Compiled by Jennifer Helm

As fall brings cooler temperatures, it’s the perfect time to get out and enjoy the city. And what better way than by checking out fall festivals, crafts fairs, and the like? So go on, get out of the house. Eat, dance, look, learn, and have a good time.

Sept. 17-19

Seventh Annual African Street Festival, Tennessee State University. “Tap our wisdom before the well runs dry” is the theme of this celebration of African culture, held on the TSU main campus. See African dancing, browse through the wares of 125 exotic vendors, and go to the storytelling “Rites of Passage” clinic. Groove to salsa, gospel, reggae, jazz, blues, R&B, and rap music. Free admission, free parking. For information, call 963-5561 (day) or 299-0412 (night).

12th Annual Greek Festival, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Rain or shine, Holy Trinity promises Greek cuisine and culture. In between the dancing and the baklava, check out the church’s Byzantine-style sanctuary and its newly hand-painted iconography. $2 admission, children under 12 are free. For information, call 333-1047.

Sept. 18-19

14th Annual Fall Fest at Belle Meade Plantation. Browse through antiques, search for bargains, and peruse a vast array of plants for sale. View the photography of Ed Clark, the sculpture of Alan LeQuire, and the works of 27 other artists, including Paula Frizbe and Dawn Whitelaw. $6 adults, $2 children 5-12, tours of the mansion $2. Call 356-0501 for information.

Sept. 23

Oktoberfest Beer Debut, Boscos Nashville Brewing Company. Can’t make it to Munich this year? Boscos hosts this German brewfest with live music and doorprizes. Call 385-0050 for information. Prost!

Oct. 1-3

Fourth Annual Heart of Tennessee Scottish Celebration. Golf with the gents who started the game at the first annual Highland Golf Classic, Friday at Blackberry Ridge Golf Course in Murfreesboro (registration required by Sept. 21; call Bill at 895-5814). That same day, go to the Holiday Inn at noon for seminars on spinning-weaving, Gaelic, genealogy, and more. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, the MTSU campus hosts highland dance, Scottish athletes, sheep-herding demonstrations, spinning, a haggis hurl, and a bonniest knees contest. Information is available at http://www.hotsc.com.

Oct. 15-17

Tennessee Jazz Festival, Elliston Place. The music is never-ending, with a total of eight stages—four indoors and four outdoors. Groove to Larry Carlton, Reggie Wooten, Victor Mecyssne, Susan Fiering, and more. In addition, there’ll be jazz-inspired art and writings by local schoolchildren, vendor booths, and much more. Check out www.tennjazzfest.com, or call 385-9349.

Pow Wow ’99, Four Corners Marina and Water Park. The largest pow-wow east of the Mississippi River is the main fund-raising project for the Native American Indian Association of Middle Tennessee, which provides social services and cultural revitalization for more than 10,000 Native Americans in Tennessee. Traditional dances, games, entertainment, foods, crafts demonstrations, and more. $5 adults, $2 kids 6-12, ages 5 & under free. Call 726-0806 for information.

Oct. 16-17

1999 Music & Molasses Festival, Ellington Agricultural Center. Celebrate the harvest season with bluegrass music, storytellers, country cloggers, traditional crafts, smoked barbecue, homemade cakes and pies—and molasses. $2. Call 837-5197 for more information.

Oct. 23

Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue, Lynchburg. Thirty-five teams from around the world will compete for more than $15,000 in prize money. There’s down-home fun in the form of music, games, and eating. You can tour the Jack Daniel distillery for free and buy commemorative bottles of Jack’s fun potion. Free. Call 340-1035 for information.

Oct. 30

Franklin Bicentennial Celebration and Pumpkin Fest, Main Street, downtown Franklin. Catch candy as the parade goes by. Eat and dance. Hang out with artists and craftsmen. Oooh and aaah at the fireworks. Call 791-3232 for more information.

Sept. 11

Camp with the Critters, Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. Has your child ever asked you if zebras snore? Now she can find out. $20 for members and groups of 10 or more, $25 non-members. Call 833-1534, ext. 25, for reservations.

Oct. 28-31

Ghouls at Grassmere, Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. Kids, creatures, and candy come together for tricks, treats, a haunted hayride, games, and other exciting entertainment. Call 833-1534 for information.

Oct. 2

Hands on Nashville Day. You’ve been wanting to do a little something for the community, right? This is the opportunity. Registration takes place at Centennial Park beginning at 9 a.m. Hands on Nashville is looking for at least 1,200 volunteers, who’ll be assigned to work on various projects around town. Call 298-1108 for information.

Sept. 24-26

Tennessee Association of Craft Artists Fall Crafts Fair, Centennial Park. See (and purchase) the work of more than 170 artists from more than 20 states. Media range from photography to clay to jewelry. Demonstration tents will feature raku clay firing, pewter spinning, and more. Nashville Weather will be there with interpretations of English, Irish, and American folk music. Free. Call 665-0502 for details.

Oct. 21-23

Artclectic, University School of Nashville. This annual exhibit kicks off with a preview party Thursday night featuring folk artist Howard Finster and children’s book author/illustrator Jane Breskin Zalben, among others. For details, call 321-8019 or visit http://www.usn.org.

Nov. 6

Artrageous. A benefit for Nashville CARES, this local institution begins with a gallery tour, which includes American Artisan, the Arts Company, Cumberland Gallery, Finer Things, Outside the Lines, Local Color, Midtown Gallery, and ruby green. The After Party follows at the Arena. $65 gallery tour and after party, $45 after party only. For information, contact 259-4866, ext. 300, or visit http://www.artrageous.org.

Throughout the fall

The Tennessee Central Railway Museum offers excursion trains to beautiful places like Watertown and Cookeville. Call 781-0262.

Oct. 1-3

Ninth Annual Harvest Fest at the Farm. Travel to Summertown for nonstop dancing, good vibrations, food, workshops, health, healing, art, and crafts. Three days for $40, under 12 free; free camping. Call (931) 964-3034 for more information.

Oct. 29-30

Halloween Ghostly Gathering, Rugby. This historic East Tennessee town hosts candle- and lantern-lit tours, a chili and cornbread dinner, and lots of storytelling. $16 adults, $8 students 6 and over. Call (423) 628-2441 for information.

Nov. 26

Thanksgiving Marketplace, Rugby. It’s back to Rugby for Christmas shopping at the historic commissary, crafts demonstrations, and British cream tea. Call (423) 628-2441 for information.