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Ms. Cheap: Madame Tussauds joins Nashville Public Library’s free admission Community Passport program



BB King is one of the legendary musicians who have a wax figure at Madame Tussauds Nashville. A big discount to the museum is now available through the Nashville Public Library’s Community Passports program.
MARY HANCE

I’m always looking for ways that we locals can get free admission to area attractions.

And it seems like the Nashville Public Library is doing the same thing through its Community Passports program which partners with attractions to allow library card holders to enjoy some of Nashville’s more interesting attractions for free.

The first of these passports was to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which kicked off the program in 2017.

Since then, the National Museum of African American Music joined with a passport, Cheekwood Estate and Gardens was added and just in the last few weeks, Madame Tussauds Nashville became part of the library’s locally focused passport program.

With regular Madame Tussauds adult admission $25.99 and children (5-12) $19.99, plus tax, the free passport admission for two adults and two children is quite a deal.

“We’re excited by this partnership, and more importantly, for the opportunity it offers to our library patrons,” Nashville Public Library Interim Director Terri Luke said.

“Madame Tussauds (located inside Opry Mills) is world-renowned for their true-to-life celebrity wax figures, and the Nashville location’s focus on Music City history and culture is a great attraction that we’re proud to help our patrons experience for themselves.”

Library officials say the free admission program has been well received by library patrons with the passports all having waiting lists.

“Feedback has been very positive,” library spokesman Ed Brown said. “Looking at our social media channels, we’ve had more than 100 positive reactions.”

Madame Tussauds Nashville marketing manager Monica Jackson said she is looking forward to the partnership that will introduce more local people to her attraction.

She said to allow 45 minutes to an hour to tour the attraction and urged visitors to check out the gift shop for music-themed merchandise. (I guess that if admission is free, visitors might have some money to spare for souvenirs.)


“We are delighted to partner with Nashville Public Library on their Community Passport program. This program is a great opportunity to expose children and families to the history behind the music,” Jackson said.

Madame Tussauds Nashville is one of 25 Madame Tussauds locations worldwide. The self-guided tour features 60 impeccably crafted figures, with some of the more popular ones being Johnny Cash, BB King, Elvis, Minnie Pearl and Taylor Swift.

Jackson said that each wax figure costs about $300,000 to create. Typically, more than 20 artists work on each figure, with the average completion time being six to 12 months. 

All of the figures are made in the London headquarters. 

Madame Tussauds Nashville is in Opry Mills (Entry 5) and is open seven days a week during mall hours. Details: www.madametussauds.com/nashville

The Madame Tussauds Community Passport is available at NPL now through the end of 2023. The attraction also has a partnership with the library, offering a buy-one, get-one free deal as part of the library’s summer reading program.

About the Community Passport program:

The way the passport program works is that if you are a Nashville Public Library cardholder, you can place a hold on a passport for any of these attractions with your library card and use it to get into the attraction at no cost.

But be warned that there is a waiting list for most of the passports. Brown said that the number of holds varies by passport and said that at last count, all of them had waiting lists for holds:

·       Madame Tussauds Passports has 367 holds; the library has 100 copies.

·       Cheekwood has 2,400 holds; the library has 10 copies.

·       National Museum of African American Music has 1,256 holds; the library has 26 copies.

·       Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has 134 holds; the library has 100 copies.

The passports are generally good for two adult admissions and can be checked out for as many as seven days. And there are no renewals.

The new Madame Tussaud passport, which went live last month, provides admission for two adults and two children under 12 to the popular wax attraction that is located inside Opry Mills.  

·       Also good to know is that the library also has a BCycle Pass. It currently has 33 holds; the library has 33 copies.

For more information about the community passport program, see library.nashville.gov/services/community-passports.

Mary Hance, who has four decades of journalism experience in the Nashville area, writes a weekly Ms. Cheap column. She also appears on Thursdays on Talk of the Town on NewsChannel5. Reach her at mscheap@mainstreetmediatn.com and follow her on Facebook as Facebook.com/mscheap

Ms. Cheap poses with a wax statue of Carrie Underwood at Madame Tussauds Nashville.
The Prince exhibit at Madame Tussauds Nashville.