Relocating to Nashville, a First Ninety Days Checklist
Music, food, parks, ball games, and finding your people. The things we tell clients to do in their first three months here, with an insider tip for each one.
Published June 18, 2026 · 6 min read
Experience the music scene of downtown Nashville
Obviously, Nashville is one of, if not the, best music towns in the world. There are many varieties of genres available and the experience of being on Lower Broadway is a uniquely good time. When you arrive, and as you begin to settle in, spend even a small amount of time walking around the city and drop into any of the honky tonks that speak to you in the moment. It is free to listen and you can get a good sense of why so many people enjoy Nashville and have chosen to make it home.
Insider tip: Becoming a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame is relatively inexpensive and offers unlimited access to the museum as well as exclusive programs, songwriter sessions, family activities, and more.
Sample nearby restaurants and watering holes
According to Fine Dining Lovers by S.Pellegrino, “Nashville is one of America's most exciting food cities” (Hillary Eaton, April 2026). One of the wonderful aspects about Nashville is the number of unique neighborhoods dotted all around the city. Germantown, Wedgewood-Houston, Green Hills, East Nashville, SoBro, West End, The Nations, The Gulch, 12South, and Hillsboro Village are just some of the welcoming neighborhoods that each have terrific restaurants and pubs that fit your taste and could be places to regularly hang out. Who knows, you may even find new friends or that special somebody along the way.
Insider tip: Visit any one of these neighborhoods and just walk around for a while. In addition to food and drink, many of these areas are favorite shopping destinations for locals.
Spend some time in nature
Nashville is blessed with easy access to many parks, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and other places to experience, and be part of, nature. Edwin Warner and Percy Warner Parks come to mind for outstanding walks, trails, and family outings. Old Hickory Lake for boating, Caney Fork River for great fly fishing, and within an hour or so drive there are literally dozens of waterfalls to visit, with Cummins Falls and Fall Creek Falls being a couple of the most popular.
Insider tip: Cheekwood Estate and Gardens is a special place located at the end of Belle Meade Boulevard with 55 acres for you to wander around a 1930s mansion, walking paths, and the most beautiful of gardens you will find anywhere. Membership here gives your family access to all the year-round holiday activities.
Root for the home team
No matter what time of year, there is always a sports team to root for at either the professional or collegiate level. Tennessee Titans for the NFL, Nashville Predators in the NHL, Nashville Soccer Club for MLS, and of course several top tier universities are located around the city for you to get your sports fix and meet fellow sports fans.
Insider tip: Pick a team and be the tailgate that everyone wants to visit.
Be a joiner
It does not matter if it is a church, a walking, running, or hiking club, a book club, a gym, a school if it applies, or some other group that aligns with your interests. Joining a group to meet people and make new friends is a good idea and it helps you get to know the city in a deeper way, through others who may also be new to the city or have been here all their life and will have unique perspectives for you to receive.
Insider tip: It takes time, so be persistent. My wife was brand new to the city, and to the country for that matter, and it did not happen overnight. However, by getting really involved in our kids' school at the time, she was led to meet a group of ladies who have remained her very best friends for over 20 years.
Bonus suggestion
Nashville is also a very cultural city, with world class museums such as The Frist, the Nashville Symphony, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), Dyer Observatory, libraries, and places like the Parthenon at Centennial Park, an exact replica of the one in Greece, for you to visit repeatedly. There is something for anyone who wants to see world class art and theatre, and even a fusion of cultures when the Nashville Symphony collaborates with country artists for a very special experience.
If you have the chance, take in a show at The Bluebird Cafe in Green Hills, where Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift were both discovered. The Songwriters in the Round nights are often magical and always entertaining.
Frequently asked
Spend time walking downtown and drop into the honky tonks on Lower Broadway. It is free to listen and it is the quickest way to understand why people choose to live here.
Germantown, Wedgewood-Houston, Green Hills, East Nashville, SoBro, West End, The Nations, The Gulch, 12South, and Hillsboro Village all have terrific restaurants and pubs, and most are good for walking and shopping too.
Edwin Warner and Percy Warner Parks for walks and trails, Old Hickory Lake for boating, the Caney Fork River for fly fishing, and dozens of waterfalls within about an hour, including Cummins Falls and Fall Creek Falls. Cheekwood Estate and Gardens offers 55 acres at the end of Belle Meade Boulevard.
Join something: a church, a walking or running club, a book club, a gym, or your children's school. It takes persistence, but it is how most newcomers build real friendships here.
The Tennessee Titans in the NFL, the Nashville Predators in the NHL, and Nashville Soccer Club in MLS, plus several top tier universities in and around the city.