“This is my go-to Zen place. It’s about 20–25 minutes outside of Nashville, and I can best describe it as a man-made state park sort of area. When you come here for the first time, it will give you crop circle energy. It’s a giant paved field in the middle of nowhere where you can spend hours and maybe see only two or three other people. I like to take my dog out there and just let it off the leash. It’s one of my favorite places to get sunlight in Nashville.”

“I could talk about this spot forever! Degthai is a relatively new place that popped up super close to where I lived. It’s hidden in between car dealerships and lawyers’ offices, but it’s this really bright, vibrant Thai spot in the middle of this very nonculinary environment. The food is incredible. I have to recommend the pad thai here—it’s classic. It’s super affordable and their entire menu is delicious. It’s where I like to go with music friends after shows and rehearsals.”

“McKay’s was a quintessential part of my childhood back in Knoxville, where they have a store as well. McKay’s is a two-story warehouse where they sell used books, DVDs, and CDs, but they also just have video games, music gear, and random things like old technology. So it’s all used things at great prices that are brought in by people from Nashville. They have a 92¢ CD section, which is where I would spend so much of my time as a kid, finding all the classics for 25¢.”

“BE-Hive is a vegan spot located in East Nashville, and it’s pretty baller. They have a vegan hot chicken sandwich, which is one of my favorite things in the world. It’s based on plant protein that’s so good. They’re usually open late, which is so great and hard to find in Nashville.”

“This coffee spot is owned and run by the guy that’s also playing drums in my band and helping out a ton with music stuff. It’s located inside Nelson Drum Shop, which is a hub for musicians in Nashville to pick up music gear. It’s a great community spot where people come together and catch up.”

“Similar to Bell Bend, it’s kind of a random trail in the middle of all these neighborhoods in Nashville. I love taking the dog there. I go there with my girlfriend all the time. It’s a very awesome way, if you only have half an hour, to get outside—just head to Radnor and walk the trail for a minute. It’s super pristine and there’s tons of animals out there. It’s really beautiful.”

“The cool thing about Two Rivers is that there’s a massive skate park at the entrance. It’s another place where I always see a lot of friends. I like to run, so I’ll go out to the greenway, but I like to stop at the skate park and catch up with bunch of buddies first. I can spend hours out there. It’s another place where you can get lost, but not too lost. Also, there’s this giant suspension bridge in the park where you can catch the perfect sunrise and sunset in Nashville.”

“Airpark is an old, abandoned airfield. It used to be a private airport, but now it’s an open-air track that’s like a mile, maybe a mile and a half total, where people go out to run and ride bikes. A lot of people go out there and roller-skate too. It’s also another really awesome place for sunsets and to just enjoy time outdoors.”

“Portland Brew East is one of my favorite lunch and coffee spot. It’s super close to where I live now, and I will always see people I know there. When I first moved to town, I would just go sit there for hours and spot the other musicians. Everybody is just talking to everybody there. It’s really awesome, and it’s a really charming spot as well. My go-to order? I like to go for a large black iced coffee and a chocolate chip scone, which are immaculate.”

“This is another outdoor spot that I love. It’s a bit different than the others I mentioned, as you have to pay an entrance fee. It’s been kept up very well, and they have different gardens where you can spend time. Kids love this place too. There’s a remote-controlled train track that runs through this intricate cabin scene. It’s just a really fun place to go.”