The Endangered Species in Our Own Nashville Backyard

Your Guide to July 2026 in Nashville

America is turning 250 years old, and we’ve got your ultimate guide to July in Nashville! Join creative producer Marie Cecile Anderson, newsletter editor Margaret Kingsbury, and executive producer Whitney Pastorek as they talk about the best things to do this month, from urban exploring ideas to ways to step outside your comfort zone. Plus, the details on how to enjoy — or avoid — the two-day 4th of July spectacular downtown. Learn more about the sponsors of this July 1st episode: Adventure Science Center [https://www.adventuresci.org/] Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor [http://membership.citycast.fm/nashville]. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville [http://membership.citycast.fm/nashville] Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our City Cast Nashville newsletter.  [https://nashville.citycast.fm/subscribe-hey-nashville-newsletter-tennessee] Follow us @citycastnashville [https://www.instagram.com/citycastnashville/] You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE [https://citycast.fm/advertise/].

How Hot Chicken Became Nashville’s Most Iconic Food

Once upon a time, then-Mayor Bill Purcell decided to spread the good news of hot chicken [https://bittersoutherner.com/how-hot-chicken-really-happened] to the masses, via a festival in East Park as part of Nashville’s bicentennial. Twenty years later, the Music City Hot Chicken Festival [https://www.hot-chicken.com/] (a July 4th tradition) continues to thrive, and hot chicken outposts can be found as far away as Uzbekistan. Mayor Purcell sits down with Marie Cecile Anderson to tell us about his four decade journey with the spiciest of fowl. Learn more about the sponsors of this June 30th episode: Adventure Science Center [https://www.adventuresci.org/] Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor [http://membership.citycast.fm/nashville]. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville [http://membership.citycast.fm/nashville] Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our City Cast Nashville newsletter.  [https://nashville.citycast.fm/subscribe-hey-nashville-newsletter-tennessee] Follow us @citycastnashville [https://www.instagram.com/citycastnashville/] You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE [https://citycast.fm/advertise/].

The Enslaved People Who Built Nashville

Here's a piece of history you probably didn't learn in school: The city of Nashville once owned enslaved people. Historian and contributor Betsy Phillips [https://betsyphillips.net/] joins us to share their stories and discuss how our city is beginning to recognize their contributions and honor their legacy, including the recent installation of a memorial bench at City Cemetery [https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/opinion-slaves-of-nashville-city-cemetery-memorial/article_535ee195-1e0f-4875-a55f-109c4f298b10.html?_gl=1*1006tll*_up*MQ..*_ga*MjA4MjI4ODczMC4xNzgyNDkyMjE0*_ga_XDLWX3K0WR*czE3ODI0OTIyMTMkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODI0OTIyNDMkajMwJGwwJGgw*_ga_4T2EB147B8*czE3ODI0OTIyMTMkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODI0OTIyNDMkajMwJGwwJGgw]. Content warning: This episode includes historical discussions of slavery and the lived experiences of enslaved people that some listeners may find difficult. Please listen with care. Learn more about the sponsors of this June 29th episode: Adventure Science Center [https://www.adventuresci.org/] Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor [http://membership.citycast.fm/nashville]. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville [http://membership.citycast.fm/nashville] Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our City Cast Nashville newsletter.  [https://nashville.citycast.fm/subscribe-hey-nashville-newsletter-tennessee] Follow us @citycastnashville [https://www.instagram.com/citycastnashville/] You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE [https://citycast.fm/advertise/].

'Your City Could Be Better': How Denver Is Fixing Its Sidewalks — Presented By City Cast Nashville

Just how good are the sidewalks in Nashville? The state of a city’s sidewalks can be a good indicator of how healthy that city is — and pedestrian safety is just the beginning. In Denver, voters approved a new fee a few years ago to fund much-needed sidewalk repairs, and after a lot of back-and-forth, those repairs are finally underway. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Denver [https://denver.citycast.fm/] podcast host Bree Davies about what drove this initiative, how it’s going, and who’s paying for it. And speaking of sidewalks, do bikes, scooters, and people playing music belong on public sidewalks? Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? Email David now!  [yourcitycouldbebetter@citycast.fm] We’re also on Instagram: @yourcitycouldbebetter [https://www.instagram.com/yourcitycouldbebetter] Looking to advertise on Your City Could Be Better? Check out our options [https://citycast.fm/advertise].

Why Are Cheekwood’s Neighbors Trying To Shut It Down? Plus, Pride Preview

We can’t get enough of the news that a man who lives literally next door to Cheekwood is trying to get the Board of Zoning Appeals to give Cheekwood a stop work order [https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/cheekwood-petition-parking-belle-meade-legal-battle/article_7b72afb8-4ba5-5d82-86b1-83ad34c29b5e.html] due to traffic volume, so Marie Cecile Anderson is digging into all the details with executive producer Whitney Pastorek and musician at large Freddy Angelico [https://www.instagram.com/freddyangelico/]. Plus: What did the mayor know about the zoo data center [https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/zoo-data-center-mayor-oconnell-dc-blox/article_61227d6a-6e2d-5c4b-b0a5-d9c3c666fa1a.html] and when did he know it? We’ve also got your Pride preview [https://www.nashvillescene.com/arts_culture/coverstory/nashville-pride-issue-2026/article_9467a463-125e-4377-b62e-c277c6d3ed00.html?_gl=1*16uw6l6*_up*MQ..*_ga*ODkzMzIxNjQyLjE3ODI0MTU5NzU.*_ga_XDLWX3K0WR*czE3ODI0MTU5NzQkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODI0MTU5NzQkajYwJGwwJGgw] for the weekend, and in our special members-only bonus segment, Hell Naw, it’s time to talk about poop. Learn more about the sponsors of this June 26th episode: Andrew Jackson's Hermitage [https://thehermitage.com/] Adventure Science Center [https://www.adventuresci.org/] Get more from City Cast Nashville when you become a City Cast Nashville Neighbor [http://membership.citycast.fm/nashville]. You’ll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm/nashville [http://membership.citycast.fm/nashville] Want some more City Cast Nashville news? Then make sure to sign up for our City Cast Nashville newsletter.  [https://nashville.citycast.fm/subscribe-hey-nashville-newsletter-tennessee] Follow us @citycastnashville [https://www.instagram.com/citycastnashville/] You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 615-200-6392 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE [https://citycast.fm/advertise/].