Summer break for most Vanderbilt students is just that: a break. A break from classes, a break from the monotony of college life and, for most, it also means a break from campus living. But this is not the case for some Vanderbilt students. Whether it’s for working summer jobs or taking classes, many Commodores find themselves remaining on campus for the summer. With most of the student population gone, the students who stay behind may quickly find themselves with a lot of free time and little to fill it with. So, I decided to look into the wealth of activities Nashville has to offer and give some guidance on how to have fun in Nashville over your summer.
Events
The Vanderbilt bubble can make it easy to forget how major of a city Nashville is. As the biggest city in Tennessee and one of the most populous cities in the region, it hosts a lot of events and amenities. Multiple professional sports teams call Nashville home, and two major ones have their seasons extend over the summer. For sports fans, the professional soccer club Nashville FC plays many games this summer. If soccer is not your thing, the Triple-A Nashville Sounds baseball team also has plenty of home games scheduled for you to check out.
If you are up for a day trip, the Tennessee State Fair is taking place in mid-August, around 30 minutes from Vanderbilt’s campus.
Then, there’s the big ticket item when it comes to events: concerts. Aptly named “Music City,” Nashville is a stop on pretty much every big artist’s U.S. tour. This summer is no different, with Nashville being the destination for a wide variety of popular artists ranging from Jason Aldean to The Weeknd.
Eats
Though opinions may vary on Nashville’s status on the “food city” hierarchy, I, for one, think the food is excellent if you go to the right places. In my time at Vanderbilt, there have definitely been some meals that really stood out to me, and there are some good options to be found for every eating occasion.
Need somewhere for a nice dinner? The Finch, an upscale American restaurant near the Frist Art Museum, offers delicious food in a fancier environment. What if you want to relax and watch some sports with friends? Double Dogs in Hillsboro has great sports bar food (I’d recommend the wings).
And if you want a sweet treat? The Legendairy Milkshake Bar off Broadway has some of the most decadent milkshakes I have ever seen, which somehow taste even better than they look. All of these spots are good places to start, but Nashville has too many great eateries to include all of them here, so I’d encourage you to explore and try places that may have caught your eye during the year.
Exploration
As I said earlier, Nashville is a big city. And being such a big place, there are many unique attractions you can explore. For instance, the Frist Art Museum is about a 20-minute walk (or a short bus ride) from campus, and entry is 30% off with a student ID.
If you’re up for a little further of a walk, the Country Music Hall of Fame is open on weekdays and offers an opportunity to learn more about the history of one of Nashville’s biggest industries.
If you’re looking for a fun activity to do with friends, Pins Mechanical offers games and bowling in the Gulch. And if you feel like letting your inner child out a little, the Adventure Science Center offers interactive exhibits and a planetarium. Every direction you turn, there are fun things to do in Nashville, and if you spend a little time exploring, you can really see everything the city has to offer.
At first, spending your summer still at school might seem like a one-way ticket to a world of boredom, especially if most of your friends won’t be there. However, Nashville is an incredible city with many things to offer, and, by spending the summer here, you can experience it in a way you might not be able to during the school year. I’d encourage anyone spending their summer on campus to come into it with an open mind and to use some of the above recommendations to create their own fun. Tens of thousands of people flock to Nashville every year for the sole purpose of having fun on their brief vacations, and, over the course of a summer, by stepping out of the Vanderbilt bubble, you may start to see why.
