Organized Tours

City & Homes-Of-The-Stars Tours

Gray Line of Nashville, 2416 Music Valley Dr. (tel. 800/251-1864 or 615/883-5555; www.graylinenashville.com), offers more than half a dozen different tours ranging in length from 3 1/2 hours to a full day. On the popular, three-hour tour of the stars' homes, you'll ride past the current or former houses and mansions of such chart-toppers as Hank Williams Sr., Dolly Parton, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn (separate homes), Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride and Alan Jackson. Other themed tours focus exclusively on historical sites, honky-tonks and nightlife, and other specialty areas. Tour prices range from $10 to $69 for adults.

Grand Ole Opry Tours (tel. 615/883-2211; www.gaylordhotels.com) is the official tour company of the Opryland Hotel; it offers tours similar to those of Gray Line. One of this company's more popular offerings is the Grand Old Nashville City Tour, a three-hour excursion that takes you past the homes of country legends and also includes a self-guided tour of the Ryman Auditorium and several other points of interest throughout the city. The cost is $29.

Johnny Walker Tours, 2416 Music Valley Dr. (tel. 800/722-1524 or 615/834-8585), has merged with Gray Line Tours. However, the company still sells group tours and individual vacation packages.

Forget the stars' homes. For a fun and campy tour of Nashville aboard a gaudy pink bus, try Nash Trash Tours (tel. 800/342-2132 or 615/226-7300; www.nashtrash.com), narrated by the spandex-clad "Jugg" sisters. Sheri Lynn and Brenda Kay dish the dirt on all your favorite country stars. Throw in a few risqué jokes, plenty of music and a policy that allows passengers to bring aboard coolers (with alcohol, if desired), and it all makes for a trashy good time in Music City. Because the tours can become rowdy, they're not advised for young children (those under 6 are not allowed.) Hours vary, but generally speaking, tours are offered Wednesdays through Saturdays, and some Sundays. Call in advance for current times and to make reservations, which are required. Adults $27, Seniors $25. No children under 13.

Riverboat Tours

The Opryland Hotel, 2800 Opryland Dr. (tel. 615/883-2211), www.oprylandhotel.com, operates the paddle-wheeler -- the General Jackson -- on the Cumberland River. Tours depart from a dock near the Opryland Hotel. At 300 feet long, the General Jackson showboat hearkens back to the days when riverboats were the most sophisticated way to travel. You go on this cruise for the paddle-wheeler experience, not necessarily for the food (not so great) and entertainment that go along with it. During the summer, the Southern Nights Cruise offers a three-course dinner and dancing under the stars to live bands. Fares for this trip cost $66. Mid-day cruises are also available year-round and cost $40 (includes a lunch and entertainment).

For Travelers Interested in African-American History

African Americans constitute one-quarter of Nashville's population, and for more than 200 years have played important roles in the shaping of this city. To learn more about African-American historic sites around Nashville, pick up a copy of the African-American Guide to Cultural & Historic Sites brochure at the Visitors Center in the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

If you'd like to take a tour to learn more about the African-American history of Nashville, contact Bill Daniel at Nashville Black Heritage Tours, 5188 Almaville Rd., Smyrna, TN 37167 (tel. 615/890-8173). Call for rates.