Nashville's Free Walk Where a Whole State Tells Its Story
Read a state in granite: a 200-foot map at the south end, a 1,400-foot timeline wall, 95 bells at the north end, and a free reopening concert on November 7. Fountain, lighting and bell work is still under way, so the water and the night lights are not guaranteed.
🗺️ A State Map You Can Walk
Bicentennial Mall runs about 0.4 mile north from the State Capitol, and its signature piece sits at the south end: a 200-foot granite map of Tennessee. The 200 feet measures the map, not the park. Every county, river and highway is cut into the stone.
Walk north and the Pathway of History takes over, a 1,400-foot granite wall along 7th Avenue North running from a billion years ago to 1996.
At the far end, a double row of columns rings the Court of Three Stars with 95 bells, one per county. Bells, fountains and lighting have been under renovation since work began on February 23, 2026, so do not count on the Rivers of Tennessee fountains or the ground lighting coming on after dark.
The date to plan around is Saturday, November 7: a free carillon concert for the bells' reopening, 11 AM to 12 PM, in the field beside the Court of Three Stars. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and register ahead through the park's event page at tnstateparks.com.
Hours are 7 AM to 8 PM November 1 to March 15, and 7 AM to 10 PM March 16 to October 31; some listings differ, so check the park page before you go. WeGo route 29 Jefferson runs along Jefferson Street at the north end, and the park lists free concert parking on 6th and 7th Avenues North, with 6th Avenue North from Jr. Gilliam Way to Jefferson Street subject to closure.
For a second stop, the Nashville Farmers' Market sits just west of the mall; its market house is open daily 8 AM to 8 PM, though each business keeps its own hours.
