KEY POINTS
- The comedian is planning a 100+ acre family-friendly theme park in Nashville with Storyland Studios.
- Nashville’s growing population and tourism revive interest in replacing the beloved Opryland USA theme park, closed in 1997.
- A feasibility study for the park is expected by March 2026, with investor outreach to follow.
Stop us if you’ve heard this one: A popular comedian plans an amusement park, filling a void opened some 30 years ago.
OK, it’s not a funny joke, but it is a true story.
Stand-up star Nate Bargatze has partnered with attraction builder Storyland Studios to bring a family-friendly park to his homebase of Nashville, Tennessee. The partnership was announced during November’s IAAPA Expo, a convention for leaders in the amusement park industry.
According to Storyland, their design team and Bargatze’s Nateland Entertainment are currently in the concept and feasibility exploration stage of building a 100+ acre attraction. That includes reviewing potential sites within the Nashville area.
Why bring an amusement park to Nashville?
Nashville has boomed as a vacation destination in the 21st century, welcoming nearly 17 million visitors every year, a number the city’s tourism board expects to grow. What’s more, the area’s population has also exploded. The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce reported an average of 86 people moved to the metro area every day in 2023.
Nashville was also once home to the beloved Opryland USA. Nestled next to the famed Grand Ole Opry House and the sprawling Opryland Hotel, the theme park brought in millions of people annually before its unceremonious closure by owner Gaylord Entertainment in 1997; a decision still criticized by many, including Gaylord’s former CEO, Bud Wendell.
“[It was] the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. And the people that were responsible for it, I would think today would look back on it and say, ‘Yeah, it was a dumb, dumb decision,’” he told radio station WPLN in 2018.
Wendell left his post at Gaylord in early 1997, and it was the leadership replacing him that decided to close the theme park and replace it with a shopping destination. The Opry Mills outlet mall took over the park’s footprint in 2000 and remains there today.
How is Nate Bargatze involved in this story?
While Opry Mills’ parking lots are packed with shoppers daily, many in the Nashville area mourn the park that used to be there. Bargatze is one of them. His standup routines often mention making memories at the park with his family, even working his first job there as a teenager.
“We had a wonderful theme park that everybody loved. It was the best,” Bargatze said to cheers during a 2024 TV special in Nashville before quipping, “we got a pretty awesome mall now instead.”
The ambitions for the theme park are just one part of Nateland, the entertainment company he founded in 2023. A self-described “clean” comedian, Bargatze says Nateland is dedicated to creating a path for movies, entertainment, other comedians, and, yes, a theme park that families of all ages can enjoy.
There’s another Storyland Studios theme park planned for Nashville?
Bargatze’s dream is not the only potential theme park planned for the Nashville area, nor is it the only one involving Storyland Studios. The group is also a part of the announced Storyville Gardens, an interactive storytelling park that aims to encourage reading.
The attraction has been in development for years, and no location has been announced. According to ConstructConnect project data, the park remains in the “early design stages,” as of November 2025.
What’s next for Nate Bargatze’s Nashville theme park dreams?
Storyland expects to have their feasibility study for Bargatze’s park finished by the end of March 2026.
A statement on the company’s website adds, “Armed with this study and a compelling concept, the Nateland Experiences team will be turning its attention immediately toward investors with a goal to continue development shortly thereafter. Given the current interest in Mr. Bargatze’s entertainment endeavors, the expectations are high for energetic investment participation.”
Bargatze’s words are a little blunter. He told Nashville’s WSMV earlier this year, “They took Opryland from me, so I’m going to bring it back.”
Stay Connected
Read the Construction Economy Snapshot for more details on construction labor, trends, and regional analysis.
About ConstructConnect
At ConstructConnect, our software solutions provide the information that construction professionals need to start every project on a solid foundation. For more than 100 years, our keen insights and market intelligence have empowered commercial firms, building product manufacturers, trade contractors, and architects to make data-driven decisions, streamline preconstruction workflows, and maximize their productivity. Our newest offerings—including our comprehensive, AI-assisted software—help our clients find, bid on, and win more projects.
ConstructConnect operates as a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 1000.
For more information, visit constructconnect.com.
.jpg)