First American Bank Cave

Welcome to Smashville, home of the Nashville Predators! Just across the street, beneath the First American Center—now called UBS Tower, lies one of downtown Nashville’s most remarkable archaeological discoveries. In the 1970s, construction crews uncovered a hidden cave nearly thirty feet below ground filled with bones—remains from over thirty different Ice Age species. Among them was a remarkably well-preserved Smilodon, commonly known as the saber-tooth cat. This powerful predator, weighing over 600 pounds and standing more than three feet tall, once roamed Middle Tennessee during the Pleistocene epoch over 10,000 years ago.

The discovery captured the city’s imagination. So much so that when Nashville was awarded a National Hockey League expansion team in the 1990s, the owners chose the saber-tooth cat as the team’s fierce and ancient mascot. Today, the Nashville Predators carry forward that prehistoric legacy—linking modern sports culture to the city’s ancient history. For more on the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena, check out our Downtown Arts and Murals, Women’s Sports History, and Music in Music City (South) tours!

About sixteen feet above the Smilodon remains, archaeologists uncovered several human burials from the Woodland period, dating back more than 2,000 years. While the animals likely fell in through a sinkhole during an earlier era, the later human use shows a long continuity of life and meaning tied to this place.

Over one thousand animal bones were found including now-extinct mastodons, musk oxen, long-nosed peccaries, and Ice Age horses. These remains offer a glimpse into a vibrant ecosystem that the first peoples to enter the Central Basin would have encountered. Some of these animal bones were once displayed in the building’s lobby, though many—including the prized Smilodon fang—have disappeared. 

The First American Bank Cave Site offers more than an origin story for a hockey team. From Ice Age predators to Indigenous Peoples, this site reminds us just how long humans and animals have shared and shaped this landscape. Our next stop also has a connection to sports. We move from the hockey rink to the baseball diamond to learn about the ancient history of the grounds that are now occupied by the Nashville Sounds.  

Once back at your car, head north on 3rd Ave N to First Tennessee Park, home to the Nashville Sounds! You can find street, pay lots, or garage parking on 3rd Ave, 4th Ave, or John Lewis Way. Once you park, make your way to the Left Field entrance (along 3rd Ave) and find the “Prehistory” exhibit panels along the greenway.