If there’s one thing we know about highways in Nashville, it’s the divide they have caused between neighborhoods. If you were in the West Nashville area hoping to do a brewery crawl between Fat Bottom and Bearded Iris, a 20 minute walk feels ridiculous. As the crow flies, you can practically see one from the other, but Google Maps directs you to backtrack to 46th Ave in search of a street that goes under the highway. However, there’s a route that the Civic Design Center calls the “Secret Sidewalk” that will get you between the two breweries in half that time. For years, this sidewalk along the railroad tracks was overgrown, but now it will not only be a functional shortcut, but a placemaking destination. 

The sun is setting earlier and earlier, which means lighting is a critical part of the conversation for pedestrian safety. One thing that made the Secret Sidewalk so undesirable was the fact that it was an unlit, uncomfortable walk under the viaduct. After multiple neighborhood clean ups, a partnership with Nashville Design Week, and an approved tactical urbanism permit, the space will soon include a projection art installation by McLean Fahnestock. We wanted to invite Civic Design Center members and Nashville Urbanists to mix, mingle, and see the space for the first time.  

The group will meet at Fat Bottom Brewing at 3:00 pm, spend an hour there getting to know each other, and then we will take the Secret Sidewalk to Bearded Iris on Charlotte. Although the Secret Sidewalk is now lit, we want to make sure no one walks alone under the viaduct, so anyone who needs to walk back to their car at Fat Bottom can join a group that leaves at 5:00 pm, and another group will leave at 5:30 pm. 

The Civic Design Center will cover attendees’ first beer at Fat Bottom!