Welcome to The Nashville Insider, as presented by NashvilleBarBike.com here in Music City. We are so glad that you want to come visit our favorite city for Halloween this year. No matter what time of year you plan a trip to Nashville, there is something fun to do and for this particular list we want to spotlight some local activities happening in October. From wine to zoo animals, live music and more, we are so pumped to have you all as our guests this year. Keep reading to find out what’s happening in the realm of shows, activities and off the wall experiences you can take part in while in Nashville this spooky season.
Vinyl Tap Spooky Ghoul Fest
4.5 ★
Hosted by Vinyl Tap on Greenwood Ave in East Nashville, the 2022 Spooky Ghoul Fest on October 22nd is where the music lovers want to be. Featuring live music, drinks, vendors and more from 2 pm – 11 pm, the Spooky Ghoul Fest is for everyone from kids and pets during the day to a grown up style party later in the evening. This is a free event and there’s even a costume contest happening so hurry up and plan to spend the day at Vinyl Tap, one of Nashville’s favorite stops for vinyl, drinks and live music. Extra cool points to anyone who catches the venue’s name reference. Record lovers prepare to find great deals on albums that you might have forgotten about, Vinyl Tap is one of Nashville’s many prime vinyl stores.
Boo at the Zoo
4.6 ★
This particular event has been mentioned before on last year’s Halloween post, along with multiple other Nashville Zoo based events. Boo at the Zoo is an annual fall-themed scene full of activities for children and their parents. From October 14-30th every day from 5 pm – 9 pm, you can dress up to come see the animals and participate in a myriad of activities including a Monster Mash dance floor and trick-or-treating. Tickets are quite affordable at under 25$ each (varying depending on the day) and since this is a family friendly experience, scary costumes are not permitted. When you need the perfect way to celebrate Halloween without terrifying the kids, you can head over to Nashville Zoo’s Boo in the Zoo and have the time of your life.
Halloween Pooch Party
4.6 ★
Cheekwood Estates and Gardens has been mentioned here on the blog multiple times over the years and with good reason. Throughout the year, there are tons of activities hosted at this location, not to mention the sheer beauty of the gardens regardless of what event might be happening at the time. For Halloween specifically, Cheekwood Estates and Garden is hosting a Halloween Pooch Party for all the dog enthusiasts out there. Dress up and leash up your pup and come out to Cheekwood on Saturday October 22nd- 23rd to hang out with tons of vendors, food trucks and even enter the costume contest. Everything from dog yoga to live music will be available at this special event so you won’t want to miss out. Don’t be surprised when you see Cheekwood on past articles no matter what time of year or holiday season is held in the spotlight.
The Return of the Halloween Ball
4.6 ★
Presented by local favorite venue EXIT/IN, here’s another event for those who came to Nashville (a.k.a Music City) to get in some live shows. The Return of the Halloween Ball, happening on Halloween 2022 is full of live music, vendors and of course, the awesome service and drinks that we can’t seem to get enough of at this popular venue. Mentioned here on the Nashville Insider many times, EXIT/IN has been an essential part of Nashville’s music scene for 50 years and is always bound to provide you with a night that is exquisite. With a 15$ cover, you will get much more than you paid for with this event at Elliston Place. Doors open at 6 pm and the show starts at 7 pm, and you can even book your tickets in advance to guarantee your spot inside. Check out their online calender anytime you find yourself in Nashville, they have a knack for booking only the best bands available.
The Rocky Horror Show at City Winery
4.8 ★
Anyone who has seen a live performance of The Rocky Horror Show knows how essential this particular play is to the Halloween experience. For many years, folks have gathered in massive groups to go out and see performances put on by groups all over the country. While the movie and countless television adaptations have done their best to portray the story, there is something special about an interactive show created by any local company. This year, on Monday October 31st book your seats at City Winery on Lafayette street in Nashville for what is bound to be your new favorite telling of this classic story. Dress up like your favorite character and purchase an additional bag of props for 5$ and become truly immersed in the play and even look into showing up early for dinner before everything starts. Please do not bring your own props, you won’t need more than what’s in the 5$ bag.
Corks and Candies at City Winery
4.8 ★
City Winery on Lafayette street is one of those locations that gets regular mention here on the Nashville Insider and even two mentions for this particular article. They always have something fun happening and Corks and Candies is another October event that will keep you wanting to come back to see what they are doing throughout the year. Celebrate National Chocolate Day with them on October 28th for a Wine and Halloween Candy pairing class. Unlike the average wine and cheese or meal pairings, this one is for the grown ups who want to put a twist on the old trick-or-treat tradition by making it more adult. Beginning at 7 pm, wine lovers can satisfy their sweet tooth with winemaker Michelle Folette-Bell at Corks and Candies.
Nashville Tequila Festival
4.8 ★
If you are the type of person who loves Tequila and is on a mission to try every kind that exists, you can make a huge dent in your list at the Nashville Tequila Festival at onec1ty on 8 City Blvd. On Saturday October 22nd, come out and sample over 70 different types of tequila while supporting the TennGreen Land Conservancy. This event is going down rain or shine and there’s plenty to do outside of sampling the various alcohol. 21+ only, this is for the grown folk who like to have a good time. Photo booths, face painting, dance floors and food trucks all come together at this massive event to celebrate this year’s spooky season. General admission tickets include up to 15 tastings, access to tons of activities and a generally spooky and interesting time. VIP tickets add on some special treats like an exclusive virtual reality haunted house and a complimentary salsa bar. From 6-9 pm on October 22nd, come out and support one of Nashville’s many conservancy programs while celebrating Halloween in a Day of The Dead fashion. You might end up leaving with a new favorite liquor, if you can remember which was the best out of 15 different tastings.
Halloween Costume Bike Ride
4.6 ★
Thursday, October 27th right before Halloween, a multitude of bicycle groups will be hosting a Halloween Costume Bike Ride through Nashville. Music City Dope Pedalers, Walk Bike Nashville, Oasis Bike Workshop and Bike for Equality have all teamed up to present this 8 mile long costumed ride and contest through Nashville. For about 45 minutes, follow this group of cycle lovers around the city, get your photo taken with everyone and participate in a costume contest. Categories include Best Costume 17 and under, Best Costume 18 and over, Scariest Costume, Funniest Costume and Best Bike Decoration. After the ride, you can stick around for refreshments and mingling with other cycle enthusiasts. Reservations for this event are not required but absolutely encouraged. Beginning and ending at Patagonia in downtown Nashville, this ride will take you all over the city, including a stop at Centennial Park for the photo op. Here at Nashville Bar Bike, we LOVE to ride bicycles so you never know, you might run into one of our #BarBike hosts while you’re on this adventure.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow a one-man Adaptation
4.9 ★
Presented at the home of former president Andrew Jackson, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a one-man adaptation is happening on October 28th with two showings, one at 6:30 pm and one at 8 pm. A totally different take on the long loved story, this performance is between 25-30$ and is sure to be something unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Enjoy watching Neill Hartley portray Ichabod Crane along with everyone else set in the town of Tarrytown New York and enjoy Sleepy Hollow in a brand new way. A portion of ticket proceeds go towards keeping the Andrew Jackson Foundation’s mission to keep Andrew Jackson’s home up and running for the public and tickets sell out quickly so go ahead and purchase yours sooner rather than later. Neill Hartley comes all the way from Philly to put this performance on so you know there’s something to be said for the time spent.
Conclusion
Now you may have finished reading this list and are wondering where the haunted houses are. Don’t worry, our next piece will feature a definitive list of Haunted Houses here in Nashville so be sure to keep an eye out for that one. For now, we hope that you have found more than enough to keep yourselves busy during October while visiting Music City. Be sure to take a look at our past articles, there is always some sort of interesting bit going on in Nashville and here at The Nashville Insider we are always on a mission to tell you about anything we have to offer. Until next time, thank you for reading with us at NashvilleBarBike.com