The Ryman Auditorium, a true landmark that since its completion in 1892, has served as a tabernacle, assembly hall and theater as well as onetime home of the Grand Ole Opry, is beautifully restored and still playing host to a variety of entertainers. Another example of Nashville's ingenuity in forging onward while honoring its illustrious past is the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, which opened in 1996. This newest Tennessee state park, just north of the State Capitol downtown, was built on land that had long been considered too swampy for development. As the town's skyline grew during the building boom of the 1950s and '60s, the State Capitol disappeared from view on three of its four sides—east, west and south. The north side is now a 19-acre commemoration of Tennessee's first 200 years. Highlighted are such features as a 200-foot granite map of the state embedded in a concrete plaza; a Visitors Center; 31 fountains representing Tennessee's major rivers; a Walk of Counties with a time capsule from each of the state's 95 counties; a Wall of Tennessee History; and an outdoor amphitheater. Looming proudly over the park from atop downtown's tallest hill is the beautiful State Capitol.

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