Things to Do in Nashville

Minty-green and cool-blue walls set off by polished hardwood floors create a serene setting for reformer- and mat-based workouts led by Pilates instructor Shana Wilson Doyle, who spent nearly a decade honing her Stott Pilates skills. Group mat classes vary in difficulty to help practitioners of all fitness levels protect their precious caramel centers by building tough abdominal shells. Specialty Pilates equipment, such as the reformer and the tower, enhance private and semi-private sessions, where Shana guides students through efficient resistance moves and can provide clients with more personalized attention.

Inflated structures, slides, and games fill the climate-controlled environs of BounceU of Nashville's location. Staff members closely monitor all activities as little ones traverse obstacle courses or pull on oversized inflatable boxing gloves. The crew also invites parents to join in on the fun, letting them bounce alongside their kids or make sweeping edicts from atop a bouncy-castle throne.

In addition to open sessions, the indoor play haven sets the stage for Daily Create and Bounce Summer Camps programs that teach art lessons and group activities. Special events include parent's night out, which lets parents spend an evening away from their kids, and cosmic bounce, which turns the facility into a black-lit arena to illuminate any lost socks.

Xtend Barre's founder, Andrea Rogers, has traveled the world as a professional dancer, sharing the stage with celebrities such as Enrique Iglesias and Aaron Carter along the way. Once she slowed her pace a bit, a second career path emerged: fitness instruction. As a certified Pilates teacher, she witnessed how focused, floor-based isometrics could sculpt muscles as long and flexible as a dachshund doing a gymnastics routine. However, these exercises didn't always raise the heart rate enough to provide a cardiovascular workout. Disappointed, she began to experiment. Lo and behold, when the moves were flipped upright, she could pair them with dance elements, which solved the heart-rate problem and added a dose of excitement. Barre exercises from her ballet training became a staple of the routine, helping to stretch and strengthen the body from the inside out. In addition to burning calories and enhancing coordination, the music-fueled workouts can be tailored to suit new exercisers, injured athletes, and moms-to-be.

When Nashville Demo Studio speaks of its team of hit songwriters and industry professionals, it is no idle boast. Company president and showbiz veteran Jimi Whitelaw oversees a staff that includes Will Rambeaux—who has worked for Faith Hill, Trick Pony, and American Idol—and Billy Montana, whose recent collaborators include Lee Greenwood, Kenny Chesney, and Martina McBride. The studio also supplies instrumentation, vocals, and recording opportunities while leaving copyright ownership and distribution rights firmly in their clients’ hands. Though the stable of musicians skews to Southern-fried genres, they can also ably handle pop, R & B, and countrified interpretations of whale calls. All services are available both in person and online via Skype.

Jose Santisteban’s artistic path has been paved with glass. He began working with it as an artistic medium in 1999 and, after earning his master of fine arts in glass sculpture in New York, chased his passion to locales around the country and globe.

Today, Jose shares his love of this ancient art at Franklin Glassblowing Studio. During lessons that focus on the basic skills of glass blowing, he demonstrates how the material can be used for more than just windows and temporary houses. Students then put theory into practice, flexing their creative muscles to create personalized keepsakes from scratch. When not hosting classes, Jose and others at the studio design their own glassy pieces, including lighting and home decor.

Josh knew the first treasure hunt he set up was a success when he saw the happy look in his three younger brothers’ eyes as they uncovered the final treasure chest. Based on Josh's clues, the younger Schwabs had just gleefully trekked across Warrenton, Virginia, and into the Shenandoah Mountains in search of their goal. But the event was more than just a fun way to spend the day: it also gave them inspiration at a time when the future felt grim, as their mother was undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Although that has since become a fond memory of a good day, it’s also warmly remembered by the family as the catalyst that led Josh to establish Ravenchase Adventures, where he now sets up just such engaging hunts for the public.

Now Ravenchase is an event company that offers pre-set and custom treasure hunts and adventure races. As the company has grown, Josh's team has even set up events for a variety of well-known clients, from DreamWorks Studios to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. But regardless of who participates, he and his dedicated staff ensure each two- to three-hour adventure is filled with brainteasers, mysterious clues, and baffling ciphers. Each solved clue leads the groups across town with treasure maps. Fun prizes await at their final destination. In an effort to give back to the community, the company also set up the nonprofit Ravenchase Foundation, which supports organizations that inspire and teach tolerance for history, logic, and the arts.