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Travellers Rest Historic House & Museum
The Oldest Historic House Open to the Public in Nashville
Travellers Rest Historic House Museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the Overton home and landscape and serving as a gateway for learners of all ages to explore and experience Nashville's historic past.
Our primary focus is history education and we serve more than 12,000 children and adult visitors each year. Our programs and events cover approximately 1000 years of history, from Mississippian period pre-contact settlement through the 19th century using the cultural resources of John Overton’s 1799 home.
Know before you go
Not listed. Check with the venue before you go.
General opening hours. Events can run outside them.
More about Travellers Rest Historic House & Museum
Preservation Project Notification
Beginning January 5, 2024, while our guided house tours are still available, they will be impacted by a preservation project taking place in the historic home. As we celebrate 225 years since the initial construction at Travellers Rest, we are excited to undertake a necessary project to preserve and stabilize the wall between the 1801 section and later expansions of the home. Additionally, we will be preserving the exterior brick walls of the historic house through a masonry project. We expect this impact to last between 10 and 12 weeks, concluding in early April. Guided house tours are still available and, for the majority of the project’s timeframe, will access all but one upstairs room of the historic home. We have video access to allow you to see the items in this room during this time. However, some days access to the entire upstairs will have to be restricted. In these instances,video access to the tour of the entire upstairs of the historic home will be available.
Because the work being done will impact access to our accessible ramp and entrance to the historic home, guests that are unable to maneuver 5-6 stairs up to the porch of the historic home, may be unable to take a guided tour during our current preservation project.
We appreciate your support and patience as we work diligently to preserve the historic home and landscape for future generations.
For more information on tour specifics during this time,please call our visitor center at 615-832-8197 x 18.
Understanding Each Other Through Dialogue
We believe as an historic site we have an obligation to provide a space that welcomes and facilitates open dialogue. We are working every day to more accurately tell the stories of all former residents of Travellers Rest, including native communities who resided on this land prior to 1799, those enslaved here during the 18th and 19th centuries, and property owners and descendants. Learning from our collective history should lead to a better understanding of our present and allow for continued growth as a community, state, and country.
House Tours
House tours include a guided house tour and access to Travellers Rest’s two Award Winning Exhibits.
Tours run on the hour from 10:00 am. to 3:00 pm
Multiple themed ground tours are available.
Homeschool Programs
Travellers Rest Historic House Museum is excited to schedule seasonal homeschool programs each year.
We encourage homeschool families to purchase tickets in advance when it is an available option.
In addition to our seasonal homeschool days, we are also able to customize one of our existing field trip options for homeschool groups of 15 or more students.
If you have any questions, please contact Andy Blair the Director of Education &Outreach at 615-832-8197 ext. 15 or by email at andy@historictravellersrest.org
Boy Scout Program
Travellers Rest Historic House Museum is making history fun with unique and exciting Cub, Boy, and Eagle Scout programs that combine heritage learning with patch earning!
Our year-round, on-demand programs offers Scout groups the flexibility to visit the museum on their own schedule and earn the Travellers Rest patch. Got an idea of your own…put our 20 plus years of education programming to work and customize your own Scout program!
Reservations are required, some programs and events require a minimum number.
Planning that big Eagle Scout project? Join the growing list of young men who have created permanent additions to our gardens, grounds and historical interpretation for thousands of visitors.
Date: Year-round
Cost: Varies by program
Location: Travellers Rest Historic House and Museum; 636 Farrell Pkwy; Nashville, TN 37220
Contact: For more information or to make a reservation contact Andy Blair at andy@historictravellersrest.org or call (615) 832-8197 ext. 15
Age Level: Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos
Girl Scout Program
Travellers Rest Historic House Museum is making history fun with unique and exciting Girl Scout programs that combine heritage learning with badge earning!
In our LEARN IT & EARN IT series, Girl Scouts can participate in programs designed to complete the requirements for badges like Social Butterfly, Scribe, and Playing the Past.
Meanwhile, our JUST FOR FUN programs welcome all Girl Scouts to participate in events designed just for them! These programs combine learning, fun, and community! Additionally, we offer self-guided scavenger hunts that can be scheduled anytime throughout the year and include a tour of the historic house.
Got an idea of your own…put our 20 plus years of education programming experience to work and customize your own Scout program!
Reservations required, some programs require a minimum number – for more information or to make a reservation please contact Andy Blair at andy@historictravellersrest.org or 615-832-8197 x 15
Travellers Rest is updating our 2024 Scout Programming. Stay tuned for details.
