PETERSEN’S PLAYBOOK — Travel Health, ER Insights & Smart Vacation Planning
Nashville Health Score: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
A walkable, high-energy city — the real risks are dehydration, late nights, and miles of walking, not the city itself.
Nashville at a glance
Nashville is Music City — Broadway honky-tonks, the bachelorette capital of the South, and hot, humid summers. It’s a walking, late-night town, which is exactly where the health hiccups come from.
Top 5 healthy things to do in Nashville
- Walk the John Seigenthaler pedestrian bridge and riverfront greenway
- Centennial Park and the Parthenon
- Shelby Bottoms Greenway for a longer flat walk or run
- Rent bikes along the river
- Morning fitness or yoga classes in The Gulch
Best golf in Nashville
Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Ted Rhodes, and Harpeth Hills are local favorites. In summer humidity, book early tee times and hydrate every few holes.
Healthy eats
Between the hot chicken and BBQ you’ll find genuinely good veggie-forward and fresh spots in The Gulch and East Nashville.
Common vacation health risks in Nashville
- Dehydration (often mistaken for a hangover)
- Alcohol-related illness
- Blisters and foot injuries from boots and walking
- UTIs
- Strep and sore throats
- Sinus and respiratory infections
- Foodborne illness
- COVID and flu
Dr. Petersen’s take
“The most common thing we treat in Nashville is dehydration dressed up as a hangover. Long, hot days on Broadway with not enough water do it every time — alternate every drink with water and you’ll feel human in the morning.”
— Dr. Erik Petersen, DO, board-certified emergency & internal medicine
Closest emergency rooms
For a true emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest ER. Vanderbilt University Medical Center (1211 Medical Center Dr) and TriStar Centennial Medical Center (2300 Patterson St) are the major downtown-adjacent hospital ERs.
Closest urgent care & pharmacy
CVS and Walgreens are all over downtown and Midtown; call ahead for overnight service. (Hours and locations change — please call ahead to confirm.)
What to pack
- Prescription medications (original bottles + a list)
- EpiPen and any rescue inhalers
- Reef-safe sunscreen (SPF 30+) and a hat
- Electrolyte packets
- Anti-nausea and anti-diarrheal medication
- Basic first-aid and blister care
If you get sick in Nashville
If illness strikes on your Nashville trip, Vacation Medicine provides virtual urgent care from licensed physicians — right from your hotel or rental. We treat UTIs, sinus and skin infections, pink eye, nausea and diarrhea, allergies, dehydration, and medication-refill emergencies.
Call Vacation Medicine: 850-660-3112 — Seen in minutes. Followed for a week.
Book a Virtual Visit – $100 Flat Fee →
Local hidden gems
- Best sunrise: the pedestrian bridge before the crowds
- Best reset: a morning class in The Gulch and a cold-pressed juice before round two
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