Animal-rescue organization The Gentle Barn is located just outside of Murfreesboro, and its mission is to teach us humans compassion and understanding right in the barnyard. The farm is home to a horde of lovable misfits, like Lolli, a goat who is fitted with prosthetic rear legs, and Rick Springfield, a handsome white rooster who was found wandering a parking garage at the Nashville International Airport. Thirty-some goats, chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs and other critters roam the 40-acre farm in retirement. You can visit The Gentle Barn on Sundays, when you can snuggle turkeys, feed goats and hug cows. ERICA CICCARONE
More Best of Nashville wins: The Gentle Barn also took Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners in the Readers' Poll in 2020. In our Writers’ Choice they’ve been named Best Family Day Trip (2022).
