Day trips from Nashville · Park
Stones River National Battlefield
32 miles from downtown Nashville · about 45 minutes
National Park Service, Murfreesboro, TN
Stones River National Battlefield preserves the ground of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, fought from the last day of 1862 into the first days of 1863, along with a national cemetery and the Fortress Rosecrans earthworks. It is forty-five minutes from downtown Nashville and it is free.
- Address
- 3501 Old Nashville Highway, Murfreesboro
- Fee
- Free, no entrance pass required
- Phone
- 615-893-9501
Permits, fees and access
Free. The park does not sell passes; the nearest place to buy one is the Percy Priest Lake visitor center.
One thing to know first
There is very little shade on the battlefield tour route and Middle Tennessee summers are unkind. Go early or go in the fall.
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.
The neighborhoods closest to it
If this is the kind of Saturday you want a short drive from your front door, these are the parts of Middle Tennessee that put you nearest to it.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date.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.