Let me start by saying Nashville has been my hometown for 23 years and I do not condone tourist activities under any circumstances. For the other locals who also feel like those ridiculous people you see pedaling around downtown are all crazy and must be out-of-town-ers, you are wrong. This activity is perfect for locals, tourists, birthdays, bachelorette parties, just hangin' out, wanna go pedalin', whatever reason you can find. It's all around a good time. Allow me to introduce you to my new favorite hobby, the Nashville Pedal Tavern.
If you haven't seen one of these giant bicycles powered by a bunch of drunkards, you need to get out more. They are crawling all over the downtown Nashville area and are actually voted by TripAdvisor as Nashville's #1 outdoor activity. The tours last two hours and you can book a private tour for a flat rate by having a minimum of eight guests, but they accommodate up to 15.
The pedal tavern is a biking pub crawl that is an absolute blast for all ages young or old (must be 21 and over, of course). The tavern offers three routes to choose from including Broadway, Midtown, and SoBro (The Gulch). Along the way you will make 2-3 stops at different bars in the area they have partnered with to offer drink and shots specials to guests. Hello, discounts.
Speaking of alcohol, all tours are BYOB. Yeah, bring whatever you want on this thing and let the good times roll while you ride around blasting music through their speaker system. Their only exclusions are no glass allowed or full-size kegs. That's a bit excessive and this is a physical activity after all. Drinking is a sport, right?
Tennessee does not have an open container law so it's completely surprising that this is even somehow legal but also makes it that much more intriguing. There's an added level of excitement in knowing you're in the public eye, riding around on a bike with a beer in hand and the local cops are allowing it to happen. Last weekend two police cars got behind our tavern and we did not hesitate to stop drinking our beers because we were not doing anything wrong. There are minimal guidelines to follow while on the pedal tavern in order to not get a citation so it should be easy enough to stay out of trouble. The cops are willing to work with this company and allow them to conduct business; it's the least we can do to respect the rules. AKA, if you step off the tavern and still have a drink in your hand, that's a no-no.
The tour guides are amazing and are completely devoted to guest satisfaction and making sure everyone has a good time. On April 3, 2016, I hosted my birthday party by doing a private tour and our guide was Todd. Let me also add, this is the second time I've done the pedal tavern in the last three weeks because it's just that amazing. My first experience was so much fun I knew I had to do it again as soon as possible. Todd was an awesome guide who let us scream, yell and act like fools while he still encouraged us to drink more alcohol. He became our professional photographer, had pedestrians take pictures of us all together, turned our tavern around to chase another group and tried to race them, gave us cups, beer, was our DJ; anything we wanted or needed, Todd was the man. He even suggested the idea as we hung out for our last few minutes to play a couple rounds of my favorite game, what I like to call, "flippy cup". What a guy.
My first tour guide taught us the "rules" of the pedal tavern, if you will. If we stop at a red light, red light social! Everybody drinks. If a car drives by and honks, honky tonk social! Everybody drinks. If a pedestrian gives you a high five or you high five a passing pedal tavern, high-five social! Everybody drinks. Who doesn't love a reason to take a drink?
There's truly nothing that compares to this one of a kind experience. The traditional bar scene can get so boring. After a while, standing around a table drinking and yelling over loud music all night or sitting at a booth alternating who has to get in and out to let the next person go to the bathroom, gets old. The pedal tavern is good clean fun that everyone can enjoy and still allows you to drink and be social but while moving around outside getting to enjoy the beautiful weather on a pretty day. I do not excite easily, but I can honestly compare the experience on the pedal tavern to that of a child's joy on Christmas morning.
A couple days after my trip I received an email asking me to rate my experience and leave a review on TripAdvisor. Nashville Pedal Tavern, please consider this my review and I have the utmost gratitude and love for all of your employees and your mission here in Nashville. I brought along friends who had never done this before, made fun of it, and were changed believers at the end of the tour who didn't want to get off. You allowed us to create memories we will cherish forever by bringing us together on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I have never had so many of my friends and I all agree on having more fun together than we've had in a very long time. Thank you.
-Special thank you to our wonderful guide, Todd (pictured in the black hoodie and comfy pants) for everything! You're a rock star and you can count on seeing us again soon!
