10 Things to Do in Nashville in September

Nashville is one of the most visited cities in the Southern United States in the summer, and as the summer season comes to an end and fall begins, the capital of Tennessee continues to maintain a pleasant climate and ushers in the season of festivals, musical concerts and cultural fairs.

Some of the best things to see and do in Nashville in September include the Cultural Festival, the Southern Book Fair, concerts and musical performances at the Nashville Public Library and open houses from the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, which coincide with the start of fall in the city.

The tractor tour is one of Nashville's signature attractions and a public festival held several times throughout the year, but if you plan to visit the city in September you can join the tour celebrating the start of harvest, which consists of a caravan through downtown Nashville on party tractors.

In these caravans you can enjoy the music, the dance floors and the city from a different perspective, because you can soak up the agrarian spirit of Nashville on one of the city's celebration dates, which begins in September during the beginning of the harvest in the southern United States and ends in November with Thanksgiving.

You should note that since most of these activities include an open bar you must be 21 years of age or older to participate in the tractor tours.

One of the city's most eclectic events, the Nashville Wine Whiskey Festival brings together both newcomers, fans and connoisseurs of the whiskey world each year in September for a weekend of whiskey lectures, live music performances, food trucks and booths, and whiskey tastings.

The festival is also characterized by whiskey competitions in which whiskey experts compete blind and the participant who guesses the quality of each bottle wins, which is one of the most attractive activities of the event. If you visit Nashville in September, the Whiskey Festival will be included among the best food tours in the city

The event is hosted by Nashville's main distilleries and experts from each company provide seminars, lectures and conferences for attendees, so if you are a whiskey aficionado you will enjoy the event very much.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to participating distilleries is free.
• When... Every year during a weekend in September.
• Where... At different distilleries in Nashville.

The Southern Festival of Books is one of Nashville's busiest cultural events and one of the oldest literary festivals in the country, hosting hundreds of authors and thousands of visitors from Tennessee and the surrounding area each year. This festival is free and is held at War Memorial Plaza during a weekend in September.

This fair has activities for adults and kids, includes performance stages, food trucks and booths, publisher and bookseller venues and also virtual programming and evening activities, making it one of the best things to do in the city if you plan to tour Nashville at night

War Memorial Plaza is located in the downtown area, so you can make the most of your visit to that part of the city and take some of the best tours of Nashville that start at the sites near the Tennessee Capitol and Legislative Plaza. There you can start Downtown walking, segway or bike tours to optimize your tour time.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to the fair is free.
• When... Every year during a weekend in September.
• Where... War Memorial Plaza, Union St., Nashville.

In September of each year the Nashville Public Library opens its doors and offers free lunchtime concerts at shows that combine local and regional band shows with some national acts.

These concerts are held in the library's Robinson Courtyard and are not suspended due to weather conditions, which is good news because September is a rainy month in Nashville.

The library also sets up tables and chairs, so you can also consume food and beverages, and it is one of the most interesting and inviting free events in Nashville during September.

The library is located downtown and is accessible by the 52 bus or the Nashville Tour Bus, which includes a stop in the area near the entrance to the Robinson Courtyard.

Details of Interest

• Price... Admission to library concerts is free.
• When... Every year during September.
• Where... 615 Church St, Nashville.

The Cumberland River is one of the great prides of Nashville and the state of Tennessee so the event celebrating the city's main tributary aims to celebrate the river and also raise awareness among locals and visitors about the importance of caring for nature and clean water.

This free, family-friendly festival includes live music performances, the participation of local and regional artists, food trucks and booths, a dragon boat race that rewards the winner with a basket of items donated by the festival sponsors, as well as activities for children.

Along with the Southern Parthenon and Nashville's finest museums, the Cumberland River is one of the city's great attractions and also the perfect place to take an evening cruise or riverside tour.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to the festival is free.
• When... Every year during September.
• Where... Cumberland River, Nashville.

The John Seigenthaler Bridge, at nearly 1.5 miles long, is one of Nashville's largest bridges and one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world. This footbridge connects the city's historic district with Riverside Park, located on the East Bank Greenway, thus linking two of the most important points in Tennessee's capital city. From there, in the fall and during clear days, you can access the most beautiful open views of the city.

Since this century-old bridge was closed to vehicles it has become a popular site for pedestrians to visit, especially during the fall when they come to see the sunset and sunset reflected in the skyscrapers and surrounding forests of the city, as from the bridge you can see a wide panoramic view of Nashville.

This bridge also has a cycling and Segway lane, so you can optimize your time in the city by touring the site in an electric vehicle, which will be ideal if you have a short stay in the city planned. If that is your case, here is a list of activities so you can discover Nashville in 3 days.

Tennessee is home to one of the largest African American communities in the United States and most live in Nashville, making the African Culture Street Festival one of the city's busiest events.

The festival is held each year in September and includes African film screenings, plays, food booths, and arts and crafts venues. During the festival there are also themed parades, workshops and lectures on African culture and the event closes with a music festival combining local and African genres.

The African Culture Festival is held each year for a full weekend in Hadley Park and is recognized as one of the premier events to promote cultural exchange between Africa and the United States.

Details of Interest

• Price... Admission to the event is free.
• When... Every year during a weekend in September.
• Where... Hadley Park, Nashville.

The Tennessee State Fair is the state's main event, held every year in September to promote regional culture and as a meeting point for all locals. At this fair you can find children's rides, amusement parks, booths and food trucks, lectures, workshops and fun competitions.

The event is usually held every year during the second week of September, including the surrounding weekends, at the Nashville Fairgrounds and attracts local personalities, especially during the opening and closing of the event, which takes place during the last day.

The fair also organizes children's activities so it is a good alternative if you plan to visit Nashville with children or family.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to the event is free.
• When... Every year during a weekend in September.
• Where... Hadley Park, Nashville.

The Nashville Cultural Festival is an event to celebrate the plurality of Tennessee, the state where one in six residents is a foreigner, making it one of the state capital's most vibrant celebrations and a perfect excuse to promote the city as one of the best places in the United States for outsiders.

This free festival offers a multicultural dialogue and is one of Nashville's best attractions because it features a variety of musical and dance performances on different stages throughout the city, food booths offering dishes from around the world, children's activities, teen areas and, as you can't miss in Tennessee, music concerts.

This festival takes place every year during a weekend in September at different sites in Nashville and if you visit the city during the event you will be able to enjoy many of the activities in open spaces and in pleasant weather.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to the event is free.
• When... Every year during a weekend in September.
• Where... Different locations throughout Nashville.

Edwin and Percy Warner Parks, just outside Nashville, are Tennessee's main urbanized green lung and each year attract millions of visitors who stroll the trails, bike the nature trails and enjoy the outdoors, but if you plan to visit the city in September you can experience the beginning of autumn there and experience the changing of the parks, which are dressed in yellow leaves creating a magical atmosphere.

The park can be reached by the city's public transportation buses or by some of the tour buses that include a stop in the park area. Admission is free and it is one of the best things to do with children in Nashville if you plan to visit the city as a family.

The best time to visit is during the first days of autumn, in late September, when the weather is still pleasant and the forest changes its skin transforming the green vegetation into a blanket of dry leaves, where you can take some of the best pictures of Nashville!

The high in Nashville in September is 25° and the low is 14° and the average temperature is 19°, so you'll enjoy pleasant weather for outdoor activities.

This time of year also coincides with the beginning of autumn in the city so you can see some of the best views of the city, especially in the city's parks and green lungs.

Keep in mind that while September tends to include mostly clear days it is also a rainy season, so I advise you to always carry a waterproof coat during your tours.

Nashville's high season ends with the summer, so from the second half of September onwards, the number of tourists decreases substantially, which will ensure that you can enjoy the city's attractions, tours and activities in peace and quiet with few visitors around.

If you plan to visit Nashville in October you will see that the influx of tourists increases due to the large number of music festivals organized by the city at that time of the year, so the second half of September is one of the ideal times to visit the city with few visitors and with a pleasant weather that will allow you to enjoy the tours.

September is the end of Nashville's high season, so prices in the city decrease drastically, especially in accommodations and tours, making it a good time to enjoy the capital of Tennessee while saving money.

You can also optimize the prices of your city tour by booking tours in advance online and planning an itinerary to get the most out of Nashville tours, which can be a very large city if you don't have an organized trip.

September is a month with a pleasant temperature in Nashville but also with some rain, so I recommend that you pack the following items in your suitcase:

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable shoes
• Sun hat
• Lightweight t-shirt
• Lightweight coat
• Lightweight pants
• Rain jacket
• Waterproof footwear
• Waterproof coat
• Waterproof boots
• Light sweaters
• Umbrellas