Curious Nashville

In this series, we're going to tell you about what's been described as a toxic culture of misconduct and retaliation within the Metro Nashville Police Department. And the disciplinary system that has allowed that culture to thrive.

If you glance down at the street at the right moment in Nashville, you might spot a “stikman.” This little street art character appears in thousands of places around the world, but the artist behind them remains mostly unknown. Thanks to an observant listener, Curious Nashville delves into the phenomenon. Curious Nashville is a project of Nashville Public Radio. The executive producer is Tony Gonzalez and the editor is Emily Siner. This episode’s music is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions.

Nashville was right on-trend in 1975 when the revolving Polaris restaurant opened atop what was then the Hyatt Regency hotel. It quickly became the go-to destination for special occasions and marriage proposals. But the restaurant has navigated some tougher turns in the past decade, leaving a local architect wondering: Does it still spin?

To combat our feelings of isolation and everyday repetitiveness, we present four short stories that deliver surprises about things we might otherwise overlook: What a tree in the backyard can tell us about environmental changes How the past flickers on amid Nashville’s growing skyline Whether a famous 1904 short story accurately depicts Nashville How proximity to an interstate is a good thing for an Antioch cemetery These stories are a testament to our observant listeners. When you...

A simple question about some of Nashville’s suburban pockets opens a deeper review of how the Metro government formed in the 1950s and 60s. WPLN News reporter Ambriehl Crutchfield finds that the combining of the city and county had implications for Black residents and five ‘satellite’ cities that remained mostly independent. (To see more photos and a written version of this story, visit Curious Nashville online.) Curious Nashville is a project of Nashville Public Radio. The executive...

As a crucial election approaches, Tennesseans have reached out to WPLN News and Curious Nashville with their pressing questions. In this special crossover with The Tri-Star State podcast, Sergio Martinez-Beltran and Rachel Iacovone provide answers.

When a resident notices an unusual sign at the end of her cul-de-sac — it says ‘The Gathering’ — she wonders if there’s a cult operating. To find out what’s really going on, WPLN News contributor Tasha Lemley takes up a cryptic search. It leads her to a group of devotees, just not the ones we might have expected.

Confederate monuments have triggered debates, protests, and even the murder of a demonstrator in Virginia. The unrest in Tennessee has prompted questions about how monuments are governed. In this episode, Curious Nashville reexamines what happened when MTSU tried to rename a building dedicated to Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest, and explains the evolving role of the Tennessee Historical Commission. Curious Nashville is a project of Nashville...

There are some assumptions that people have about Nashville that aren’t quite right — and plenty of quirks that baffle all the tourists who visit. So in this special episode taped live on stage, three local experts unravel some of the most essential history of the city and then take questions from attendees. Recorded live on May 31, 2019, at the PodX Conference, this is the first live taping for Curious Nashville. Thank you to our local experts: [J.R....

Out in the thick woods of West Nashville there’s an epic remnant of Cold War history. But it is largely unknown. The former fallout shelter where Tennessee’s governors would have gone in the case of nuclear attack has rarely appeared in news stories. But a question to Curious Nashville revealed that a local businessman now owns the unusual underground facility — and after a tour and other research and interviews, the history is no longer hidden. Credits: Curious Nashville is a project of...

A massive Nashville development includes a construction pit that is eight stories deep. It looks like a quarry, with sheer cliffs carved into the gray limestone. But when the project stalled, the hole filled with water, and it became nicknamed "Lake Palmer,” after its struggling developer. The project has been raising questions ever since, but now a new owner has started work at the site. WPLN’s Jason Moon Wilkins interviews Adam Sichko, senior reporter with the Nashville Business Journal,...

It’s been 15 years since the Tennessee Foxtrot Carousel — a whirling artistic marvel by pop artist Red Grooms — was taken down from the Nashville riverfront. Its wild figurines, which depict famous Tennesseans, were put into storage. Yet the legend of the carousel lives on. And now there’s hope that the carousel’s riverboats, giant banjos, mountain scenery and crazy caricatures will spin again. WPLN Senior Editor Chas Sisk has been reporting on the fate of the carousel for three years, and...

From plastic straws to old lightbulbs and shredded paper, it’s not always obvious what we’re allowed to recycle in Nashville. So after another wave of recycling questions to Curious Nashville, we’re back with a “lightning round” of fast answers, plus updates about changes coming to curbside recycling and the city’s attempt to gather glass from downtown honky tonks. Curious Nashville is a project of Nashville Public Radio. The executive producer is Tony Gonzalez, with editing by Emily...

Animals prompt unusual questions to Curious Nashville, so we delve into three: a rumor about piranhas, the history of the city’s first zoo, and the reason a large pink elephant has stood alongside Charlotte Pike for decades.

From the proper vantage point it materializes unmistakably: A gigantic peace sign, cut into roughly 3 acres of forest next to the Nashville International Airport. It can appear to anyone browsing satellite photography, and to air travelers like Nashville attorney Kelsey Bridges. She was the first person (of four) to ask Curious Nashville about what she’d seen. "There’s a giant peace sign, visible only from an aerial view, carved out of a wooded area near the airport. Who’s responsible for...

For most people, recycling means placing an empty soda can or some scrap paper in a blue bin. They might take that bin to the curb or to a drop-off site. But beyond that, the process is mysterious, filled with arbitrary rules and a vague reassurance that we're doing the right thing for the environment. So WPLN listener Mark McCaw, an avid recycler, asked us this question: What happens if I put the wrong item in the recycling bin?

For most people, recycling means placing an empty soda can or some scrap paper in a blue bin. They might take that bin to the curb or to a drop-off site. But beyond that, the process is mysterious, filled with arbitrary rules and a vague reassurance that we’re doing the right thing for the environment. So WPLN listener Mark McCaw, an avid recycler, asked us this question: "What happens if I put the wrong item in the recycling bin?"

Even many Nashville natives don't know about the head-on train crash at Dutchman's Curve on July 9, 1918. It killed 101 people — mostly African Americans — and by most counts remains the deadliest train accident in American history.

Even many Nashville natives don’t know about the head-on train crash at Dutchman’s Curve on July 9, 1918. It killed 101 people — mostly African Americans — and by most counts remains the deadliest train accident in American history. We started looking into it after listener named Russell asked us this question as part of our Curious Nashville series: "I’d like to know more about the wreck at Dutchman’s Curve. How did it happen and what changes resulted from it?"

This installment of Curious Nashville is a seemingly simple one, but with its own set of twists and turns. Our question asker Melinda Welton, wanted to know: "Where is construction waste from new construction in Nashville going?”