and out of the towering corn stalks to slice through the darkness with a flashlight. The evening’s silence is broken by an eerie noise that causes the figure to break into a frantic run, but his escape is thwarted as his friends leap out of the corn into his path, giggling and hooting, “You weren’t scared, were you?!” This is not a scene from a horror movie, but instead from Shuckle's Corn Maze’s Maze by Flashlight event, which dares visitors to navigate the almost 7-acre maze with only a flashlight to illuminate their path. Dedicated to delighting visitors with family-friendly activities, Shuckle’s staff welcomes guests of all ages to spend the day celebrating autumn’s arrival.

On any given fall day, the staffers usher intrepid explorers into the maze to maneuver the numerous twists, turns, and vengeful mutant corncobs therein. The Kiddie Safari mini maze grants youngsters a chance to tackle an age-appropriate labyrinth, and events such as hayrides, face painting, and bouncy pony-hop races unleash the inner children of all those who participate. The pumpkin patch's rotund inhabitants eagerly await the moment they’ll be scooped up and taken home to a new family, while audiences nestled in the Ho-Hum theater shimmy along with an ever-changing roster of musicians belting out bluegrass, country, and gospel tunes.