What do music, athletes, protesters and whiskey have in common? They’re all part of our roundup of places and ways to celebrate Black History Month in Middle TN. Check out these places and events to celebrate just a few of the contributions Black Americans have made to Middle Tennessee.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC

Image: NMAAM
NMAAM is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans. Here, history and interactive technology work together to bring the musical heroes of the past into the present. Explore at your own pace and let the music guide you.
For an additional $5 dollars, you’ll get an RFID bracelet to save playlists, videos, and more that you can download when you get home to enjoy your museum visit all over again. There is no time limit for museum visits, but they recommend planning at least 90 minutes to allow yourself enough time to enjoy the full NMAAM experience.
NMAAM is located at 510 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
CIVIL RIGHTS ROOM, NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Image: Nashville Public Library
Imagine yourself as a nonviolent protestor against segregated lunch counters as you take a seat at a ‘symbolic lunch counter.” Read the Ten Rules of Conduct carried by the protesters during the sit-ins in a place that overlooks the intersection of Church Street and Seventh Avenue North, where nonviolent protests against segregated lunch counters took place. Don’t miss the timeline of local and national events and the photographs around the room that bear witness to dramatic events from this period of Nashville history. The Civil Rights Room is in Nashville Public Library’s main library at 615 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37219.
AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY TRAIL

Image: VisitClarksvilleTN.com
Clarksville is justifiably proud of their rich history, which includes athletic, musical, and business trailblazers (Wilma Rudolph and Jimi Hendrix, to name just two). Travel across Montgomery County on the African American Legacy Trail to learn more about the history of Clarksville’s African American community.
Download the VisitClarksvilleTN app to customize your route and save the tour on your mobile device.
TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM

Image: TNMuseum.org
The Tennessee State Museum is offering two Black History events this month and they’re both free!
February 15, 2025 @ 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Nashville Opera will present “When Marian Sang.” Marian Anderson was the first Black opera singer to sing a principal role at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955.This program combines the text of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s book, When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson, with traditional spirituals, popular songs, and opera arias, some by some of Nashville’s best classically trained Black singers.
February 18, 2025 @ 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM The Museum’s monthly Homeschool Day event will focus on Black History Month with gallery tours and interpreters in the Museum’s exhibitions. Participants of all ages will experience the Museum’s living history presentations, hands-on learning programs and Children’s Gallery crafts. These educator-led programs will be on rotation every half hour starting at 10:30 a.m.
The museum is located at 1000 Rosa L. Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208
UNCLE NEAREST DISTILLERY

Image: Uncle Nearest
Leave the kids at home and head out to Shelbyville to raise a glass to Uncle Nearest, the one-time slave who became the “founding father of Tennessee whisky.” (Want to know more? Watch The Story of Nearest Green, narrated by Emmy-Award winning actor Jeffrey Wright.) Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey honors the world’s first-known African American master distiller, Nearest Green. Book a tour or tasting. Nearest Green Distillery is at 3125 US-231, Shelbyville, TN 37160.
Did you know? Nashville’s iconic nickname “Music City” started with the Fisk Jubilee Singers from Fisk University—one of four historically black colleges in the city. Happy Black History Month!
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