NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you were in downtown Nashville on Saturday, you might have noticed something unusual. Streets normally packed with cars and tourists were instead filled with cyclists and pedestrians enjoying the city from a different perspective.
The Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT) closed off an entire loop of downtown streets for the first of three Open Streets Summer Series events, creating a car-free zone for people to walk, bike and explore.
"It's a pretty unique experience to be able to ride our bikes on streets that otherwise would have been covered in cars," said Louis Morrow, who visited the event with his wife Erin from Williamson County. "We are going to stop at one of the breweries along the way and have a beer."
While NDOT has previously hosted Open Streets events in neighborhood areas, this summer marks the first time the program has expanded to include downtown Nashville.
The event attracted not just locals but visitors from across the country. Kerry Adamowicz and her husband brought their four children and even their bicycles all the way from Connecticut specifically for the Open Streets experience.
"It's a nice way to get outside and all be together and see things that honestly little kids don't have the stamina to see unless you are on a bike," Adamowicz said.
From near and far, Nashville's Open Streets is changing how people experience Music City two feet and two wheels at a time.
The next Open Streets events in the Summer Series will be held on August 17 and September 7. If you'd like to see an Open Streets event in your neighborhood, you can apply at no cost through the Nashville Department of Transportation website.
Have you experienced the freedom of exploring Nashville without cars? Share your photos from the Open Streets event or tell us which neighborhood you think should host the next car-free celebration at Kim.Rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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