Middle Tennessee Winter Survival Guide

The holidays have passed, and facing the long stretch of winter weather ahead can seem overwhelming and bleak. As the colder temperatures force you to spend more time inside, beat the winter blues by getting out of the house and into a fun indoor activity near you.

ROCK WALL CLIMBING

Get your heart rate up and try something new! Wall climbing gyms are popping up all over the place, including many locations in middle Tennessee:

·        Nashville is home to two locations of Climb Nashville, where you can wall climb at your leisure as well as participate in organized fitness (for both endurance and strength) and yoga classes.

·        Franklin offers a great climbing space called The Crag, which is purely focused on the thrill of the climb. Anyone and everyone can climb here, including kids, teens and adults. For the more competitive climbers, there are seasonal competitions, too. Brentwood residents are about equidistant from Climb Nashville West and The Crag.

·        Murfreesboro’s The Ascent is “more than climbing.” They prescribe to an empowering mantra that embraces challenge, pushes limits, and helps you grow your abilities and confidence in life – not just on the rock wall.

·        Mt. Juliet and Hendersonville are each just a short drive (approximately 25 minutes) from Climb Nashville East.

 

LASTER TAG

Although it’s been around for decades, laser tag remains a great way to break a sweat when the weather outside is less-than-ideal. Check out how laser tag has evolved over the years!

·        Nashville homeowners looking to combine hide-and-seek with a high-tech twist will find what they’re looking for at Laser Quest on 2nd Avenue. Private events as well as open play hours are available.

·        Franklin is home to Hard Knocks, which claims to be the most advanced combat laser tag franchise in the nation. With over 85 mission varieties, players are challenged far beyond traditional laser tag in an urban-style arena and many different laser weapons to choose from.

·        Brentwood residents can enjoy laser tag at either Laser Quest or Hard Knocks (above), as Brentwood is just under 20 minutes from both facilities.

·        Murfreesboro has the family oriented, alcohol free Phazer Kraze, located at 252 River Rock Blvd. Along with laser tag, Phazer Kraze offers birthday packages, lock-ins, group events and an arcade complete with pool table, air hockey and a number of arcade games that will entertain children and adults.

·        Hendersonville’s Holder Family Fun Center boasts a plethora of awesome activities, including: a two-story laser tag arena, 36 bowling lanes, indoor go-kart track, bungee jumping, rock climbing, roller skating and arcade games. Mt. Juliet residents are also within a short drive of the Holder Family Fun Center.

 

ESCAPE GAME

If you’re looking for a thrilling way to pass a chilly afternoon, escape rooms are a new phenomenon that involve team building exercises centered around a story or theme. Players must work together to test their wits to solve clues, puzzles and mysteries in order to “escape.”

·        Nashville is home to two locations of The Escape Game – in both Central and South Nashville. The Escape Room locations offer seven different game themes that involve a combination of strategic thinking, teamwork, bravery, detective skills, tactile interaction, leadership and puzzle-solving skills.

·        Franklin’s Breakout isn’t your average escape room experience, with themes that are all high-adrenaline and intensity.

·        Brentwood is only 15 minutes from The Escape Game’s South Nashville location.

·        Murfreesboro Escape Rooms is all about team-building and creativity. You’ll be immersed in some of the more remarkable rooms in the escape room industry, which are always innovative and completely unique.

·        Hendersonville’s only escape room experience can be found at Exit Tactics, which offers three different themes: Dead and Breakfast, (a scavenger hunt theme), Jail Break, (a challenge for the mind), and Government Secrets.

 

NIGHT OUT AT THE THEATER

Whether you’re into the symphony, rock concerts, comedy, plays or musicals, there are a multitude of theater venues and events in middle Tennessee.

·        Nashville’s Symphony is led by music director Giancarlo Guerrero and is one of the largest and longest-running non-profit performing arts organizations in the state. The symphony performs 170 times a year, and their numbers include classical, jazz and pop music. They also put on family programs and are involved in community outreach.

·        Franklin’s creative residents first established The Franklin Theater in 1937. Today, the theater shows movies, live music, live theater, Superbowl showings, comedy shows and their annual Evening of Stories. Another live event space in Franklin is The Factory, which was revitalized in 2012. Here, you can enjoy live music, comedy and live theater.

·        Brentwood is the home of the Towne Centre Theatre, a small live performance theater that’s currently putting on their version of Smokey Joe’s Café: by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

·        Murfreesboro Little Theater is a wonderful community theater in middle Tennessee, where you can see plays like The Crucible, Catfish Moon, Rumors, The Goat, Pocatello, and Arsenic and Old Lace.

·        Hendersonville Performing Arts Company produces live theater that is family oriented. All of their performers are learning, as HPAC is a teaching theater. This year’s productions are Charlotte’s Web, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Everybody Loves Opal.

 

PREDATORS GAME

Take in a professional game of ice hockey at the Ford Ice Center, where the Nashville Predators play. Ice hockey not your thing? Bring the whole family to enjoy indoor ice skating on The Predators’ training rink. Birthday party packages and skating lessons are also available.