Team Building Activities: Nashville Local Guide to Music City Magic
If you need a great spot for team building activities, Nashville, TN, is the place to be. I’ve lived here for six years and I can tell you there’s something truly special about hosting corporate events in this vibrant southern gem.
Now, Nashville isn’t just about country music and honky-tonks—it’s a welcoming city packed with creativity, history, and southern charm, and it’s a perfect backdrop for team building activities and corporate events.
This city is one of the most fulfilling destinations in the country. Thousands relocate here every year (I’m one of them), and even more tourists drop by.
In this insider’s guide, I’ll explore why Nashville team building ideas stand out before diving into my favorite local spots and the top activities that your team will be talking about for years to come.
Why Nashville Team Building Activities Are Unlike Anywhere Else
As a Nashville local who’s spent years exploring every corner of this city, I truly believe that it offers something unique. Team building activities in Nashville, TN, stand out for several reasons:
- Live music everywhere: Nashville—aka Music City—will have live bands playing at all times of the day at dozens of venues. It’s perfect for getting employees pumped up.
- Southern hospitality with urban energy: Nashville is home to warm, welcoming southern roots, but the people here readily embrace growth and innovation. This blend has a way of making visitors feel right at home, and it’s perfect for team building events.
- Diverse neighborhoods: From Broadway to East Nashville, every neighborhood here has a completely different vibe for your team to explore. There’s something for everyone!
- Year-round mild weather: With only the occasional snowstorm in the winter and otherwise pleasant temperatures for most of the year, outdoor team building activities in Nashville are almost always on the menu.
- Walkable downtown: A ton of Nashville’s most iconic landmarks are concentrated in very walkable areas, which makes it super easy to hit multiple stops in a single team building event!
All of this blends into the city’s authentic character, which is what really makes team building activities in Nashville stand out. It’s not trying to be anything other than itself, and that creates a great space to encourage your teams to be authentic too.
Must-See Team Building Destinations for First Timers
If your team is visiting Nashville for the first time, they’re in for a treat! This city has so much to offer newcomers, and the variety of locations, people, and cultures makes for a great experience.
Here’s my current list of must-see spots that make perfect settings for team building in Nashville:
Honky Tonk Highway
Located on Lower Broadway, this is an iconic spot that’s largely what people picture when they think of Nashville. You’ll see multi-story buildings with their windows flung open to let the live music pour down onto the streets, and it just creates this electric atmosphere that people can’t get enough of.
Lower Broadway is definitely more popular with visitors and tourists than locals, but it’s an essential Nashville experience that helps set a high-energy tone for team activities.
East Nashville
Just across the Cumberland River lies East Nashville—a lot of locals come here for the best music and food, and it’s a good spot to avoid tourist crowds in the summer.
The Five Points area is a nice, vibrant choice that offers team building opportunities with quirky Nashville charm. If you’re here in August, your team might even catch the famous Tomato Festival to see everyone dressed up as tomatoes and having a blast!
The Parthenon
Yes, Nashville has a full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon, complete with a 42-foot statue of Athena inside! The Parthenon is the only such replica in the world; people come from all over to visit it and take pictures.
As a bonus, you can take advantage of the surrounding Centennial Park for outdoor team building activities. It has spacious grounds, a beautiful lake, plenty of parking, and close enough proximity for some great photo ops!
Capitol Hill & Farmers Market
The Tennessee State Capitol is nestled atop Capitol Hill, complete with gorgeous views and a beautiful park below that houses a year-round farmers market. You’ll find artisanal food, handmade crafts, fine artwork, fresh produce, and all sorts of unique shops throughout the market.
With how well this little area showcases Nashville’s natural beauty and local culture, I think it’s an ideal spot for scavenger hunts or outdoor challenges.
12 South
This is a trendy little neighborhood packed with cute shops, restaurants, and Insta-worthy murals. In other words, it’s just perfect for team photo challenges and team exploration.
I love spending time in this area because it really combines Nashville’s creative energy with its southern charm, and there’s always some new spot to find and appreciate.
Best Team Building Activities Nashville Has To Offer
After assisting with several team events in Nashville and now having the pleasure of serving as a lead facilitator, I’ve found a list of activities that perfectly capture the city’s unique energy. They’re great for building stronger teams and helping everyone de-stress.
Here are my favorite activities if you’re looking for the best team building Nashville has to offer:
1. Mystery Bus
My very first event as lead facilitator was a Mystery Bus event, and it was an absolute blast! You and your team will hop on the bus without knowing where you’re headed. Then, you’ll enjoy music, trivia, and games to keep the ride exciting on your way to each location.
You’ll spend the day visiting spots around Nashville. It’ll usually include at least one of each:
- Culinary adventure
- Cultural experience
- Low-stress physical activity
Not sure what that’d look like? No worries! Here’s how our adventure went down to give you an idea of the variety you can enjoy:
- Hatch Show Print Museum: Here, team members created their own prints using printing presses that are over 100 years old. They learned about Nashville’s history and had a ton of fun before hopping back on the bus.
- Assembly Food Hall: Next up was the Assembly Food Hall on the Honky Tonk Highway—we all sampled some of Nashville’s best local cuisine thanks to the huge variety under one roof before heading off to the next adventure.
- Lane Auto Museum: When we arrived here, the teams did a Polaroid Scavenger Hunt. Everyone had fun with the friendly competition, taking pictures among quirky vintage cars before wrapping things up at an ice cream truck and getting back on the bus.
- Local supermarket: Finally, we headed to a supermarket and gave each team $50—they had to complete a bunch of challenges in 20 minutes, and we ended up donating about 50 bags of food to a local food bank when it was all said and done!
It’s not just the locations—it’s not knowing where you’re going. This mystery adds excitement, and the varied stops help showcase different aspects of Nashville’s culture.
Even though it was raining all day, the experience was absolutely perfect. It really goes to show that the team building activities Nashville has to offer are almost always adaptable to any conditions.
2. Pub Crawl Scavenger Hunt
Nashville has tons of unique bars and music venues, and it’s simply perfect for our Pub Crawl Scavenger Hunt. You’ll raise team spirit and your glasses as you explore the city, discover its treasures, compete with trivia, and learn more about each other along the way.
Your team will engage in interactive challenges, quizzes, and other fun events as they embark on a laughter-filled bar crawl, enjoying Nashville’s famous hospitality along the way.
I recommend heading to Broadway for this one—there are so many great bars and pubs right next to each other that you can hit as many stops as you’d like! Here are some of the many amazing options:
- Robert’s Western World: Live country bands, cold beers, and famous fried bologna sandwiches
- The Stage on Broadway: More live country music, cold beers, and lots of dancing
- Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row: Live music with top-notch food and service
- Tin Roof: Live music, tavern fare, and a casual atmosphere
- Whiskey Bent Saloon: Rustic tavern with great cocktails, a great beer selection, and live music
- Ole Red: Rooftop dining, live music, and great food (I highly recommend the pulled pork or the fried pickles)
This list could truly keep going—Broadway practically begs for pub crawls that don’t quit. Almost everywhere has live music going on, and there’s always a nice selection of beer, cocktails, and local cuisine. Music City, baby!
3. Music Bus
If you want to really enjoy the music culture here, you might like the Music Bus event! It’s one of the best team building activities Nashville has to offer music fans.
Your team will take on the role of a 90s cover band in a citywide bus adventure that leads up to a fun Battle of the Bands grand finale. They’ll get to participate in hilarious games and activities, hitting up several challenge locations along the way. We’re talking:
- Karaoke
- Trivia
- Building their own instruments
- Listening to live music
- Performing together
- Engaging bus rides between locations
They’ll also learn from professional musicians to prepare themselves for the end, which will be at one of Nashville’s many local music hangouts. There, everyone will get on stage for a Battle of the Bands they’ll never forget.
Your facilitator will pick the music hangout since this is a turnkey event, but if you have somewhere specific in mind, just let us know! TeamBonding is happy to customize any event.
Since it’s Nashville, whatever music spot you end up in is sure to have delicious food and drinks, too. If you want to pick a specific spot, Acme Feed & Seed is always a hit.
4. Global Music Festival
Yep, another music-themed team building activity—Nashville is Music City, after all! The Global Music Festival will have your team embark on a journey using a GPS-guided app that’ll take them to a bunch of “stages” around the city.
Each stage is designed to symbolize your team members and unveils a world of challenges, riddles, and opportunities. As they go, they’ll capture their day through photos, videos, and immersive online experiences.
They’ll also be competing against each other, trying to earn the most points and emerge victorious! Regardless of who takes the crown, though, everyone finishes this one a winner.
For an authentic Nashville experience, consider hitting up a venue near Music Row or somewhere in East Nashville after the event is over. You can catch some of the world’s best musicians performing here regularly (even on weekday afternoons sometimes)!
Alternatively, if you happen to be here in June, consider checking out Nashville’s CMA Fest—the ultimate country music fan experience—or the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which is just under 90 minutes away in Manchester, TN.
5. Charity Guitar Build
Last but not least, why not enjoy Nashville’s musical heritage while participating in some corporate social responsibility or CSR? The Charity Guitar Build makes it easy.
Your whole team will have a great time unleashing their creativity and laughing together through the range of activities involved in this event. They’ll get to:
- Build an electric guitar
- Decorate a custom guitar strap
- Design an album cover
- Create a team song with the help of AI
After the event, the guitars are donated to a local music school to spread the joy of music to aspiring musicians, giving them the tools they need to pursue their passion. This is the primary reason why I think this is one of the coolest team building activities.
Nashville has plenty of places to head after the event—I’d suggest heading to Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint downtown on Fourth. Here, you can order and eat upstairs at their iconic picnic tables, so there’s plenty of room for the whole team. There are even two bars on the second floor!
More Places To Take Your Team After a Team Building Activity: Nashville Gems
You could spend a lifetime exploring Nashville and still have more to see, so it should come as no surprise that I have a couple more to add to this guide. Here are two more amazing places to take your team:
- House of Cards: You’ll get to have great food with a unique experience thanks to wandering magicians performing tableside tricks, a full magic show, and even a beautiful waterfall outside. Seriously, a must-see!
- 615Chutney: This is my personal favorite restaurant—it serves some of the best Indian food around in a relaxed atmosphere that’s perfect for team conversations.
Ready to Plan Your Next Team Building Activities? Nashville Awaits!
After six years in this incredible city and recently getting deeper into team building facilitation, I can confidently say that Nashville corporate events offer something truly special for teams looking to strengthen their bonds and improve their skills.
Whether you’re looking to embrace Nashville’s musical heritage, explore its neighborhoods, or give back to the community, there’s a perfect activity waiting for you in Music City.
I suggest picking team building activities that leverage the city’s unique character while focusing on your team’s specific goals. And we’re here to help!
When you’re ready to start planning your team building adventure, contact us today to discuss custom-tailored experiences that’ll check all the boxes.
