The best arts & culture spots in Columbia

Part gallery, part creative clubhouse, Marshall County Art Guild spotlights local artists and runs hands-on classes like basic oil painting, drawing, florals, and kids art camp. They also host community art challenges, scholarships, and a festive Christmas Bazaar, so there’s always a reason to drop in and get inspired.

From the Lewisburg newsletter, September 29, 2026

An easy day trip from Lewisburg, Wonders Center and Science Museum is the largest science museum in Tennessee, with 100,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits, full-size dinos, live critters, a one-million-volt musical Tesla coil, and America’s #1 planetarium... plus coffee at the Java Man cafe.

From the Lewisburg newsletter, October 14, 2026

Built in 1837, Athenaeum is what remains of two girls’ schools that flourished from the 1830s to the Great Depression, once a rectory kept by one family for over 130 years. Book a tour to wander Columbia’s past, or snag the venue for an event that practically decorates itself.

From the Columbia newsletter, October 21, 2026

Gallery 48 Fine Art Gallery curates a calm, conversation-sparking mix of local and international, award-winning artists, with work chosen for beauty, quality, uniqueness, and diverse style. It’s the kind of historic-downtown Columbia spot where you slow down, look closely, and maybe even let a painting pick you.

From the Columbia newsletter, October 28, 2026

For an easy weekend detour, President James K. S. history, plus peaceful garden wandering.

From the Columbia newsletter, October 15, 2026

Guided tours are offered of this 19th-century manse with many original furnishings & antiques.

Step inside Historic RCA Studio B, Nashville’s “Home of 1,000 Hits” and birthplace of the Nashville Sound, where Elvis, Dolly, and Waylon recorded. The tour drops you on the very spot those songs were cut, a crisp reminder of why we live here.

From the Nashville newsletter, October 13, 2026

For a quick jolt of TV nostalgia, Cooter's Nashville is Nashville’s Dukes of Hazzard museum packed with relics, from props and costumes to the General Lee, plus Daisy's Jeep, Rosco's patrol car, and Cooter's tow truck. It’s a fun local flex when friends visit, and a low-key nostalgia trip anytime.

From the Hendersonville newsletter, October 8, 2026

If you want a local history fix without trekking downtown, Two Rivers Mansion delivers with guided tours, field trips, and seasonal happenings like Music at the Mansion, movie nights on the lawn, and even paranormal investigations... all set in a beautifully restored 1859 landmark on parkland.

From the Mount Juliet newsletter, September 9, 2026

Skip the tourist shuffle and slip into the Johnny Cash Museum for a focused hit of Music City soul, with photos, memorabilia, and the stories behind them. It’s an easy, inspiring detour that’ll send you home humming and maybe texting your dad about his vinyl.

From the Nashville newsletter, October 24, 2026

Veteran-owned Room Ninjas tackles residential and commercial painting across Spring Hill with the kind of crisp lines and long-lasting finishes that make a space feel brand new. If you’ve got walls begging for attention, hand them the roller this week and enjoy the upgrade.

From the Columbia newsletter, October 7, 2026

Madame Tussauds Nashville turns a regular afternoon into a music time warp, letting you snap up-close with Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Elvis Presley, and more. Wander themed zones, try the Wax Hands thing, or make it a Wax & Wine Combo kind of outing.

From the Nashville newsletter, August 24, 2026

Adventure Science Center keeps Nashville curious with hands-on exhibits that actually invite tinkering, health and tech experiments your kids will brag about, and the Sudekum Planetarium’s 63-foot dome for full-dome shows, laser shows, and concerts.

From the Nashville newsletter, October 6, 2026

From the Tennessee Time Tunnel to First Peoples and The Civil War and Reconstruction, Tennessee State Museum connects the dots of who we are with artifacts, stories, and a legit Children's Gallery for mini historians. A solid rainy day fallback... or a Saturday you actually learn something.

From the Nashville newsletter, October 11, 2026

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum keeps Nashville’s soundtrack evolving with artifacts and interactive exhibits, from Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker to Kenny Chesney: Living in Fast Forward and American Currents: State of the Music, plus intimate songwriter sessions and musician spotlights that make weeknights…

From the Nashville newsletter, September 23, 2026

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum spotlights the session players, engineers and producers behind the hits, with artifacts like Jimi Hendrix’s Strat, James Jamerson’s P-Bass and the American Sound Studio where Elvis recorded.

From the Nashville newsletter, September 8, 2026

National Museum of African American Music is the country’s only museum devoted to music created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans, with immersive, interactive galleries like Rivers of Rhythm, Crossroads, and A Love Supreme that make gospel, blues, jazz, and hip hop feel personal, timely, and very alive.

From the Nashville newsletter, September 30, 2026

, from teeny microcars to amphibious oddballs and propeller experiments. Locals love the rotating exhibits and weekend vehicle demos, which feel less like a museum and more like a rolling conversation.

From the Nashville newsletter, September 15, 2026

Frist Art Museum is serving a big dose of wonder right now with International Surrealism from Tate featuring Dalí, Magritte, Miró, and Tanning, plus luminous Interwoven by Anila Quayyum Agha and the atrium’s color-soaked Plexus No. 47.

From the Davidson County newsletter, October 22, 2026

Neoclassical building houses performance venue for local & touring classical, pop & jazz concerts.