Moving to Tennessee

[Steelkilt]

Hey all! My family and I are putting California in the rearview mirror and relocating to central Tennessee. Any good kilt shops or Celtic festivals in the Nashville area? Any fellow X-Markers live nearby?

Thanks in advance!

[EagleJCS]

I'm up I-65 about 2.5 hours or so (175 miles +/-).

I'm not aware of many brick-and-mortar (storefront) kilt/Celtic shops in the region, but there are a few online businesses/resellers in the area, so shipping is less expensive.

As far as festivals/Highland Games, there are a few I know of within a couple hours' drive of Nashville.

In mid-May, there is the Smoky Mountain Highland Games (https://smokymountaingames.org/), moving to Townsend, TN in 2022.

The weekend after Memorial Day is the Glasgow (KY) Highland Games (https://www.glasgowhighlandgames.com/) at Barren River State Park, about an hour north of Nashville.

There's also the Middle Tennessee Highland Games (https://www.midtenngames.com/). The one time I went it was in Murfreesboro, TN, 34 miles southeast of Nashville. They appear to have been in September this year. Nothing available about next year yet.

Also in September is the Central Kentucky Highland Games (http://www.kyhighlandgames.com/) in Eminence, KY, about 1 hour east of Louisville. They typically take place the third weekend of September and are on the grounds of a Renaissance Festival park that mainly operates weekends in the summer.

Other regional events are: Columbus (IN) Highland Games, Grandfather Mountain (NC), Loch Norman (NC), Stone Mountain (GA) HG, St Louis (MO) Scottish Games, Arkansas Highland Games. There are also some events up in Ohio, northern Indiana, Michigan and Chicago. A lot depends on how far you're willing to travel. Most are drivable in a day, but you may want to bookend the weekend with vacation days for travel and recovery time.

[Steelkilt]

Thank you! We’re moving to Murfreesboro, so a festival in town would be ideal (we have 5 kids under 8, traveling long distances presents a challenge).

[EagleJCS]

I just did a little deeper look at the Middle Tennessee Games. Unfortunately, they appear to be held in Nashville these days (Percy Warner Park, on the southwest side of town). That's about an hour from downtown Murfreesboro.

There's still lots to see & do in the area. A Civil War battle (Battle of Stones River) was fought near Murfreesboro, between dec 31 1862 and jan 2 1863 (my 2nd g-gf was injured and captured there as part of the 24th Wisconsin Volunteers).

A visit to Pigeon Forge and/or Gatlinburg on the east end of Tennessee is also in your future. If you like a little hiking, close to Gatlinburg is Clingman's Dome. The Appalachian Trail (the 'AT') passes within 200 feet of Clingman's Dome. When I was a Scout (MANY moons ago), we hiked a 10 mile section of the AT, ending at Clingman's Dome.

[stickman]

Traveling with 8 kids, are we there yet ?, must drive you crazy. Good luck in your new home.