10 Things You Must Do Your First Year Living in Nashville
We made you a Nashville Bucket List. How many items can you check off?
So, you’re moving to Nashville. Or maybe you just moved here. Or maybe the thought of moving to Nashville is taking up more and more space in your daydreams.
However, you got here or are getting here, congratulations, and welcome! Living in Nashville means easy access to great food, amazing outdoor adventures and a never-ending list of music and entertainment options. Honestly, there’s so much to do here it can be tricky to decide what to do first.
Luckily, we’re here to help y’all narrow it down a bit with a well-rounded bucket list for newcomers. If you can check off these 10 Nashville activities in your first year (or three), we guarantee you’ll be feeling like a local in no time.
In This Article
1. Root for Nashville SC at GEODIS Park
Nashville Soccer Club is part of Major League Soccer, and the team plays its home games in the new GEODIS Park at the historic Nashville Fairgrounds. GEODIS Park is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada, with seating for 30,000 spectators. The stadium opened in 2022. The team’s season runs each year from late-February or early March through mid-October.
2. Eat authentic Nashville hot chicken
One of the most popular dining spots for this Nashville original is Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, which has two Nashville locations. Its menu includes chicken wings, tenders, half chickens, whole chickens and more. Here, customers can choose from eight flavors: plain, lite mild, mild, medium, hot, x hot, xx hot and xxx hot. Whew!
3. Rent an electric bicycle
Nashville BCycle provides Music City with a bike share system, offering 300 bikes at its more than 30 kiosks within a three-mile radius of downtown. The bike-share program is for everyone, even seniors who might have trouble pedaling, so several bikes are equipped with electric motors that help with uphill pedaling.
4. Try a unique workout
One of the most advanced gyms in the Nashville area is the Iron Fit Gym & Wellness Center in Old Hickory, which offers services like cryotherapy, chiropractic services, a hot rock sauna and red-light therapy. Also on staff is a post-rehab physical therapist specializing in soft tissue/range of motion modalities. Another unique place for a workout is HOTBOX Fitness Nashville, which operates as a kickboxing and strength training studio.
5. Take the kids to SoundWaves
SoundWaves, a waterpark at Gaylord Opryland, features 111,000 square feet of indoor rides and attractions in an 84-degree setting. Its name derives from a diverse blend of music and water featured at attractions such as body slides, a rapids river, a lazy river, a wave pool, a tubing slide, surfboarding and a children’s splash pad.
6. Drink a couple of cocktails in East Nashville
One of the area’s trendiest neighborhoods, East Nashville has become a destination for eclectic shopping, interesting restaurants and great bars. One bar worth a visit is Bay 6 Cocktail Bar, located in The Wash district of East Nashville. Bay 6 is open seven days a week, and daily happy hours attract a diverse crowd from 3-6 p.m.
7. Go shopping at Fifth + Broadway
A new complex of towers and shops called Fifth + Broadway is now open downtown. It’s been described as “a city within a city,” and some of its high-profile stores are Apple, Carhartt, Music City Shop, Nike, Ray-Ban, Sephora and Veseo Lingerie & Swimwear. In addition, its Assembly Food Hall features a number of eateries serving local and global fare.
8. Cruise Nashville’s waterways
Gallatin is where Cruisin’ Tikis Nashville is headquartered. The company provides relaxing guided boat rides along the Cumberland River. The excursions include tiki bars on the docks and a floating tiki bar during the ride. Morning cruises and sunset tours are available each day of the week.
9. Catch a concert at FirstBank Amphitheater
Attend a great music show at FirstBank Amphitheater, located off Interstate 65 near Thompson’s Station in Williamson County. The boutique amphitheater is in a wooded and natural stone parklike setting, and even though it only opened in 2021, it has already attracted big-name acts like Willie Nelson, Steely Dan, Third Eye Blind and Earth, Wind & Fire.
10. Get fresh food at Spring Hill’s farmers market
It’s like a party from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday in Spring Hill when Hidden Gem Farmers Market operates on a large farm off Old Military Road. The market is getting rave reviews for its wide variety of products, including vendors selling fresh veggies and fruit, eggs, meats, baked goods, soaps and much more.
If you’d like to learn more about the Greater Nashville region, check out the latest edition of the Nashville Economic Profile.
