Veterans Parkway Murfreesboro: New Restaurants & Veterans Park

On September 10, 2026, Wawa opened at 5208 Veterans Parkway. On the same day, a little way up the road, the City of Murfreesboro issued a construction permit for a Seven Brew coffee stand at 5114 Veterans Parkway. One business opened on the corridor while the next one got its permit, and that is how Blackman's main road has been filling in all year.

Most announcements reach this stretch of Veterans Parkway months before any sign goes up. Tenants first show up in Planning Commission minutes, then in the monthly building report, and only after that in the local business columns. Read in that order, the records show what is coming. They point to a corridor made mostly of fast, everyday stops, plus one large civic project, Veterans Park, that is now in its final stretch.

Three Openings That Got Here First

The corridor's 2026 openings have been fairly small, steady additions.

The Gumbo Bros opened its first Rutherford County location at 1306 Westlawn Blvd. It took over the former Tijuana Flats space near the Publix shopping center, just off Veterans Parkway. The Murfreesboro Pulse reported that this is the Nashville concept's first expansion beyond its original Gulch restaurant. Founder Adam Lathan is a Louisiana native. The menu leans on chicken and sausage gumbo, crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice, and po' boys made with Leidenheimer French bread shipped from New Orleans. There is also a full bar serving hurricanes and frozen cocktails. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Whit's Frozen Custard opened at 4310 Veterans Parkway near Franklin Road. The Pulse described it as the chain's third Middle Tennessee location.

Wawa opened September 10 at 5208 Veterans Parkway. MTSU Sidelines reported it as the company's fourth Tennessee location, with made-to-order hoagies, sandwiches, and pizza alongside the fuel pumps.

All three are places you stop at on the way somewhere: a weeknight dinner, a custard run, a coffee and gas stop. The businesses waiting in the city's pipeline look much the same.

What the City's Records Say Comes Next

In April 2026, the Pulse announced three more Veterans Parkway additions: Seven Brew and Chipotle at the Westlawn development near Blackman Road, and a Goodwill store near Franklin Road. The article gave no opening dates. The city's own documents show how far each project has moved since.

Seven Brew is the furthest along. It is the only one of the three that has moved from site-plan approval to a building permit, according to the city's monthly building report, which was run October 1, 2026. Chipotle and Goodwill have their site plans approved. Neither the city records nor the April announcement gives an opening date for either one.

The square footage tells you what kind of road this is turning into. An 876-square-foot Seven Brew is a drive-through coffee stand, built for cars rather than for people sitting inside. Chipotle's approved plan also centers on a drive-through. Goodwill's 17,722 square feet, a little over 20 times the size of the Seven Brew, is the corridor's largest pending retail space, and it is a store for drop-offs and quick browsing. Each of these businesses adds a reason to pull off Veterans Parkway for 10 minutes. None of them adds a place to stay for an afternoon.

Where an Evening Out Is Opening Instead

The next sit-down dinner opening on the west side is a short drive away, on Medical Center Parkway. Chef Alex Belew, who won season 21 of Hell's Kitchen, plans to open Chinwag on October 22 at Fountains at Gateway, 1440 Medical Center Pkwy. It takes the space Burger Republic used to occupy. Belew is opening it with Shane Nasby, the owner of Cledis Burger and Beer. The Pulse describes it as a bistro-style restaurant built around smoke and fire, fresh ingredients, and cooking techniques from around the world, with a full cocktail, beer, and wine program. Reservations go through chinwagsocial.com.

So the two corridors are growing in different directions. Gateway is getting the reservation-style restaurant. Veterans Parkway is getting the daily errands, and its one large gathering place will be a park instead of a dining room.

Veterans Park Is the Corridor's Big Project

The park is where the corridor's investment in a place to spend real time is going. In January 2025, City Council approved a $16.35 million construction contract for Veterans Park. The site sits along Veterans Parkway near the I-840 interchange, and the main entrance and parking will be off Veterans Parkway itself. The city describes the overall project as 153 acres, with room set aside for other city services. WGNS reported that 95 of those acres are dedicated to the park itself, and the remaining acreage is held for future community amenities.

Published plans call for:

• A destination playground
• Eight pickleball courts
• 3.7 miles of paved trails, plus stone trails
• Covered pavilions and event space
• Native wildflower fields and natural areas
• A large American flag as the centerpiece, in a park designed to honor veterans, including those who died in service

The 3.7 miles of paved trail are the part with the most everyday use. Most of the corridor's new businesses are built for a 10-minute stop, and the trails are built for walking an hour at a time. In an October 5 parks update on WGNS, the department's summary also lists extended trail systems and a 150-foot flagpole among the features on the way.

How the Timeline Has Moved

The opening estimate has changed over the past several months, so it helps to read the public updates in order:

1. May 18, 2026: WKRN reported the target as "the early months of 2027," with no exact date set.
2. August 3, 2026: On WGNS, Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation reported that construction was going smoothly despite the weather. The pavilions were complete, the playground equipment was installed, and the pickleball courts were underway.
3. October 5, 2026: The latest WGNS update put completion in "late winter/early spring."

The October update doesn't give a year. Read alongside the May report, the most consistent reading is early 2027. That puts the park's opening in roughly the same window when the permitted Veterans Parkway businesses could reasonably start coming online. No firm date has been set, and the city has not announced a ribbon cutting.

Getting Around the Corridor in the Meantime

The road has already changed in small ways. A new traffic signal at Veterans Parkway and Rucker Lane was scheduled to be fully operational on April 8, 2026, according to a City of Murfreesboro release.

The intersection of Burnt Knob Road, Manson Pike, and Blackman Road is also on the city's project list. In 2025, the city contracted improvements there that include widening, turn lanes, and a signal. None of the city releases reviewed for this post gives a completion date, and the most recent one is a June 2025 notice.

Put together, the past year on Veterans Parkway has brought a Cajun kitchen, a custard stand, and a Wawa. Still in the pipeline are a small Seven Brew coffee stand, a drive-through burrito spot, a large Goodwill, and a 95-acre park with eight pickleball courts and 3.7 miles of paved trail, entered from the same road.

If you live off Veterans Parkway and wonder how a new park entrance or a busier Westlawn might affect your home's value, Anne and Melinda are glad to go through the details with you. A&M Homes follows Blackman's corridor closely and can share what recent nearby sales show. Contact Us when you're ready to talk.