Interactive platform allows locals and visitors alike to navigate local history in an interactive, digital world, and plan visits in the real world.
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, January 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — From Music Row to Nashville’s very own Parthenon, locals and visitors alike have the Nashville story at the tap of their fingertips thanks to Nashville Sites, the public history platform founded by Belmont faculty member Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel. Visit historic landmarks or explore a world hidden in plain sight with Nashville Sites.
The platform seeks to engage audiences and explore Nashville’s historically and culturally significant sites through 45 tours utilizing a digital platform that is accessible, credible, engaging, and free for all to use.
Recently, Nashville Sites worked with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Vice Mayor, Angie Henderson to record the narration for a new “City Hall and Public Square” walking tour. The tour, which is part of Nashville Sites’ free, self-guided walking tours of the city’s history and culture, is avalable with audio narration in English, Spanish and Arabic, the latter two a first for the Nashville Sites platform and a nod towards broader accessibility for visitors and residents alike.
The “City Hall and Public Square” tour takes participants through one of Nashville’s most historically significant civic spaces, including Public Square and the Davidson County Courthouse (which also serves as Nashville’s City Hall), an Art Deco landmark built in 1937 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
With thoroughly researched walking and driving tours, plus a selection of specialty tours with accompanying lesson plans, Nashville Sites offers tours based on a wide range of themes focused on Nashville’s history and culture: celebrations and conflicts, accomplished women and men, landmarks, and hidden histories. Virtual tour options are also available; a terrific way to preview tours, or as an option for those outside of Nashville or planning a future trip.
Tours include Downtown Nashville Tours, Historic Neighborhoods and Campuses and Driving Tours with topics including Capitol and Church Architecture, Early Black Life and Culture, Centennial Park, Women’s History, Civil Rights Landmarks, Civil War Sites, Public Art and Murals, Hidden History and Haunts, Family Fun and more.
There are over 150 metro markers, over 50 more state and nationally designated and recognized historic markers, sites, buildings, and districts in the Metro area. Nashville Sites makes the real world more interesting and relevant by augmenting the city’s history with multimedia tours and other online resources such as audio narration, lesson plans, and historic images.
Nashville Sites is the signature project of the Nashville Historical Foundation, which works in partnership with the Metro Historical Commission. The project is focused on modernizing the ways in which the public can navigate local history in an interactive, digital world. Local experts craft all tours, and Pethel’s team works in collaboration with colleges, universities, and nonprofits throughout Middle Tennessee.
Visit: www.nashvillesites.org
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About Executive Director, Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel
Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel is an author, historian, archivist, digital humanist, and academic entrepreneur.
She is the associate director of Belmont’s Global Honors and an Associate Professor of Global Leadership and Honors at Belmont University. She also consults as the school archivist at Harpeth Hall School. She has published several essays and books including: Athens of the New South: College Life and the Making of Modern Nashville; Title IX, Pat Summitt, and TN’s Trailblazers; and Howdy! The Minnie Pearl Story.
In 2018, Pethel completed post-graduate work in Digital Public Humanities at George Mason University—combining her passions for history and technology. As executive director for Nashville Sites, board member of Preservation Society of Nashville, member of the Nashville Sports Council, and project director for Nashville Historical Foundation. Dr. Pethel works with many community stakeholders and students at local universities including Belmont, Vanderbilt, TSU, Fisk, and MTSU. She also engages with the community through public speaking appearances. Email pethel@nashvillesites.org to contact Dr. Pethel.
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About Nashville Sites:
Founded by Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel and developed in collaboration with the Nashville Historical Foundation and Metro Historical Commission, Nashville Sites is a digital platform offering free, expert-curated walking and driving tours that illuminate the people, places, and moments that shaped Nashville. With over 40 tours and hundreds of featured landmarks, Nashville Sites invites everyone to experience the city’s story in a fresh, accessible, and interactive way.
Matt Bjorke
PLA Media
matt.bjorke@plamedia.com
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