City Cast Nashville
😎 Is Nashville the best summer city?
July 3, 2025 · — Adrian González
Good morning, Nashville! We’re gearing up for a long holiday weekend, so we have something a little ~different~ for your inbox today. Below, we’ve got our expert recs on how to explore Nashville this summer, along with a special quiz designed to help you find a summer trip that fits your vibe.
And heads up, we’re off tomorrow, so we won’t be back in your inbox until Monday. If you’re looking for a quick anecdote to sound smart at the cookout, check out this piece on how the Independence Day fireworks tradition began. Enjoy the holiday!
Your Nashville Summer Starter Pack
🛝 Let’s Get Outdoors
Did you know you can pick your own berries throughout the summer at some of Nashville’s you-pick farms? Why not bring your fresh bounty to one of our favorite picnic spots around the city, like Love Circle or Cheekwood? And you gotta take a family vacay — we have several lovely beaches that are just a road trip away — or you can stay in town and make new core memories with our list of summer activities for kids.
- 📖 For those steamy days when you’d rather stay indoors, go find your new summer read at one of Nashville’s best indie bookstores.
🍔 The Summer of Snacks
There’s something about a good burger that just hits different during the summer, especially from one of our team’s best smashburger staff picks. The same goes for pizza, which is why the City Cast Nashville podcast set out to find the best pizza in Nashville. But let’s be honest, the best snack of the summer is a delectable scoop (or four) of ice cream. Personally, I’m team soft serve.
- 🍅 For my fellow home cooks, we put together a guide to Nashville’s neighborhood farmers markets that you should probably bookmark.
😎 Looking For a Quick Summer Trip?
All 13 City Cast podcast hosts came together for a high-stakes showdown to answer the question that’s been burning up our company-wide Slack for weeks: Which city is the best for a summer weekend trip? From naked bike rides to “the country’s best farmers market,” pickle festivals to Elvis impersonators driving pink convertibles, our hosts are bringing the best of the best of what their city has to offer. And yes, we do pick a winner. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
What To Do
Thursday, July 3
- 🎆 Fireworks at Nashville Shores
- 🎵 Half Batch Brewing Backyard Party at Memorial Park
- 💜 Purple Madness at City Winery
- 🖼️ Frist Art Museum Presents Ottoman Empire Artmaking Workshop at Hadley Park Library Branch (Free)
- 🎤 Music in the Café: Roadie at the Frist’s Café Cheeserie (Free)
- 🎻 Thursday Night Out: Bronwyn Keith-Hynes at Cheekwood
- ⚾ Nashville Sounds vs. Memphis Redbirds at First Horizon Park
- 🥾 Nature Trail Crew at Glen Leven Farm (Volunteer)
- 🎨 An Art Party Fundraiser at DRKMTTR
- 🎇 Freedom Festival at Drakes Creek Park (Free)
- 🇺🇸 Independence Day Celebration at Moss-Wright Park (Free)
- 🧨 July 3rd Independence Celebration at Fairview City Hall (Free)
Friday, July 4
- 🎆 Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th in downtown Nashville (Free)
- 🍗 Music City Hot Chicken Festival at East Park (Free)
- 🇺🇸 Red, White, and Boom at Crockett Park (Free)
- 📻 Finally Friday at 3rd and Lindsley (Free)
- 🎤 4th of July at the Winery with Miss Tess, Kara Grainger, Wolf Twin at City Winery
- 🏙️ Avenues to a Great City opens at Frist Art Museum
- 🎇 Red, White, & Boom at Adventure Science Center
- 🏃 Music City July 4th 5K at Centennial Park
- 🎆 Acme's 4th of July Party at Acme Feed & Seed (Free+)
- 🧨 Independence Day Celebration at Pegram Park (Free)
- 🎇 Fireworks and Frequencies: Fourth of July at PROOF
- 🥫 Sort and Organize at FreeStore (Volunteer)
- 🏌️ July 4th Putt-Putt Contest / Open Swim at White Limozeen (Free)
Saturday, July 5
- 🌻 Tennessee Sunflower Festival at Lucky Ladd Farms
- ⚽ Nashville SC vs. Philadelphia Union at GEODIS Park
- 🤠 Fam Jam at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- 💦 Summer Splash at Nashville Zoo
- 🪩 The Taylor Party at the Basement East
- 🫶 All You Need is Love Concert at Cheekwood
- 🎶 Future Crib In-Store Performance & Album Celebration + BEER:30 at Grimey’s
- 🇺🇸 Americana Celebration 2025 at White House Soccer Complex
- 🍞 Deliver Groceries to South Nashville Seniors (Volunteer)
- 🧑🌾 Ask a Master Gardener at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center (Free)
- 🍽️ All American BBQ at Southall
- 💃 Dolly Parton Drag Brunch at The Lab at Zanies
- 🐸 Puppet Truck Presents: The Frog Prince at Edmonson Pike Library Branch (Free)
Sunday, July 6
- 🌻 Tennessee Sunflower Festival at Lucky Ladd Farms
- 🧘 Meditate with Chakra Shay at Edmondson Pike Library Branch (Free)
- 🌌 Star Wars Under the Stars With the Nashville Symphony at Ascend Amphitheater
- 🛍️ Flea Market at Plaza Mariachi
- 🤗 Teen Volunteer Day at Southeast Branch Library (Free)
- 💃 Sunday Salsa at Acme Feed & Seed (Free)
- 🏰 Enchanted Castles at Cheekwood
- 😆 Bill Bellamy at Zanies
- 🎶 Musician Spotlight: Carson McKee at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
🌭 An estimated 150 million hot dogs will be eaten on the Fourth of July, according to the esteemed National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. That amount of weiners would stretch lengthwise across the country (from DC to LA) at least five times. Take this as your sign to use hot dog lengths as your standard unit of measurement this weekend, as in, “I’m only 732 hot dogs away from your house, so I’ll be there soon.”
Anyway, have a great Fourth of July! See you Monday 😎
Free · Daily