10 Things to Do in Nashville in September

Nashville is one of the most visited cities in the American South in the summer, and as the summer season winds down and autumn begins, the Tennessee capital continues to maintain a pleasant climate and ushers in the season of festivals, music 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 on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge to coincide with the start of autumn 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're planning to visit in September , you can join the tractor tour celebrating the start of harvest by caravanning through downtown Nashville on the festive tractors. Be sure to book your place at a Nashville tractor party, you'll be amazed.

On 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 starts in September during the beginning of the harvest in the south of the United States and ends in November with Thanksgiving.

Please note that as most of these activities include an open bar , you must be over 21 years of age to participate in the tractor tours.

Interesting details

• Price... Around €47.
• When... Thursdays to Sundays.
• Where... Nashville.

The Nashville Whiskey Festival is one of the city's most eclectic events and brings together whisky novices, aficionados and connoisseurs alike for a weekend of whiskey lectures, live music performances, food trucks and booths, and whiskey tastings each September.

The festival also features whisky competitions in which whisky experts compete blind and the participant who guesses the quality of each bottle wins, making it one of the most engaging activities of the event. If you visit Nashville in September, the Whiskey Festival is one of the city's best food tours.

The event is hosted by Nashville's top distilleries and experts from each company provide seminars, talks and lectures for attendees, so if you're a whiskey aficionado you'll really enjoy the event. And in case you enjoyed it, be sure to book a tour of the Jack Daniel's distillery.

Interesting details

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

In September each year the Nashville Public Library opens its doors and offers free lunchtime concerts in 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 cancelled 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 eat and drink, and it's one of the most interesting and popular free events in Nashville during September.

The library is located in the city centre and is accessible by the 52 bus or the Nashville Sightseeing Bus, which includes a stop 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 stalls, 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 best 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. In fact, many visitors book a lunch cruise in Nashville.

Details of interest

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

The John Seigenthaler Bridge, at almost 2 kilometres long, is one of the largest bridges in Nashville and one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world. It connects the city's historic district with Riverside Park on the East Bank Greenway, linking two of the most important points in Tennessee's capital city. From here, on clear days in autumn, you can access some of the most beautiful open views of the city.

Since this century-old bridge was closed to vehicles, it has become a popular place for pedestrians to visit, especially during the autumn 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 panorama of Nashville.

The bridge also has a cycling and Segway lane, so you can make the most of your time by booking a guided Segway tour in Nashville, which is ideal if you're planning a short stay in the city. If that's your case, here's a list of activities to help you discover Nashville in 3 days

Interesting details

• Price... Free of charge.
• When... Any time of the year, although September is ideal for clear skies.
• Where... John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge.

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

The festival is held each year in September and includes African film screenings, theatre performances, food stalls 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 recognised as one of the premier events to promote cultural exchange between Africa and the United States. If your trip doesn't coincide with this event, be sure to book tickets to Nashville's National Museum of African American Music.

Details of interest

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

Edwin and Percy Warner Parks, just outside Nashville, are Tennessee's main urbanised green lung and each year attract millions of visitors who stroll the trails, bike the nature trails and enjoy the great 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 transport buses or by one of the city's tour buses, which include a stop in the park area. You can also book the Nashville Sightseeing Trolley Tour. Admission is free and it's one of the best things to do with kids in Nashville if you're planning to see 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 mild and the forest changes its skin, transforming the green of its vegetation into a blanket of dry leaves, where you can take some of the best pictures of Nashville!

Interesting details

• Price... Admission is free.
• When... Beginning in September.
• Where... Warner Parks.

The Southern Book Fair is one of Nashville's most popular cultural events and one of the oldest literary festivals in the country, welcoming hundreds of authors and thousands of visitors from Tennessee and the surrounding area each year. This free festival is held at War Memorial Plaza on a weekend in September.

With activities for adults and children, performance stages, food trucks and booths, publisher and bookseller venues, virtual programming and evening activities, this is 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 town and take some of Nashville's best tours starting at the sites near the Tennessee Capitol and Legislative Plaza. There you can start Downtown walking tours, Segway tours, bike tours or even book a golf cart tour of Nashville to make the most of your tour time.

Interesting details

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

The Nashville Cultural Festival is an event celebrating the diversity 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 around the city, food stalls offering dishes from around the world, children's activities, teen areas and, as you'd expect in Tennessee, music concerts.

This festival takes place every year during a weekend in September at different venues 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. I recommend you book a tour on the Nashville sightseeing bus to get between the different venues.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to the event is free.
• When... Every year on a weekend in September.
• Where... Various locations around Nashville.

The Tennessee State Fair is the state's premier event, held each year in September to promote regional culture and as a gathering place for 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 each year during the second week of September, including the surrounding weekends, at the Nashville Fairgrounds and attracts local celebrities, especially during the opening and closing ceremonies, which take place on the last day of the event.

The fair also organises 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 on a weekend in September.
• Where... Hadley Park, Nashville.

The maximum temperature in Nashville in September is 25° and the minimum 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'll be able to see some of the best views of the city, especially in the city's parks and green lungs.

Bear in mind that while September tends to include mostly clear days , it's also a rainy season, so always carry a waterproof coat on your tours.

Nashville's peak 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 best things to see and do in Nashville in peace and quiet with few other visitors around.

If you're planning to visit Nashville in October, you'll find that the influx of tourists increases due to the large number of music festivals the city hosts at that time of year, so the second half of September is one of the ideal times to visit the city with few visitors and pleasant weather that will allow you to enjoy the tours.

September marks the end of Nashville's peak season and prices in the city drop dramatically, especially for accommodation and tours, making it a great time to enjoy Tennessee's capital city while saving money.

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

September is a month with a very good 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.
• Light coat.
• Lightweight trousers.
• Mackintosh.
• Waterproof footwear.
• Waterproof coat.
• Waterproof boots.
• Light jumpers.
• Umbrellas.