Almost Friday, Nashville! It’s Thursday, September 24. New in Nashville’s neighborhoods: pushback against a new street map, a father and daughter fighting her school expulsion, a road project taking longer than expected, and a taco chain’s first location in Nashville.
⛅ Weather
Partly sunny with more sunshine through at least early next week. High: 80, Low: 62.
⚠️ Nashville cuts international tourism forecast
How important is tourism to Nashvillians? “If it were not for the state and local taxes generated by tourism, each Nashville household would pay $3,674 more in state and local taxes,” tourism officials said last month.
That’s why I’ve been watching for signals about international visitors to Nashville now that the trade war with Canada has reignited. Before the trade wars, Canadians made up more than half of our city’s international visitors.
In a new forecast shared by Nashville tourism officials this week, they slightly cut the number of international visitors expected this year to about 372,000 from more than 379,000 projected in May.
Translation: The losses during last year’s trade wars (and a Canadian boycott of U.S. tourism) appear to be lingering. Tourism officials said earlier this year the number of international visitors in Nashville dropped more than 10% in 2025. It won’t fully recover this year because it’s only expected to increase 0.7%.
American tourists are helping to make up the difference with overall visitors expected to increase 2.6% to 17.8 million people.
❌ Restraining order granted against Dolly Parton’s nephew
He announced Dolly Parton’s death, and now he’s banned from interacting with anyone tied to the company that runs her business empire. A Nashville judge granted a temporary restraining order yesterday against Bryan Seaver, Parton’s nephew and now-fired head of security.
“Mr. Seaver has expressly threatened to ‘destroy’ Ms. Parton’s brand, interfere with entities associated with Dollywood, establish a public platform for the stated purpose of ‘ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships,’ and retaliate against persons whom he believes have acted against his family,” the judge wrote in her order. “Mr. Seaver has also repeatedly asserted his experience with violence, access to weapons, involvement in the international sale of arms and ammunition, and willingness to engage in retaliatory conduct.”
Seaver called the lawsuit from She’s Alive, LLC a “publicity stunt” in an interview with ABC News. He told the network he was fired over “spurious threats.”
You can read the full lawsuit with alleged quotes from text messages and emails here. And here’s a link to the judge’s order.
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🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
Downtown (and nearby)
New street map for Wasioto Bend: It’s mostly industrial now, but properties around the scrap yard on Nashville’s East Bank could eventually have high rises, with one as tall as 50 stories. Ahead of that transformation, Metro’s Planning Commission is scheduled to vote this afternoon on a new street layout, which you can see here on page 11. Some pedestrian-focused groups like Metro’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee have shared concerns about the proposed width of the new East Bank Boulevard. It “undercuts pedestrian safety from day one by increasing crossing distances and vehicular speeds,” one member said. Planning Commission staff responded that the streets can still be “designed to support and enhance a safe pedestrian experience,” and they want to be prepared for future growth. Several property owners have also shared concerns that the new streets will cut through their land.
Self-pour wine bar: Vagabond Wine Bar just received its building permit for a new location at 1000 Division Street. It’ll feature “100 self-pour wines and shareable plates” when it opens late this year, according to Visit Music City.
Antioch
Not giving up: A father and daughter who claim she was wrongfully expelled from Antioch High School for doing the right thing — turning in a threatening note she found in the school’s bathroom — said several school board members finally responded to their pleas to reverse her expulsion. They didn’t get the answer they wanted. “I was told that my daughter and I failed to follow policy to complete the appeals process, and that nothing more could be done,” the father said. “That’s simply untrue.” The family has spoken at school board meetings for months. They’ve repeatedly said a handwriting expert hired by them concluded she did not write the note, but the district has refused to reverse its decision.
Responding to public concerns: A developer adjusted plans for nearly 70 new townhomes on about six acres at 5683 Cane Ridge Road after getting public feedback, according to a note shared by Metro Council member Antoinette Lee. Changes include “signal improvements at Cane Ridge Road and Old Franklin Road to improve traffic movements” and a new privacy fence “to enhance the site buffer.” Here’s a link to the plans submitted to Metro in March.
Madison
Taco chain opening: The Taco Spot plans to open at 129 Gallatin Pike North, a new building permit says. Its Instagram says it’s home to the “viral birria taco.” The Madison restaurant will be the chain’s first in Tennessee.
Wedgewood-Houston
Timeline for Chestnut Street work: Construction is moving slower than originally expected for Nashville’s first “Complete Street” project. It “will feature safer crossings from 8th Avenue South to Lafayette Street, improved sidewalks and bus stops, and protected bike lanes,” Metro announced in July. At the time, Metro said construction was expected to be completed this year. The first phase, including a raised crosswalk outside the new Truth music venue, is complete. However, NDOT says underground, stormwater, and concrete work continues, and paving will start in March. Construction is expected to be finished by late May or early June. The project is part of Nashville’s Choose How You Move transit plan, which voters agreed to fund through a sales tax increase.
Near Belle Meade
Future of Dalts: I reported two weeks ago that Dalts American Grill would be torn down and rebuilt. Now, we have a better idea of when it’ll reopen. The new owners told the Nashville Scene that “the reopening timeline has slid from 2026 to early 2027,” but they didn’t want to give specific dates.
East Nashville
Tree lawsuit: A family on Newhall Drive sued Legacy South Builders for allegedly cutting down a $59,400 hackberry tree while clearing a neighbor’s land for construction. The tree stood on the property line with their neighbor, so the family says the builders needed permission before cutting down the tree. One of the workers admitted “We screwed up,” the lawsuit said. You can read it here.
North Nashville
New restaurant: Dragon Bowl & Boba plans to open a new restaurant at 1038 28th Avenue North, according to a new building permit.
📰 A few final headlines…
Child care shortage: I’ve reported repeatedly on Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services asking Nashville judges to shut down unlicensed daycares, and a new report helps explain why parents are turning to them. Davidson County’s licensed or regulated child care facilities have about 3,500 fewer seats than children who need them, according to Tennessee’s Commission on Children and Youth. We have the biggest shortage in Tennessee. On top of that, the average tuition for a child in Davidson County ranges between about $11,500 and nearly $14,000 depending on their age. The Metro Council recently loosened zoning restrictions to make it easier for facilities to open.
Don’t be alarmed: Nashville International Airport will hold a “full-scale emergency drill” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. “The mock emergency scenario entails actual fire and smoke that may be noticeable to the public during the planned simulation,” a post shared by Metro Council member Russ Bradford said. The drills are required every three years.
Facial recognition: Nashville’s airport police have been using an artificial intelligence facial recognition system since 2020, the Nashville Scene reported.
Starbucks upgrades: Starbucks calls it an “uplift.” It’s planning to redesign at least some stores in Nashville as part of a plan to upgrade at least 500 more locations across the country by the end of the year and more in 2027. Starbucks didn’t list specific locations in Nashville that’ll be impacted, but here’s its explanation of what an “uplift” looks like.
Nashville Film Festival: It starts today and runs through Wednesday. I just checked, and tickets are still available. Actress Nicole Kidman shared this message about the event.
Poll results: I asked nash.news readers yesterday whether they support Nashville’s investment in the East Bank. 56% of respondents said yes. 44% said no.
🧠 Today’s quiz: Unscramble
Test your memory. Unscramble these words from yesterday’s newsletter.
AAWW
OMTRNGEANW
OSLUERPBW
YAWMO
🍔 MAP: click here for restaurant inspections across Nashville. And here’s a list version.
Correction, feedback, question? Just reply to this email or email me directly at ryan@nash.news. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow! —Ryan