Marie Cecile Anderson and all 12 other City Cast podcast hosts (from Austin, Boise, Chicago, DC, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Madison, Philly, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Salt Lake City) compete head-to-head in a high-stakes showdown to answer the question that’s been burning up our company-wide Slack for weeks: which city is the best for a summer weekend trip? From naked bike rides to ‘the country’s best farmers market,’ pickle festivals to Elvis impersonators driving pink convertibles, our hosts are bringing the best of the best of what their city has to offer. Did your city win?

Take our interactive quiz to see which city best fits YOUR vibe!

American Legion Post 82 on Gallatin might be known as a great honky-tonk, but this 4th of July weekend is a great time to learn what it really does. Post commanders Shannon Rasmussen, Eric Rasmussen, and Josh Jordan join host Marie Cecile Anderson to talk about how they’re leveraging Nashville’s music scene to provide healing and community for their fellow veterans.

**This episode originally aired Feb. 19, 2025

If you enjoyed today's interview with the Nashville Zoo's Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Jim Bartoo, learn more here.

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Whether you’re looking for the best place to see fireworks or the coolest indoor activities, we’ve got you covered for the month ahead. Host Marie Cecile Anderson, producer Daniel Sumstine, and Hey Nashville newsletter editor Margaret Kingsbury preview their can’t-miss picks, from art walks to punk rock.

If you’re looking for even MORE options, we’ve featured some great activities and important news stories across the city in recent episodes: You can go visit the baby eagles at Radnor Lake State Park, or belt out a tune on the Lipstick Lounge’s famous karaoke stage. There’s a new sculpture exhibit surrounding Athena at the Parthenon, and about a billion great things for kids to do while school’s out. Plus, we’ve taken you inside the Metro budget, learned why Nashville is not a “sanctuary city,” and celebrated Ed the Zebra with a fun roundup of other loose animals running wild in Music City.

If you’re new here, welcome! City Cast Nashville brings you a new episode every weekday morning with the day's can't-miss conversation about life in Music City. We’re covering the news and culture of our endlessly growing city from every perspective we can find — including yours. It’s like a backyard barbecue and the whole town’s invited, so whether you’ve lived here for a blink or a lifetime, we hope you’ll pull up a lawn chair and sit a while. Learn more at nashville.citycast.fm.

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Just in time for the Fourth of July, a baby eagle is about to take flight at Radnor Lake State Park! Meanwhile, Park Manager Steve Ward and his team are busy expanding the park to include more butterfly-friendly grassland, and renovating trails to make them accessible for everyone. Steve joins host Marie Cecile Anderson to take you inside the spectacular 1400-acre natural area that’s right outside our back doors.

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Who’s in charge of the future East Bank Boulevard? It’s a potato that’s hotter than this weather. Nashville Scene columnist and City Cast Nashville contributor Nicole Williams joins host Marie Cecile Anderson and executive producer Whitney Pastorek for the latest on that, the surprising news about who’s paying too much in taxes, the lawsuit seven Metro Councilmembers just filed against the state, and more. Plus, happy Pride, y’all!

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 27th episode:

Nashville Zoo

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The Lipstick Lounge is one of the last remaining lesbian bars in the country, but as co-owner Christa Suppan reminds us, it’s really just a bar for humans. She joins host Marie Cecile Anderson to take us inside her legendary karaoke spot and give us a preview of Chapstick, the new women’s sports bar they’re building in the back. When will it open? We’ve got your exclusive! Happy Pride, y’all!

Watch the video of Melissa Etheridge doing karaoke at Lipstick here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 26th episode:

Nashville Zoo

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Federal officials recently accused Nashville of being a “sanctuary city.” Are we? District 30 Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda is here to clarify what that term really means, discuss a new state law making it a felony for city leaders to “adopt or maintain sanctuary policies,” and tell us why her Nashville SC supporters group La Brigada De Oro took a stand against ICE enforcement actions.

**UPDATE: Yesterday afternoon, seven Metro Councilmembers, including CM Sepulveda, filed a lawsuit against the state to challenge whether the new felony law is constitutional.

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 25th episode:

Nashville Zoo

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Metro Nashville’s budget for fiscal year 2026 is set, and once again, the Southern Movement Committee’s Varsity Spending Plan — which inspired the Office of Youth Safety — played a key role. SMC executive director Erica Perry and organizing director Jamel Campbell-Gooch sit down with host Marie Cecile Anderson to talk about their work and where it goes from here.

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 24th episode:

Nashville Zoo

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Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. How is that law already impacting Nashville families? Host Marie Cecile Anderson speaks with two local moms, both of whom are raising trans/non-binary/gender-queer kids: Lindsey Patrick-Wright, whose family has chosen to stay in the Nashville area; and Taylor,* who relocated to a different state last year due to fears for her child’s safety. 

*Name has been changed by request

** This episode originally aired Jan. 7, 2025

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 23rd episode:

Nashville Zoo

Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST

Are you being personally impacted by a local or national news story? We want to hear from you! Email us.

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City Cast hosts are on the pulse of what’s happening in our communities. So Marie Cecile Anderson and all 12 other hosts sat down with City Cast CEO David Plotz to talk about creative local problem solving that might work in your hometown too and to commiserate about stressors affecting most of our cities, from unaffordable housing to bike lanes.

Learn more about the sponsors of this June 20th episode:

Nashville Zoo - The first 2,000 guests to visit the Zoo on June 20, for the ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m, get a free Leopard Forest bandana.

Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST