Everything Fun to Do in Nashville This Weekend
Derby weekend is here.
It’s a big weekend for wine drinkers and music lovers in Nashville. 1Kitchen leads guests on a tour of Spanish wine regions, while the Nashville Wine Auction throws their gala Pairings weekend teaming up local chefs with California wineries. Billy Strings will be picking some serious bluegrass at Bridgestone, and a quartet of cool cats from Belmont will be throwing down the jazz in the subterranean lair that is Rudy’s Jazz Cave. Plan for some late nights.
Friday, February 24 through Sunday, February 26
Various
“Dine Nashville: The Music City Way'' is an initiative of the Nashville Visitors and Convention Corp. Throughout February, various restaurants have hosted collaborative chef events with some talented culinarians sharing kitchens, and for the final week of the month, a host of restaurants are offering prix fixe tasting menus at discounted prices, and others are just featuring deals on their regular menus. Take advantage of the chance to eat out on the cheap.
Cost: Various
Friday, February 24 & Saturday, February 25
Midtown
The Nashville Wine Auction supports several local organizations offering comfort and care to cancer patients through different fundraising events throughout the year. Pairings brings together chefs from Nashville restaurants to cook together and pairs their dishes with notable West Coast wines to create the perfect complement. Both silent and live auctions offer desirable lots of wines, travel experiences, dinners, parties, and tastings of rare wines.
Cost: Tickets range from $175 - $375.
Friday, February 24 and Saturday, February 25
Downtown
Bluegrass sensation Billy Strings has emerged as a player’s player, a favorite guest musician on many songs and now a headliner for two nights at the Bridgestone Arena. In addition to being a guitar virtuoso, he is a fantastic songwriter and performer, injecting humor and pathos into his stories of the rural South accented with lightning-speed guitar picking. This might be the last chance to say you saw him before he blew up, so don’t miss out.
Cost: $49.50 and up
Friday, February 24
Gulch
Belmont University is known for the school’s vaunted music business and performance programs, but most people associate them with country or rock music. However, some amazing jazz musicians have also graduated from Belmont, and three of them will join with renowned jazz drummer (and former percussion instructor at Belmont) Chester Thompson to form a supergroup for one night only. Thompson will perform with jazz pianist Bruce Dudley, woodwind specialist Alex Graham and bassist Carter Murphy for an evening of amazing music that should make their alma mater proud.
Cost: $10 - 60
Friday, February 24
SoBro
1Kitchen at the 1Hotel Nashville is hosting a special wine dinner to highlight the most prestigious wine regions of Spain, Ribera and Rueda. Along with pours of some fantastic wines selected by the talented beverage staff at 1Kitchen, they are offering a multi-course dinner starting with canapes and progressing to four courses paired with Tempranillos and Verdejos before concluding with a sweet and savory cheese presentation.
Cost: $125
Saturday, February 25
Fairgrounds
“Tennessee Crossroads” is a long-time travel show produced by Nashville Public Television that showcases some of the most interesting sites in the state. Through the years, the show has visited many Tennessee distilleries, and they’ll be gathering some of the most talented producers to showcase their products at this inaugural tasting at the headquarters of WNPT. Tickets include a free tasting glass, sips from more than a dozen distilleries and custom cocktails.
Cost: General admission tickets are $100.
Saturday, February 25
Germantown
The Hot Chocolate Run is a fundraiser for St. Jude’s and offers three different distances to accommodate many levels of fitness. Whether you opt for the 5K, 10K or 15K, you’ll start off with thousands of new friends from Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park for a little jaunt around Downtown and Midtown. At the end of the race, everyone will gather back near the starting line for a post-race party featuring chocolate in many forms. Binge on hot chocolate, fondue and dippables to your heart’s content, because you earned it.
Cost: $54 - 74
Saturday, February 25
100 Oaks
Just in time for the army of small children setting up tables outside of your local grocery store to tempt you with cookies, your friends at Black Abbey Brewing Co. are there for you to walk you through a pairing of four of their beers along with four flavors of scout confections. You can buy a flight of them all or sample two special beers brewed just for the occasion, including one from a scout-inspired recipe. There will also be a food truck on-hand to provide some savory treats along with the sweets.
Cost: Free
Saturday, February 25
Downtown
McKissack & McKissack was founded as Nashville’s first Black-owned architectural firm back in 1922. In addition to designing many notable buildings around Nashville, they also tackled national projects like the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. To celebrate Black History Month, McKissack & McKissack has partnered with the Frist Art Museum, NOMA Nashville, and AIA Middle Tennessee to present an architecture tour via trolley with stops at Fisk University, Tennessee State University, various spots around downtown and finally at the former home of the firm’s founder, Moses McKissack III. As a bonus, your ticket includes gallery admission to the Frist so you can enjoy art and architecture in the same day.
Cost: $20 and up
Saturday, February 25
East Nashville
The Special Olympics is the beneficiary of the day of food and fun in the parking lot of Nissan Stadium. Organizers will set up icy pools for plungers who raise at least $75 in donations for the right to make the cold leap into the water. Plungers will receive a couple of beers, a t-shirt and two tickets to the accompanying Chili Cook-off, but anyone can just show up and purchase tasting tickets without getting wet. The $50 contest entry fee offers the chance to be named the chili chief in professional and amateur categories. Attendees will also help to select a People’s Choice champion.
Cost: Varies