{"id":2166124,"date":"2025-11-19T09:28:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T09:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2166124"},"modified":"2025-11-19T09:28:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T09:28:01","slug":"is-nate-bargatze-opening-a-theme-park-in-nashville-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/is-nate-bargatze-opening-a-theme-park-in-nashville-what-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Nate Bargatze opening a theme park in Nashville? What to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"videoWrap\" class=\"spacer-large videoWrap\" style=\"position:relative\"><media-video video-id=\"84159160007\" title=\"Nate Bargatze creates Monday night live showcase for newer comics\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/04\/29\/PNAS\/83351544007-nate-bargatze-07.JPG?crop=3711,2088,x0,y278\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" placement=\"snow-video-story-priority\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"uwVideoPlaceholder\" slot=\"placeholder\" style=\"z-index:19;width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;position:relative\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"vidplaybtn\" style=\"display:-moz-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:-webkit-flex;display:flex;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,.4);border:2px solid #fff;border-radius:80px;cursor:pointer;height:80px;width:80px;position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);z-index:10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div slot=\"videoDetails\" id=\"videoDetails\" class=\"videoDetails\" style=\"padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px\">\n<div id=\"videoDetailsContainer\" class=\"videoDetailsContainer\" hidden=\"\">\n<p>Nate Bargatze creates Monday night live showcase for newer comics<\/p>\n<p>National comedy superstar uses fame to lift up other comedians<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/media-video><\/div>\n<p><story-highlights class=\"spacer-small column ten-column no-gutter\" util-module-path=\"elements\/story\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedian Nate Bargatze is partnering with a firm to explore building a family-friendly theme park in Nashville.<\/li>\n<li>The proposed 100+ acre park is envisioned to include rides, retail, restaurants, and a hotel.<\/li>\n<li>A feasibility study for the project is set to be completed in 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/story-highlights><partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>Nate Bargatze is one step closer to realizing his dream of opening a theme park in Nashville.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>On Nov. 18, \u201cthe nicest man in standup\u201d revealed that his company, Nateland, is teaming up with Storyland Studios, a Southern California-based firm specializing in themed entertainment architecture and design, to explore the concept and feasibility of developing a theme park in Nashville.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nate and Nateland are committed to good, clean, family-friendly entertainment. We live in middle Tennessee and recognize the need for a major attraction for people of all ages in the Nashville area,&#8221; said Nateland Entertainment CEO Felix Verdigets in a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.storylandstudios.com\/nateland\/\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019re excited to see what our partnership with Storyland Studios will bring.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what else to know.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">Is Nate Bargatze opening a theme park in Nashville?<\/h2>\n<p><media-gallery-promo asset-id=\"86076106007\" class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In collaboration with state and local officials, the Nateland Experiences division, alongside the creative team at Storyland Studios, is actively evaluating potential sites across the greater Nashville area for a proposed 100+ theme park.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>Apart from entertainment offerings in the &#8220;good, clean family fun park,&#8221; the project is also considering additional amenities such as retail spaces, restaurants and a hotel.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>&#8220;This project has been a long time coming, and we\u2019re thrilled to officially announce that we have embarked on this journey with Nate, Felix, and the entire Nateland team,\u201d said Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Storyland Studios Mel McGowan.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>&#8220;Our goal is to create a truly premium themed entertainment experience right in Music City that reflects the unique humor and heart of Nateland, while also delivering a world-class destination for families.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cta-atoms-container-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/cta\" class=\"spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The feasibility study is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026, after which the Nateland Experiences team plans to promptly begin engaging with potential investors using the finalized study and project concept.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the growing enthusiasm surrounding Bargatze\u2019s entertainment ventures, there is strong anticipation for robust investor interest, read a news release.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">Why does Nate Bargatze want to build a theme park in Nashville?<\/h2>\n<p>The comedian has been a<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/sports\/high-school\/2025\/01\/17\/nate-bargatze-nashville-comedian-nateland-dca-basketball-gym\/77600088007\/\"> longtime advocate of Music City theme park <\/a>and has frequently spoken about his nostalgia for Opryland USA, the beloved theme park where he worked as a teenager while growing up in Old Hickory.<\/p>\n<p>Opryland closed its gates in 1997, during his senior year at Donelson Christian Academy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My first job when I was 15, I worked at Opryland,&#8221; Bargatze said during his <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2024\/12\/20\/missed-nate-bargatzes-christmas-special-we-have-the-top-5-moments\/77105200007\/\">2024 Christmas special<\/a>. &#8220;We had a theme park that everybody loved. It was the best.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got a pretty awesome mall now instead,&#8221; he noted of Opry Mills, which now occupies the Opryland USA site.<\/p>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/c3ea2cd1af18f8f3fa885858a47d8770bac14c20\/c=161-0-3102-2211\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/08\/22\/TennGroup\/Nashville\/636705483586386954-78then08-008a.jpg 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/bf3ab5a46dfc9ff21702b4c0092acbdd2789ac5d\/c=1426-0-3084-2211\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/08\/22\/TennGroup\/Nashville\/636705483586386954-78then08-008a.jpg 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/9bd1e6e4d8dd88ff2337ec88fa601888f2a3537b\/c=0-273-3278-2125\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/08\/22\/TennGroup\/Nashville\/636705483586386954-78then08-008a.jpg 16:9\" image-alt=\"Lighted up against the evening sky Aug. 2, 1978, one of the rides at the Opryland USA theme park gives its passengers a cool ride after another hot summer day.\" credit=\"Gerald Holly \/ The Tennessean\" caption=\"Lighted up against the evening sky Aug. 2, 1978, one of the rides at the Opryland USA theme park gives its passengers a cool ride after another hot summer day.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bargatze envisions the proposed theme park being modeled after Universal Studios. &#8220;We can have rides and start making movies here,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think I know what is missing in entertainment and I think this would work.&#8221;<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>Given Nashville&#8217;s growth over the past 20 years, Bargatze believes Nateland has the potential to surpass the success of Opryland USA.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nashville is the perfect place now; it&#8217;s easier to get people to come do things here because of its size like shoot movies or do shows,&#8221; Bargatze said. &#8220;Nashville has blown up and that can be a good thing. A really good thing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">Nate Bargatze on SNL: <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/entertainment\/2023\/10\/26\/nate-bargatze-saturday-night-live-guest-who-nashville\/71313789007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Why he&#8217;s the &#8216;nicest man in stand-up&#8217;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">Who is Nate Bargatze?<\/h2>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/04\/29\/PNAS\/83351542007-nate-bargatze-05.JPG bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/04\/29\/PNAS\/83351542007-nate-bargatze-05.JPG?crop=4950,3711,x556,y0 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/04\/29\/PNAS\/83351542007-nate-bargatze-05.JPG?crop=2784,3711,x835,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/04\/29\/PNAS\/83351542007-nate-bargatze-05.JPG?crop=5567,3133,x0,y289 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Mark Zaleski \/ The Tennessean\" caption=\"Comedian Nate Bargatze appears as a surprise guest at the end of a weekly Nateland Live show at the 100-seat Lab at Zanies comedy club Monday, April 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bargatze is a Grammy-nominated Middle Tennessee-born comedian. An Old Hickory native, he is known for his clean, family-friendly approach to comedy.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>Before launching his career in comedy, Bargatze worked in Mt. Juliet reading water meters for the West Wilson Utility District.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>He left that job in 2001, and decades later, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by performing at Bridgestone Arena in April 2023, selling out his hometown venue to a crowd of 19,365 fans<\/p>\n<p>Throughout his career he&#8217;s performed at\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2016\/06\/06\/bonnaroo-2016-nate-bargatze-telling-jokes-bonnaroo\/85511878\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bonnaroo<\/a>, appeared on &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ADm751Rpg5E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon<\/a>,&#8221; as well as<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QpanwNi5h8A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> &#8220;Late Night with Seth Meyers<\/a>,&#8221; and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2024\/10\/04\/nashville-nate-bargatze-snl-host-how-to-stream\/75516020007\/\">hosted Saturday Night Live <\/a>twice.<\/p>\n<p>Most recently, he&#8217;s<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/entertainment\/2025\/09\/14\/emmys-2025-host-nate-bargatze-when-how-to-watch-stream\/86116836007\/\"> hosted the 77th annual Emmy Awards <\/a>and has<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/entertainment\/people\/2025\/10\/27\/nashville-nate-bargatze-game-show\/86933936007\/\"> filmed a new game show at Nashville Municipal Auditorium<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Contributing: Mike Organ<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for the Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X at @_leyvadiana<\/em><\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/><lit-timestamp class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-small\" slot=\"timestamp\" publishdate=\"2025-11-18 19:18:41.591349256 +0000 UTC\" updatedate=\"2025-11-18 19:18:51.240583226 +0000 UTC\"\/><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.tennessean.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nate Bargatze creates Monday night live showcase for newer comics National comedy superstar uses fame to lift up other comedians Comedian Nate Bargatze is partnering with a firm to explore building a family-friendly theme park in Nashville. The proposed 100+ acre park is envisioned to include rides, retail, restaurants, and a hotel. A feasibility study [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2166125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[308682,39915,22220,365345,21796,394080,21751,239390,21900,22339,146106,23849,22846,6297,21741,55324,21992,355579,21739,298114,344928,305251,239456,239462,346502,21800,23510,342892,349795,21738,415912,239343,239347,346464,23759,318008,318009,23152,23502,346463,346469,42081,23139,239342,240483,239344,48379,41691],"class_list":["post-2166124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-activity","tag-affiliate","tag-arts","tag-bargatze","tag-business","tag-business-activity","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrities-u0026-entertainment-news","tag-comedians","tag-comedy","tag-connect","tag-country","tag-country-music","tag-eamotion","tag-entertainment","tag-know","tag-live","tag-live-comedy","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-local-affiliate-travel","tag-local-connect","tag-modular","tag-modular-story","tag-money","tag-music","tag-nashville","tag-nate","tag-nate-bargatze","tag-news","tag-opryland","tag-overall","tag-overall-positive","tag-parks","tag-positive","tag-standup","tag-standup-comedians","tag-story","tag-tennessee","tag-theme","tag-theme-parks","tag-tn","tag-travel","tag-ttp","tag-ttp-what-we-know","tag-u0026","tag-we","tag-what"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Is-Nate-Bargatze-opening-a-theme-park-in-Nashville-What-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2166124"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2166126,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166124\/revisions\/2166126"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2166125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2166124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2166124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2166124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}