The Parthenon is one of the great icons of civilization, even in its ruined state on top of the acropolis. So I guess if you want to tie your culture or city back to the roots of civilization building something that looks like the Parthenon is a good way to go. One of my favorite monuments is the Lincoln Memorial which is based on the Parthenon. Nashville decided to take it one step further for its hundredth birthday though, and it built a scale replica of the actual Parthenon.

The Nashville version of the greek edifice sits in the middle of Centennial Park. You literally can’t miss it when you visit. Now, I have been to the actual Parthenon in Athens, and I thought I had completed that experience by visiting the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. But when I heard there was a complete replica sitting in the middle of Nashville I figured that would round out the whole thing nicely making it an experience that stretched across three summers.

I was somewhat skeptical of how good a Parthenon sitting in Centennial Park in Nashville could really be, but I have to say I was impressed. Obviously it is not the real Parthenon, and I wouldn’t suggest it as a replacement for visiting the real deal, but it is pretty cool to see what the Parthenon might have actually looked like before it was destroyed.

You can walk all around the outside of the building and up into the colonnade for free, which is a lot closer than you can get to the real thing in Athens. If you want to go inside the building however you have to pay. Inside there is an art museum, but we did not go in so I can’t speak to how good it is.

Other than the Parthenon, Centennial Park also has some lovely gardens you can walk around. There are also several other memorials scattered around the park for various wars and movements.