Growing up in a small town south of Nashville, we ventured out to Murfreesboro regularly: for summer camps, doctor appointments, shopping, you name it. What felt like a small town then, the home to Middle Tennessee State University now boasts 165,000 residents and has expanded at a rapid race, thanks to its central location. It’s also the state’s largest hub for youth sports. So if you’re headed our way for a soccer game, tennis tournament or just to see what Rutherford County is all about, here’s how to spend a weekend in Murfreesboro: with your family, with a loved one or even by yourself.
This post is in partnership with Visit Rutherford. All opinions are our own.
A family’s guide to Murfreesboro
Countless families find themselves on a weekend in Rutherford County for sports—among other major tournaments, the city hosts the majority of TSSAA state championships, earning it the nickname of “Sports Capital of Tennessee”—but there’s plenty to do in Murfreesboro with kids off the field.
Families can start their trip at General Bragg Trailhead, where open space offers ample opportunity for littles to run around. There’s fishing, a playground, a dog park, paved paths for running and biking, and even a 1.5-mile spur trail to the Stones River National Battlefield.
Murfreesboro’s greenway system is one of its attributes that makes the city so livable and enjoyable as a visitor—you’re never far from a trailhead. Stretching more than 17 miles, the greenway winds along the Stones River, its 16 trailheads connecting parks with neighborhoods and historic sites. The Manson Pike Trailhead is a popular area for families in Murfreesboro thanks to facilities made for hiking, running, biking, skating, birdwatching, fishing, kayaking—you name it.
If you’re looking for more leisurely play, there are plenty of other family-friendly spots around Rutherford County like McKnight Park, Barfield Crescent Park and Old Fort Park, which has a Kids’ Castle Playground, skate park and pump track.
From Manson Pike Trailhead, it’s less than two miles to Cannonsburgh Village, a must for all families visiting Rutherford County. This recreated 19th-century pioneer village is free to visit and aims to showcase what life here might have looked like from the 1830s to the 1930s. With more than 20 structures—ranging from a gristmill and blacksmith’s shop to a schoolhouse and a chapel—strewn throughout the grounds, families can wander the grounds, watch demonstrations and mentally teleport to another era. Fun fact: Cannonsburgh Village is also home to the world’s largest cedar bucket.
For hands-on learning and discovery, the Discovery Center at Murfreesboro is three minutes down the road and provides engaging exhibits that encourage curiosity and creativity, making it a perfect stop for children of all ages. My nephew, Mac (5), wanted to interact with every single station within the two-floor complex, while my niece Charlotte (7) got to work building things in the STEM corner.
The center attaches to the Murfree Spring Wetlands, a 25-acre park with boardwalks that wind through native habitat, putting the spotlight on birds, turtles and other native species. Beyond being a pleasant park to explore on a pretty day, Murfree Spring is a restored ecosystem that protects local species while teaching visitors why wetlands matter.
For kids who are more active and have energy to burn, Murfreesboro’s trampoline parks are the perfect place to head from Murfree Spring. We love Sky Zone for the many slides, obstacle courses and areas to bounce around, but Urban Air Adventure Park also gets two thumbs up from the kids in our life.
For dinner, BoomBozz Craft Pizza & Taphouse is extremely kid-friendly with its outdoor playground and regular happenings like an on-site balloon artist. And then there’s, of course, the favorite activity of most kids (and this adult): a sweet treat at the end of the day. Murfreesboro has the Soda Bar by Van Horns Cookies, the brick-and-mortar stop of the food truck behind the gooey cookie ice cream sandwiches, while the downtown square is home to both Hattie Jane’s Creamery and the decadent creations of Simply Pure Sweets, whose menu ranges from homemade oatmeal cream pies to French macarons.
Where to stay in Murfreesboro as a family
Right off the Murfreesboro square, Carriage Lane Inn is family-friendly with spacious suites and historic guesthouses that offer a variety of guest configurations. The inn features shared courtyards, porches, and easy access to local restaurants and shops, and its central location makes it a convenient base for exploring Stones River National Battlefield, Discovery Center and other nearby attractions.
A couple’s guide to Murfreesboro
A weekend in Murfreesboro is great for the couple who wants diversity: You can spend a morning outdoors, an afternoon at a brewery, and an evening hopping between cocktail lounges and live music venues—all within a compact, easy-to-navigate area. My husband and I, a childless married couple, love a night out in Murfreesboro bopping around the speakeasies and wine bars on the courthouse square.
While you could easily spend an entire evening at Hop Springs, which holds regular live music and festivals on its sprawling campus, we’re fans of the intimacy of Cedar Glade Brews, which makes delicious craft beer and also features rotating taps from other breweries. Open every day but Mondays, Cedar Glade Brews has weekday hoppy hours and nightly gatherings like Singo or trivia.
If you’re looking for something new and trendy, head to the Velvet Room, the sexy speakeasy lounge dripping in red accents that mixes up the best cocktails in town, or One of 19, a which blends high-end drinks with modern bar bites (think: tuna tartare, oysters, whipped feta, crab cocktail). For a more low-key afternoon bite, the restaurants scattered around the square like Jack Brown’s and Puckett’s are perfect for a casual meal.
Main Street Murfreesboro has events throughout the year that make for great date nights like the annual Taste of Rutherford at Oaklands Mansion every July and the annual Christmas celebration and lighting of the tree on the first Friday of December.
In the warmer months, we love to do our weekly shopping at the Saturday morning farmers’ market, as well as Friday Night Live once a month from June through September. The square is closed off for pedestrians, live music and a whole lot of dancing. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s a great way to get a feel for the community as a whole.
Where to stay in Murfreesboro as a couple
The Loft at Bloomsbury Farm puts guests right in the middle of a working organic farm, with a private cottage that blends modern comfort and pastoral views. Guests have access to walking trails, seasonal produce, and a quiet patio overlooking the fields. Just 10 minutes from downtown Smyrna, this retreat balances seclusion with easy urban access.
An outdoor lover’s guide to Murfreesboro
One of the most impressive things about Murfreesboro is its expansive greenway system and park space. No matter where you are in the city, you can access one of the seven segments of greenway or find somewhere to stretch your legs or take a quick bike ride. The Overall Street Trailhead is a convenient jumping-off point to explore more of the greenway system. From there, you can walk, run or ride for miles without ever needing to get off and dodge cars.
If you’re traveling with bikes, the Manson Pike Trailhead is ideal for scenic rides with its wide, tree-lined trails, while the nearby Greenway Bridge and waterfalls offer a peaceful spot to enjoy nature and snap memorable family photos. Down the way, the Greenway Bridge and the small waterfalls below it are a great place to cool off in warmer months.
Murfreesboro has easy access to the Stones River with three public launches along the Greenway, perfect for kayaks, canoes or paddleboards. The calm waters are primed for scenic floats through thick groves of trees and limestone bluffs, with flyfishing another popular pursuit thanks to the shallows banks and thriving fish population.
Nearby, Old Fort Golf Club is a city-owned, 18-hole public course along the Stones River, next to historic Fortress Rosecrans and the Adams Tennis Complex. At 7,086 yards from the tips, it’s one of Tennessee’s top public courses and a frequent host of championship events, including Korn Ferry Tour qualifiers. Murfreesboro has several other top golf courses like Indian Hills Golf Course and Cedar Crest Golf Club that are open to public play.
If racquet sports are more your forte, Rutherford County has plenty of tennis and pickleball facilities. Host of the TSSAA high school tennis championships, Adams Tennis Complex has both indoor and outdoor facilities that anyone can book for a small fee—not to mention, regular mixers and rec league play—while the town of Smyrna has more than a dozen tennis courts and pickleball facilities scattered throughout the city.
History buffs will appreciate the battlefield trails at Stones River National Battlefield; not everywhere seamlessly pairs history with the outdoors. The park has roughly seven miles of walking and biking trails that weave through open fields, cedar glades and forested stretches where the bloody Civil War battle unfolded. Some paths are short loops that make for quick strolls; others feed into longer routes like the Stones River Greenway should you want to extend your walk. It’s flat and easy terrain making it a great option regardless of age or mobility.
Where to stay in Murfreesboro as an outdoors lover
On the southern shores of Percy Priest Lake just past La Vergne, Four Corners Marina is a dream for outdoors lovers who want to make the most of their weekend in Rutherford County. Located 25 minutes from the Nashville airport (BNA), it’s an ideal base for both water recreation and access to all of Murfreesboro’s top attractions. A convenient spot on Percy Priest Lake, Four Corners Resort & Marina offers RV sites, cabin rentals, and full marina services, including boat slips and fuel. Visitors can rent pontoons, paddleboards or fishing boats directly from the dock, and the on-site restaurant delivers with casual dining and lake views.
A foodie’s guide to Murfreesboro
As Nashville’s radius expands, Murfreesboro’s dining scene becomes more and more impressive, the further south the chefs go. You can start your day in Murfreesboro is at Brass Horn Coffee, a roastery that serves hearty brunch items like avocado toast, breakfast burritos, bagels and Nutella banana toast. Moving onto mid-morning breakfast or brunch, Joanie’s never disappoints: I take visiting friends there for a big brunch spread as they serve their full menu (crepes, waffles, pancakes) all day long.
For lunch, Murfreesboro Kabob is our choice 10 times out of 10. We love Mediterranean and Persian food, and the kabob plates are simply unbeatable. For a more sit-down meal in downtown Murfreesboro, Five on Black Kitchen and Spirit House pairs elevated gastropub cuisine—house eggrolls, a deep well of burgers, the best Brussels sprouts in town—with spirit-forward cocktails and extensive selection of bourbons, whiskeys and tequilas. Other fine-dining options include long-time Murfreesboro icon, the Alley on Main, and perhaps my favorite date night in Murfreesboro: Five Senses.
On any weekend in Murfreesboro from May through the end of October, the Saturday Market on the courthouse square is a must. Every Saturday from late-spring through mid-fall, the square brims with farm-fresh produce, meats, eggs, baked goods, and artisan crafts from 8am to noon. Off Medical Center Parkway, Williamson Family Farm‘s 240 acres comprise apple trees, you-pick berry bushes, sunflower fields and much more; the family-run farm is open regularly to the public, plus hosts seasonal food-focused events like its annual strawberry festival every May.
If you want to spend an evening out in Eagleville instead, the Grindstone Cowboy is a restaurant, bar, coffee shop and music venue rolled into one with live entertainment nearly every Friday and Saturday evening and some weeknights, too.
Rutherford County has so many restaurants, it would be physically impossible to cram them into a single weekend. So if you’re traveling like we do and planning a full-on progressive dinner tour of restaurants in Murfreesboro—after all, you do want to taste as much as possible!—it may be wise to break up your days by area. Here are some of our favorite places to eat by neighborhood:
Downtown Murfreesboro / Memorial Boulevard:
- Alley on Main
- Boro Bowls
- Brass Horn Coffee Roasters
- The Clay Pit
- Five on Black Kitchen and Spirit House
- Jack Brown’s
- Joanie’s
- Marina’s on the Square
- Murfreesboro Kabob
- Primrose Table
Old Fort Parkway:
- Sandwich Factory
- Maru Sushi & Grill
- TailGate Brewery Murfreesboro
Medical Center Parkway / Thompson Lane:
- Cava
- Drake’s
- The Goat Murfreesboro
- Jonathan’s
- Maple Street Biscuit Company
- PennePazze
- Tandoor
- West 22 Tacos
Where to stay in Murfreesboro as a foodies
Rutherford County is home to more than 50 hotels. If you’re visiting Murfreesboro to take advantage of the food scene, make your base at a Rutherford County hotel that’s most central to the places you plan to visit.
A history enthusiast’s guide to Murfreesboro
Rutherford County’s Civil War history runs deep: The Battle of Stones River was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the war and a turning point for Union control in Middle Tennessee. Today, you can walk those same fields at Stones River National Battlefield, where monuments, trails, and a well-done visitor center tell the story of the soldiers who fought and the civilians who endured.
Right outside of town in Smyrna, the Sam Davis Home & Plantation shares the story of a Confederate soldier, offering both a glimpse into 19th-century plantation life and a sobering reminder of the era’s complexities. From February through December, you can tour the Greek Revival home and the grounds. The Sam Davis Home also hosts annual holiday events like a Christmas after dark tour and Nutcracker afternoon tea.
In downtown Murfreesboro, landmarks like the Oaklands Mansion and the Bradley Academy Museum add more context to the city’s complicated wartime past, making Murfreesboro one of the most compelling places in Tennessee to connect with Civil War history. For something a little different by way of history, head into downtown Murfreesboro and spend an afternoon at Cannonsburgh Village, a collection of recreated 19th-century buildings that give you a peek into Tennessee’s past. Strolling the grounds almost feels like stepping into a quieter time—without ever leaving the middle of town.
For aviation buffs, there’s no better time to spend a weekend in Murfreesboro than during the annual Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna. For one weekend in June, the Great Tennessee Air Show lands at the Smyrna Airport, giving all in attendance a front-row seat to some of the best pilots in the country. The lineup often highlights the U.S. Navy Blue Angels alongside solo pilots and aerobatic teams, giving spectators a close-up look at some of the coolest aircraft and aerial performances in the country.
Where to stay in Murfreesboro as a history lover
If you’re visiting Murfreesboro to see the historic sites, you’ll likely be spending much of your time near Stones River Battlefield or Smyrna. Pick a Rutherford County hotel off of Medical Center Parkway like the Hyatt Place, Courtyard Marriott, Embassy Suites or Hilton Garden Inn as a home base for your weekend of history in Tennessee.
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