The Top 6 Famous Movies Filmed in Nashville

If you spend enough time walking these streets, you start to realize something. Nashville is not just a music town. It is a film set waiting to happen. Our skyline, our small neighborhood pockets, even our old brick back alleys have shown up in some of Hollywood’s biggest features. And when I tell stories on my walking tours, folks are always surprised by how many movies were filmed right here in the city. So I put together a list of the top ten films that used Nashville as their backdrop.

1. Nashville

You cannot talk about movies filmed here without starting with Robert Altman’s 1975 classic. It is a

sprawling story about country music, politics, fame, and the complicated heart of this town. Centennial Park, Belle Meade, the Parthenon, and the old Opry all played starring roles. This film showed America what Nashville looked like long before the skyscrapers. Trailer Here.

2. The Green Mile

Most people do not know this one. Parts of the film were shot at the old Tennessee State Prison on Centennial Boulevard. Its castle like structure has been used in several movies, but The Green Mile is the one everyone remembers. Even today, when I drive past it, I think of Tom Hanks walking those halls. Trailer Here.

3. Coal Miner’s Daughter

Loretta Lynn’s story deserved real Southern soil, and Nashville delivered. Scenes were filmed at the Ryman Auditorium and around the Opry complex. This one always hits close to home because Loretta was woven into the fabric of Nashville’s growth. Trailer Here.

4. The Last Castle

Another film that used the Tennessee State Prison. Robert Redford and James Gandolfini filmed intense sequences inside that same fortress like structure on Centennial Boulevard. Nashville crew members still talk about how unique that shoot was. Trailer Here.

5. A Nashville Legacy

This Hallmark style film used several Nashville historical locations, including downtown streets and East Nashville homes. It brought national attention to our historic neighborhoods, showing just how cinematic they really are. Trailer Here.

6. Brian’s Song (2001)

The remake starring Mekhi Phifer and Sean Maher used several Nashville athletic fields and neighborhood streets. It is one of those films that quietly supported the careers of many local production crews and location scouts who still work in the industry today. Trailer Here.

Why Nashville Works on Film

Nashville has a natural mix of old and new that filmmakers love. Stand on 2nd Avenue and you see restored brick storefronts. Walk two blocks and suddenly the skyline hits you with glass and steel. There is no other city quite like it. As a historian, I love that filmmakers can use the same streets Andrew Jackson rode down and then spin the camera to capture a modern city growing by the day.

And if you really want to see the spots where these movies were filmed, our History Walking Tour covers several of them in a way you cannot get from a screen.

Final Thoughts

Every time a film crew shows up in Nashville, it adds another layer to the city’s story. You might watch these movies again and realize you have walked the same sidewalks where the scenes were shot. That is one of the many things I love about this city. History is not trapped behind glass. It is out in the open, waiting to be walked through.

If you want to explore these places with someone who knows the stories behind the stories, join us at Nashville Adventures. We walk these streets every day and love bringing them to life.