Murfreesboro is a lively, affordable mid‑sized city with a walkable historic downtown, a growing restaurant and craft‑brew scene, greenways and parks, and Middle Tennessee State University bringing regular cultural and sporting events — great for enjoying evenings and weekends during multi‑week contracts.
You’re also about 35 miles from Nashville for big‑city music, dining and the airport, and roughly 25 miles from Franklin for charming Main Street shops and historic sites, so weekend variety is easy to find.