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| What Nashville's Talking About |
| | 🎂 Planning the Perfect Birthday Party for Kids | Did you know more people are born in August than in any other month? That’s why on today’s podcast I’m chatting with contributor Amelia Edelman about planning the perfect children’s birthday party in Nashville, from the best at-home entertainment to trampoline parks and playground bashes. [🎧 City Cast Nashville] | | 🧑⚖️ Nashville’s Getting Sued Over Data Center Bills | DC BLOX is suing Nashville over the city’s “relentless efforts” to prevent the developer from building a data center by the zoo. The lawsuit claims the city acted illegally by passing zoning regulations and a temporary moratorium on new data centers. The lawsuit also lists public comments from Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Councilmember Courtney Johnston as evidence that these bills were a targeted attack against DC BLOX. [Nashville Banner] | | | 🚦 Right Turn Ban Bill Gets Revised | District 30 Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda is narrowing the scope of her bill that initially banned all right turns on red lights in Nashville’s Urban Services District. Her substitute version of the bill will ban right turns on red lights in select areas, like school zones, roads with high pedestrian fatalities, and downtown neighborhoods. Metro Council will consider the bill for its second of three readings on Sept. 15. [🔐 The Tennessean] | - What do you think about the right turn ban? Hit reply to this newsletter and let me know!
| | 🕌 Local Mosque Targeted by Hateful Messaging | Last Thursday, the Islamic Center of Nashville was targeted by hate speech when a box truck bearing anti-Muslim messaging parked outside the mosque. Right-wing activist Jake Lang engaged in anti-Muslim rhetoric outside, and the mosque received threatening calls. In response, the center, which has served Nashville since 1978, is strengthening security, and the American Muslim Advisory Council has warned other local mosques of the potential threat. [NewsChannel 5] |
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| Your Guide to Caves Near Nashville |
|  | Tour a cave via boat at the Lost River Cave in Bowling Green, KY. (Margaret Kingsbury / City Cast Nashville) |
| It’s hot, and if you’re looking for an outdoor activity that isn’t going to give you heat stroke, touring local caves is a cool idea (literally). Here are four nearby caves I’ve toured within two hours of Nashville. Note: I’m not a spelunker. These tours are for the average person looking for a unique outdoor experience. | | | Drive time: 55 minutes | This is the very first cave I ever toured as a kid. Dunbar Cave State Park in Clarksville is a quick drive from Nashville, with several tour options. I recommend the “Enter the Underworld” tour, where you get to view 800-year-old Mississippian cave art, but I haven’t been on all the tours yet! Flashlights are required, and no cellphones are allowed. Grab some lunch to-go at Tiny Town Market beforehand for a picnic in the park. | | | Drive time: 1 hour, 11 minutes | These cave tours in Bowling Green, KY are by boat only. While the tour itself isn’t very long, it’s a neat experience. The tour starts outside by the river, then moves into the cave, where you board a boat and travel by water. Keep an eye out for crawdads! Tour guides will tell you about Native American artifacts and how the cave served as a 1930s nightclub. Hiking trails and a butterfly habitat are outside. | | | | | Drive time: 1 hour, 27 minutes | The Caverns in Pelham is best known for unique live concerts in a cave, but they also offer weekend tours. Our tour guide not only told us about the musical history of the caves, but also showed us deeper inside, where we saw cave crickets, bats, and lizards, and my kid got to crawl into a tunnel. We did the basic guided cave tour, which is kid-friendly, but they have more strenuous tours for adults. Afterward, I recommend heading to Monteagle to eat at the Mountain Goat Market or Papa Ron’s. | | | Drive time: 1 hour, 42 minutes | Located just north of us in Kentucky, Mammoth Cave is our closest national park, and the world’s longest cave system. I recommend reserving tour tickets ahead of time, as they do sell out. My favorite is the historic tour, though be prepared for lots of stairs. We recently went on the self-guided discovery tour, which was short, but a solid experience if you have kids or want a quick stop. Plus, the discovery tours typically don’t sell out. There are several restaurants at the park, and plenty of hiking opportunities. | | What cave should I explore next? Send me your recommendations! | | |
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🎶 Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame have announced its 2026 inductees: Lyle Lovett, Bruce Channel, Shawn Camp, Lee Thomas Miller, and the one and only Taylor Swift. |
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