Nate Bargatze’s Nateville Fundraises for Nashville Theme Park

Comedian Nate Bargatze is hunting for investors to fulfill his theme-park ambitions for Nashville.

The Nashville native is partnering with California-based Storyland Studios to develop Nateland, a 100-acre destination that aims to bring a family-friendly park and possibly a hotel to the metro, the Nashville Business Journal reported.

The Nateland team is in investor-hunting mode, and a feasibility study is due in the first quarter. Bargatze’s Nateland Experiences division and Storyland would lead the development, though details on rides, themes and a timeline are under wraps.

The project was announced at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando this week.

Felix Verdigets, Nateland Entertainment’s CEO, said the team sees pent-up demand for a major regional attraction and wants to keep it rooted in Middle Tennessee. That local angle matters: Bargatze, a local who climbed to the top of Pollstar’s global comedy earnings list, has become a powerful advocate for building out a broader entertainment ecosystem in the city.

Bargatze compared his long-term ambitions to Universal Studios, mixing rides with film production. His first feature film, “The Breadwinner,” is slated for release next year.

Site selection is in progress. Nateland and Storyland are evaluating multiple parcels with state and local officials, the Nashville Post first reported.

Bargatze’s dream site was the former Opryland USA grounds, he told Esquire earlier this year. But that is now home to the Opry Mills mall, making that outcome unlikely. Still, nostalgia for the long-gone theme park is strong, and Bargatze has leaned into that sentiment in past interviews.

Storyland brings credibility with experience on Legoland and other immersive projects.

The firm is also tied to Storyville Gardens, a proposed cultural and education-focused park led by Nashville developers DeLisa and Elde Guerrier. That project has struggled to take off, though a spokesperson told the outlet that it is active and the developers are pursuing a site outside Nashville’s Davidson County.

The next year centers on analytics, design exploration and lining up capital for Nateland to take off. If the pieces fall into place, Nashville could find itself back in the amusement game for the first time since Opryland closed more than two decades ago.

— Eric Weilbacher