Blog Transport

2026-04-275 min readcheaphotels

Yes, barely, if you accept 3 constraints, 1 airport shuttle, and a hotel within walking distance of a Kroger.

The honest answer up front

Springfield has no rail service, no intercity bus stop, and no ride-share coverage worth relying on after 8 pm or before 7 am. It has no municipal transit — no city buses, no shuttles, no rentable bikes. Coming here without a car is possible but it requires planning that most travelers will find not worth the effort. If you have any option to rent a car, rent one. This article is for people who genuinely cannot or will not drive, and for whom the alternative is not visiting at all.

The plan below assumes you fly into Nashville International (BNA), take a paid shuttle to Springfield, base at a hotel on Memorial Boulevard within walking distance of a grocery store and three restaurants, and rely on Uber for the single day trip out to the county. Total cost premium over the drive-your-own version runs $180-$240 for a three-day visit, mostly in shuttle and rideshare fees. Time premium is significant — plan on losing about 90 minutes a day to logistics compared to a driving trip.

Getting from Nashville to Springfield

There is no scheduled shuttle service between BNA and Springfield. Options are Uber (roughly $65-$85 one way, 45-55 minutes, drivers accept the fare inconsistently), a pre-booked private car service through one of two Nashville companies ($110-$140 one way, reliable), or a rental car returned in Nashville when you fly out ($90-$120 for two days, cheapest option but defeats the point of this article). Uber Black or a private car is what I would book — you can schedule it in advance and know it will show.

Book the pre-arranged car for BNA pickup and drop at the Hampton Inn on Memorial Boulevard. Two companies work this route reliably: Grand Avenue and Nashville Black Car. Both take reservations by phone or website, both send a driver in a black SUV, both charge around $130 one way with tip. Budget $260 round trip for the airport transfer. Yes, this is more than a rental car — that is the tradeoff you are making. Return trips need at least 48 hours notice; do not try to book same-day.

Where to base yourself

The only workable no-car base in Springfield is the Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express on Memorial Boulevard. From either hotel you can walk to a Kroger Marketplace (with a hot food counter and a Starbucks inside), a Ruby Tuesday, a Chinese restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, and two fast-food chains. That is your walkable food inventory. Distance from hotel to Kroger is 8 minutes on sidewalks with a crosswalk at the traffic light. Downtown Springfield is 15 minutes on foot but the walk is not scenic — you are on a commercial strip along Memorial.

Do not book anywhere else without a car. The B&Bs in Cedar Hill and Adams are 20+ minutes by rideshare with no walkable food or coffee, which turns into a $30 Uber every time you want a meal. The older motels on the south end of Memorial are technically walkable to some restaurants but not to a proper grocery store. Hampton Inn is $140-$160 with breakfast, Holiday Inn Express is $130-$150. Both accept luggage before check-in if your shuttle arrives before 3 pm.

Day one: Downtown Springfield on foot

From the Hampton Inn, walk 15 minutes south to the courthouse square via Memorial and 5th Avenue. The route has sidewalks the whole way but the last block gets narrow — use the crosswalk at 6th Avenue. Once downtown, everything is walkable: the courthouse, the museum, the antique malls, the library, and 107 Coffee. Give yourself 4-5 hours downtown and it will cover the walking tour, a coffee, a museum visit, and a lunch. Total walking distance for the day, including the trip in and back, is about 5 miles.

Lunch downtown at 107 Coffee ($12), Springfield Brewing Company ($14-$18), or the meat-and-three inside Kroger if you want to eat closer to the hotel. Dinner options are the same — either walk back to the hotel and eat at the strip (Ruby Tuesday, Mexican, Chinese), or Uber back downtown for dinner at the brewery, which will run $8-$12 one way and is easy to book from the hotel lobby. Uber back after dinner is easier than getting one to come pick you up downtown, especially after 8 pm.

Day two: The one big Uber day

For a taste of Robertson County outside Springfield, dedicate one day to a chartered Uber loop. Book an Uber XL for a half-day at negotiated fare — some drivers will do a 4-hour loop for $180-$220 flat if you ask, though not all will. Alternative: use Uber for point-to-point trips through Cedar Hill, Adams, and back, totaling maybe $80-$100 for the day but with longer waits at each stop. Neither is cheap and both require accepting that you may wait 20-30 minutes at a stop for the return car.

Route: Start at 9 am, Uber to Cedar Hill Grocery ($22), spend an hour walking the tiny town center, Uber to the Adams Bell School museum ($18), one hour there, Uber to Thomas Drugs in Cross Plains for lunch ($24), 90 minutes there, Uber back to the hotel ($28). Total spend $92 in fares plus food. This is objectively worse than driving yourself but it does get you the flavor of the county. Skip if you are here for less than three days — not worth the logistics.

Day three: Recover and depart

Use your last day to walk downtown a second time at your own pace, or to spend a slow morning at the hotel and Kroger. If the weather is good, walk the 20 minutes to J. Travis Price Park — the route has sidewalks about 70% of the way with one stretch on the shoulder of a residential road that requires attention. Once you are in the park, 220 acres of trails and green space are yours for free. Bring water, wear a hat in summer. This is the walkable version of a Robertson County park experience.

Schedule your return car to BNA for at least 3 hours before your flight — Nashville traffic is unpredictable and the last thing you want after a car-free weekend is to miss the flight. If your flight is before noon, spend the last morning at the hotel and eat breakfast off the free buffet. If your flight is after 4 pm, do a final coffee at 107 downtown, Uber back to the hotel by 1 pm, and be ready when the shuttle arrives at 1:30 for a 4:30 flight.

What this trip is not

This is not a good introduction to Robertson County. The best of the region is the driving loop through Adams, Orlinda, and Cross Plains, and you cannot see it properly from an Uber. If you are considering Springfield specifically because you have read that the tobacco country is worth a visit, please rent a car or bring a friend who drives — you will get 40% of the experience for 120% of the cost otherwise. That is not a good trade.

This plan is a good fit for exactly two travelers: someone visiting family in Springfield who wants to stay independent without asking for rides, and a business traveler who has come in for a specific meeting and wants to fill a day or two around it. For a pure leisure visit without a car, honestly, spend the weekend in Nashville instead — 45 minutes south, dense with walkable attractions, and every transit option works. Springfield rewards drivers. That is not a flaw, it is just the geography.

Book while you read Median night$99 Cheapest area$70 Hotels tracked4 Find a hotel

Before you book

The questions people ask about Downtown Springfield, answered with this month’s numbers.