SAFEHOUSE
There are plenty of ways to get to know downtown Nashville. We've got ghost tours, drinking tours, historical tours and country music tours. But have you ever heard of an interactive espionage tour?
Enter The Safehouse, a mix of a traditional walking tour, a spy thriller and a scavenger hunt created by Chris Maloney, a downtown tour guide since 2006. Drawing on his experiences guiding folks around Nashville, a four-year stint as an engineer in the Navy and a love of spy novels, Maloney has created an event that spices up a walk through Music City.
"I wanted to come up with something that was more active for people to do, so it's a good way to see the city, but you're also doing an activity," he said.
Groups of up to six people meet Maloney at high noon on Saturdays at an undisclosed location. Playing the part of a covert operative, he sets the stage for a Cold War chase through Music City: Participants are thrown into a mission to expose a Soviet plan to develop a new weapon of mass destruction. Only by following a trail of clues scattered around downtown landmarks can they disarm it.
The event isn't timed, so you have time to take in the sights as you like, but it generally takes about two hours.
"Just spending the day in Nashville trying to do something different than just going to a movie or going to dinner, we wanted to do something we'd never done before," said Tabby Williams of Gallatin, who took the tour in May. "We got to see a bit of Nashville that we've always driven by and said, 'Oh, we need to stop there,' but never do."
Tours start at noon most Saturdays; advance reservations are recommended at www.thesafehousegame.com or 760-1601. Tickets are $14.95. — WILL AYERS
