CommonsAdmin

Nashville is a place rich in history, culture, and tradition. From the neon lights and cowboy hats, to the art galleries and orchestras, to the famous hot chicken, Nashville has carved out a truly unique identity. Here, we look at the Top 5 most unusual things about this one-of-a-kind city.

5. The Batman Building

The Batman Building got its nickname from its resemblance to the Dark Night’s mask (but the less super name for it is the AT&T building). At 33 stories, the Batman Building is the tallest skyscraper in Tennessee.

4. Nashville Was Founded on Christmas Eve

So when we celebrate Christmas, we’re all kind of celebrating Nashville, too…

3. …And the Founder Lived in a Cave

Nashville founder Timothy Demonbreun spent his first few months in what would become Nashville living in a cave while he built his permanent home and pursued his fur trading business. You can still see Demonbreun’s cave, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

2. Andrew Jackson’s Driveway

Long before Nashville was known as Music City, Andrew Jackson had his driveway built in the shape of a guitar. Supposedly, the guitar design helped carriages move through the grounds more easily. Or maybe Jackson was just clairvoyant.

1. The Tomato Queen

Every year (exception for pandemics), Nashville has a Tomato Arts Festival to celebrate all things tomato. The festival includes a gallery of tomato-inspired art, a parade with tomato-themed costumes and floats, and a contest for Tomato King and Tomato Queen.

Since I’ve started classes at Vanderbilt, there has been one thing that never fails to make me smile, even on the worst days: the small, furry woodland creatures.  From squirrels to chipmunks to rabbits, it is hard to go anywhere on campus without seeing one of these little critters. (How you feel about that is up to you, of course. They can be vicious.)

Vanderbilt University boasts a 3:1 squirrel-to-student ratio, making for some interesting encounters and a few more great Instagram captions. We’ve determined the Top 5 kinds of squirrels you see at Vandy— and who knows, maybe you’ve run into them at some point during your time on campus.

All photos were taken by the Sam Bianco on the Vanderbilt campus.

#1: The One That’s Just Trying to Get Its Munchie Swipe

Completely relatable.  We wonder if it signed the petition.

#2: The One Who Can Stare Straight Into Your Soul

It’s a little unsettling if you look into its eyes too long.  But look at that fluffy tail!

#3: The One That’s Got 8 Minutes to Get From Murray to Calhoun

If you haven’t been there yet, you probably will at some point.

#4: The One That’s Straight Chillin’

Do you ever just want to chillax, forgot about that chem class, and binge eat your favorite food? Us too.

#5: The One That’s Not Actually a Squirrel

It’s called a rabbit, John.

Thanks for reading, Commodores, and as always, Anch