The sun’s not down on 2025 yet. | Photo by @yazpics | Photo by @yazpics
... whoa, we’re halfway there. At 12 p.m. today, July 2, we’ll be at the exact midpoint between the start and end of 2025. And that got us thinking: How can we make the second 182.5 days better than the first?
Make new friends (or reconnect with old ones)
Whether you’re a native Nashvillian or moved to our beautiful city, there are plenty of ways to make friends here. You can also reconnect with familiar faces through an arts and crafts class or a group outing.
Get outdoors
Looking to hit the ground running in the back half of 2025? Nashville’s run clubs are a great way to stay active and meet people along the way. For more opportunities to get outside, check out our parks and hiking guides.
Explore our city
Last but certainly not least, we all love finding a new spot around town to refresh our routine. Luckily for you, our Restaurant Roundup is updated monthly with the buzziest new eateries in the 615.
Asked
Asked
What should we cover in the second half of 2025?
You may remember us asking this earlier in the year. We’re still listening — and some of your suggestions have already turned into stories — so keep the ideas coming.
The Broken Hearts | 7:30 p.m. | City Winery | $25+ | Former Tom Petty bandmate Charlie Souza leads this high-energy tribute group.
Pick Your Own Peaches | Select dates, July | Breeden’s Orchard, Mt. Juliet | $8 + cost of peaches | Reserve your spot to pick ripe peaches straight from the tree.
Thursday, July 3
Thursday Night Out | 5-9 p.m. | Cheekwood | Cost of admission | When you’re not exploring the gardens, head to the Arboretum Lawn for food, drinks, and live music by Bronwyn Keith-Hynes.
Friday, July 4
4th of July Backyard BBQ | 5-10 p.m. | Pinewood Social | $100 | Kick back on the patio with lawn games, all-you-can-eat burgers and hot dogs, and fireworks views.
Saturday, July 5
Architecture Tour | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Frist Art Museum | Free | Meet in the Grand Lobby for this guided tour of the landmark art deco building.
Nashville SC vs. Philadelphia Union | 7:30 p.m. | GEODIS Park | $25+ | Cheer on the Boys in Gold + stick around for a post-match fireworks show.
Sunday, July 6
“The Hunger Games” Double Feature | 2:30 p.m. | Belcourt Theatre | $9+ | Follow Katniss Everdeen’s fight for survival and rebellion at this action-packed double feature.
A 53-story hotel and condo tower is proposed for SoBro with plans for 400 hotel rooms, 104 residences, and ground-level retail. If approved, the project may break ground later this year and would rank among Nashville’s tallest skyscrapers. View the renderings. (Nashville Post)
Biz
Brisket, beaver nuggets, and 120 gas pumps are one step closer to Murfreesboro. Buc-ee’s began initial work earlier this year, and construction plans continue to advance. The 76,000-sqft location is expected to open in 2026. (What Now Nashville)
Show
The Grand Ole Opry will return to the Ryman on Thursday, July 17 to re-create its March 15, 1974 broadcast, the final show of the Opry’s original run there. The lineup includes Bill Anderson reprising his original set, and Lorrie Morgan, whose father was the final artist to perform that night.
Nashvillian
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who spent part of his teens in Nashville, finally met Jelly Roll in person after years of friendship. Johnson said the song “Only” helped him through tough times, and he gifted Jelly Roll a vintage postcard of the former Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts on Murfreesboro Road. (The Tennessean)
Announced
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2025 nominees, with names like CeCe Winans, Lucinda Williams, and Jim Lauderdale in the mix. Check out who else is nominated before the October ceremony.
Sports
Nashville’s Gretchen Walsh was named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and awarded the Honda Cup after a historic senior season at the University of Virginia. The Harpeth Hall grad added four Olympic medals in 2024 and has broken 32 American records since last summer. (Nashville Post)
Number
45%. That’s the percentage of Americans who believe they need to make at least a six-figure annual income to be comfortable financially. Explore our jobs board to see if that six-figure salary is waiting for you locally. (Bankrate)
Tech
Over one million working professionals subscribe to Superhuman AI to learn the latest AI skills, tools, and news. Join them by signing up for free.*
Category
Eat
Inside Rebecca Barron’s kitchen
As a culinary director, Rebecca Barron helps develop the menu, plus manage food costs and inventory. | Photo courtesy of Rebecca Barron
If you’ve dined at Nashville’s 5th & Taylor, then you’ve enjoyed the work of culinary director Rebecca Barron. She gave us a peek into her kitchen and shared her secret shopping spots + a drink recipe that we’re dying to try.
4 ingredients in Barron’s kitchen
Aromatics: We’re talking yellow sweet onions, garlic, and ginger. Barron gave us a pro tip for peeling ginger: Use a spoon. It’s easier than a knife.
Basmati rice: Barron has been to India a few times, so she always keeps around the basics to cook her favorite Indian dishes. That includes long grain basmati rice with the extra long grains.
Save up to 70% at local restaurants, spas, museums, gyms, and more with curated deals from Groupon. New deals appear every day so you can discover your next “why-didn’t-we-do-this-sooner” at the click of a button.
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
Yesterday, we asked how you felt about Nashville missing out on a WNBA expansion team after the city launched a bid earlier this year. Here’s the breakdown:
48% — Disappointed 24% — Indifferent 14% — Didn’t know we were in the running 14% — It’s not our time
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