Nate Bargatze in 2020
A feasibility study regarding stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze’s hoped-for theme park Nateland is slated to be completed during the first quarter of 2026, with preliminary discussions underway with local government officials.
According to Los Angeles-based Storyland Studios, which designs theme parks, some details will be announced Tuesday at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo 2025 event. On its website and in a release, Storyland Studios notes it is working with Bargatze, a native Nashvillian, to explore the concept and feasibility of the theme park.
Storyland Studios and Bargatze are "working closely" with state and local officials via Nateland Experiences (a division Nateland Productions) and reviewing possible sites in the greater Nashville area for the planned 100-plus-acre park. Government officials have not disclosed any details.
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In addition to the family-centric park, Nateland amenities could include retail, restaurants and a hotel, the Storyland Studio release notes. Once the feasibility study is completed, Nateland Experiences will focus on landing investors.
“Nate and Nateland are committed to good, clean, family-friendly entertainment,” says Felix Verdigets, CEO of Nateland Entertainment, in a release. “We live in Middle Tennessee and recognize the need for a major attraction for people of all ages in the Nashville area. We’re excited to see what our partnership with Storyland Studios will bring.”
Storyland Studios also lists on its website Storyville Gardens, an education- and culture-themed amusement park long proposed by Nashville-based developers DeLisa Guerrier and Elde Guerrier. A spokesperson for the Guerriers says efforts continue to evolve regarding Storyville Gardens, details about which began to unfold publicly in mid-2021.
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“The team continues to enthusiastically pursue the Storyville project on a site that is outside Davidson County but still convenient to Nashville along one of our interstate corridors,” the spokesperson tells Scene sister publication the Nashville Post.
Bargatze — whose 2024 comedy tour ranked as the world’s highest-grossing for that year, according to Billboard — has noted in various interviews that he enjoyed visiting Opryland USA. The former Nashville theme park, which offered various rides and music-themed shows, operated on 120 acres hugging the Cumberland River off Briley Parkway in east Davidson County from 1972 to 1997. Retail center Opry Mills now operates at the site.
Opryland attracted almost 2.5 million visitors annually during the late 1980s and remained profitable until its closing.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
