Goodlettsville: History, Parks and Events

Goodlettsville brings together recreated frontier history, historic buildings, walking paths and recurring events. If you’re looking for a hotel for your trip, your plans can help you decide where to stay: Would you like to explore historic sites, spend time in a park, or time your visit to coincide with a market or festival? The different offerings provide a range of ways to plan your visit.

Historic Sites and Tours

Mansker’s Station is an authentic reconstruction of Kasper Mansker’s original frontier fort. The reconstruction opened in 1988. In summer, Demonstration Day takes place there once a month, offering hands-on, living history activities. All tours begin at the Mansker’s Station Visitor’s Center.

The Bowen House offers a different connection to the past: completed in 1787, it is the oldest brick house in Middle Tennessee. Group tours of the house are offered for adults and led by costumed historical interpreters. Here, the focus is on guided interpretation.

The Old Stone Bridge was built over Mansker Creek around 1840. It is a surviving masonry arch bridge on the Louisville-to-Nashville Turnpike. Visitors can see it as a rare testament to Tennessee’s earlier era of stagecoaches and taverns. While Mansker’s Station recounts the story of a frontier fort through a reconstruction, the bridge itself is the focus here.

Goodlettsville also offers self-guided tours of colorful murals. A self-guided historic church tour visits Connell Memorial United Methodist Church at 113 Church Street. The church was built in 1905 on a hill overlooking the city and features stained-glass windows. Another self-guided tour focuses on the Country Music Legends Cemetery. This gives you a choice between guided group visits and self-guided themed tours.

Walking Paths and Park Amenities

Moss-Wright Arboretum is a certified Level II arboretum featuring 64 trees. It is located along the paved walking path in Moss-Wright Park, which is 2.2 miles long. If you’d like to plan your day around a specific distance, you can make this walk a separate activity; the arboretum adds a botanical focus.

Rachel’s Garden is an inclusive playground in Peay Park. It is next to the Splash Pad and the Delmas Long Community Center. Its play features are designed for a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities. This may be a factor in choosing a suitable outing if you want to account for different abilities when planning.

Fenway’s Park is also located in Moss-Wright Park. Renovations there were completed in spring 2023. They included expanded fenced areas where dogs can run and play, as well as additional shaded seating and benches.

Markets and Recurring Events

The Goodlettsville Farmers & Artisan Market takes place at the Goodlettsville Visitor Center in Moss-Wright Park. It is a producer-only market: vendors grow or make at least 75 percent of the goods they offer themselves. Seasonally, the market is open every Thursday from the first Thursday in May through the first Thursday in October, from 3 to 7 p.m. If you’d like to time your stay around a visit to the market, check the date carefully, especially near the start or end of this period.

Goodlettsville Heritage Day has been held annually since 2012. The program includes public demonstrations of blacksmithing, leatherworking, woodworking, fiber arts and cooking. If you’re planning to attend, it’s worth checking the specific event dates.

The Goodlettsville Arts, Antiques & Music Festival is also held annually. Events include handmade art, more than 80 antique booths, live music, a car show, a quilt show, a children’s area and a food area. Since the festival program may change, check the details for the relevant date before your trip. The Long Hollow Jamboree adds local flavors with home-style food and live music.

Explore more destinations: Nashville, Antioch, Belle Meade, Whites Creek.

View the regional travel overview: Davidson.