As signs of spring are beginning to appear, I know that it is time to start taking full advantage of outdoor activities in Nashville. Before you know it, it will be too hot to do anything but go to the Y’s pool or hide from the mosquitoes indoors.

Consider this a PSA: Summer in Nashville is unbearably hot if you’re a northerner. My first summer in Nashville, the temperature reached 97 degrees Memorial Day weekend and stayed in the high 90s throughout the entire summer. I wasn’t prepared. I still had my NYC mentality where one packs the summers full of outdoor activities – rooftop BBQs, Central Park picnics, outdoor movies and concerts, trips to Governors Island, etc. Not so much in the south.   You will melt and/or get eaten alive by mosquitoes pretty much anytime past 10 am in June, July, and August.

Spring and fall are the beautiful times in Nashville. It took me a few years to adjust and know that when the nice days begin to appear in late February and early March, it is time to cram in as many outdoor activities as I can. The temperatures in the 70s and even the 80s won’t last. So bring the kids to the zoo, go for a hike in one of the many great Metro and State parks, run outside, and have friends over for a backyard BBQ now.   Come June, you will be taking refuge indoors.