Day trips from Nashville · Town
Red Boiling Springs
71 miles from downtown Nashville · about 1 hour 25 minutes
Macon County, TN
Red Boiling Springs was a major mineral springs resort from the 1840s into the 1930s, drawing thousands to drink and bathe in five distinct types of mineral water. Three of the historic hotels survive and one of them still fills clawfoot tubs with sulfur water.
- Armour’s Hotel and Spa
- 321 East Main Street
- The Donoho Hotel
- Historic, listed
- The signature thing
- Soaking in a clawfoot tub of sulfur mineral water
Permits, fees and access
Day passes for the mineral baths are offered when rooms are available, which is not the same as always. Call ahead rather than driving out on spec.
One thing to know first
This is a very small town with limited food options and a handful of businesses. Go for the specific thing, not for a day of wandering.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 15, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.