This post was written on March 6, 2020, three days after the EF-3 tornado tore through North Nashville, Germantown, East Nashville, and Donelson, killing 25 people across Middle Tennessee. We’re keeping this post as a record of how the city showed up for itself. The fundraising offers below have since ended, but the spirit of #NashvilleStrong hasn’t. Several businesses mentioned here have since closed, including Margé Café (closure announced 2025) and Margot Cafe (announced closure with final service June 5, 2026).
We Are Open for Business and Running Tours
Our staff and their homes were not damaged by the tornado. Downtown Nashville was largely unaffected and our restaurants are still operational.
As you have probably heard, a terrible tornado swept through Nashville in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 3rd.
What started as an EF-0 grade storm in southern Kentucky, gained speed and severity as it traveled towards Nashville and struck the neighborhoods of North Nashville, Germantown, East Nashville, Donelson, and Mt. Juliet as an EF-3 before continuing on as an EF-4 through Cookeville and Putnam County. The path of the tornado was over 50 miles long. The affected areas of Nashville experienced winds averaging 165 miles per hour as the tornado destroyed nearly everything in its path. People lost homes, vehicles, and businesses all over town.
Community Is Our Superpower
As daylight broke the citizens of Nashville got to work. Tennessee is called the Volunteer State for a reason, and hundreds of people showed up in the affected neighborhoods with water, supplies, chainsaws, and hands willing to help. Hands On Nashville, one of the city’s biggest nonprofit volunteer agencies, has been working tirelessly to organize and deploy volunteers throughout the city; and with Nashville’s willingness to help, spots are being filled as quickly as they post them. But even as those opportunities to volunteer become occupied, others are showing up regardless, finding ways to help. If you’ve taken our tour in the past, you may remember from the story of The Flood of 2010 that coming together as a community is what Nashville does best.
I am so impressed with the way our community has shown up. Nashvillians have been out every day helping their neighbors and delivering supplies to provide aid.
The Nashville Predators have opened Bridgestone Arena and are serving free pizza all day for anyone that needs a hot meal.
Cycle Haüs Nashville and Donelson Hot Yoga are offering hot showers, shelter, and outlets.
And Tons of Restaurants Are Springing Into Action
Nectar: Urban Cantina has been delivering free tacos via their food trucks to affected areas in Donelson. Martin's BBQ Joint provided BBQ to first responders and volunteers. The Green Pheasant offered their spare cooler and freezer space to other restaurants who were without power. And Café Margot hosted a BBQ Thursday night after they had power restored to benefit the hospitality workers who are out of work because the businesses that employed them were destroyed by the tornado.
These examples only scratch the surface of what’s being done to help; the list goes on and on.
We at A Little Local Flavor jumped in too. We committed $5 from every tour ticket sold in the days after the tornado to local families affected, and we kept showing up in the months that followed.
That said, if you’re not coming to Nashville, below are two easy ways you can help:
Purchase a #NashvilleStrong T-Shirt from Visit Music City, our visitors and convention bureau, 100% of the proceeds will go to tornado relief. Click Here.
Donate the Middle Tennessee Community Fund. Click Here.
Nashville Is Open for Business
Many popular areas were unaffected and remain open: Broadway and downtown, 12th South, Midtown, The Nations, and Wedgewood-Houston.
One of the current concerns is that in light of the recent events that travelers will cancel their trips to Nashville. Tourism is our 2nd largest industry, and continuing to host music lovers, bachelorettes, conference attendees, and honky tonkers will help keep a sense of normalcy to our community and ensure that our economy continues to operate so that we can help those affected by the tornado as much as possible.
So, if you have a trip already planned, please continue to come and have a blast around town. If you have been hoping to make the trip to Nashville, now is a great time! If you happen to be visiting during March there are many fun things around town you can participate in while helping tornado victims. Here is a list of companies that are donating a portion of sales or proceeds for longer than these first few days:
Bare Bones Butcher is donating 10% of cheeseburger sales to tornado relief for the next 30 days. (They also happen to be my favorite burger in town!)
Etch and Etc will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee until March 22nd
Baked on 8th is donating 100% of their profits for the entire month of March to various relief organizations
Go to a benefit concert benefit concerts are incredibly popular, after all this is Music City! The Nashville Scene is putting together a running list of events as they pop up, click here for the full list
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