Day trip to Clarksville from Springfield
Clarksville sits 25 minutes west of Springfield on Highway 76 and combines a walkable downtown, a solid museum, and a working distillery. Here is a tight one-day plan.
Historic Customs House Museum in downtown Clarksville
The drive and downtown loop
Take Highway 76 west out of Springfield. It is 22 miles and typically 30 minutes. Park free on Franklin Street or in the Public Square lot for two hours free. Start at the Customs House Museum on Second Street ($10 adults, $8 seniors), which covers the region's history and has a strong regional art collection. Walk two blocks to L&N Train Station and the Riverwalk along the Cumberland, which is free and a good half-hour stroll.
Distillery, food, and Fort Defiance
Lunch at Blackhorse Pub and Brewery on Franklin Street; the pub burger is $14 and the house IPA is $6. In the afternoon, drive ten minutes to Old Glory Distilling Co. off Highway 41 for the $15 tour and three pours. Finish with Fort Defiance Civil War Park, which is free and has a small interpretive center plus bluff views over the confluence of the Red and Cumberland rivers. Back in Springfield by 6pm easily.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask before they set off on this one.
22 miles on Highway 76 west, roughly 30 minutes. Slightly longer if you go via I-24 from the Nashville side.
Yes, especially for the Customs House Museum, the Riverwalk, and Old Glory Distilling. It is the closest town with a real downtown scale beyond Springfield itself.
The Customs House Museum has an excellent children's wing and model train, and Liberty Park along the river has playgrounds and paved paths. Both are cheap or free.
The Don F. Pratt Museum on post at Fort Campbell is open to the public but requires ID and a base visitor pass. Allow an extra hour for gate processing.
Hotels in Springfield
Hotels we cover across Springfield
- Quality Inn & Suites Joelton Nashville 2★ · 4.7/5
- Hampton Inn Pleasant View TN 2★ · 4.6/5
- Hampton Inn by Hilton Springfield 2★ · 4.4/5
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Nashville North Springfield by IHG 2★ · 4.4/5
- Quality Inn Pleasant View 2★ · 3.9/5
- Quality Inn White House 2★ · 3.7/5
- Springfield Inn TN 2★ · 3.2/5
- Charming Springfield Escape with Furnished Deck 3★
- Family friendly Home w Yard: 27 Mi to Nashville 3★
- Comfort Inn White House 2★
- Hampton Inn White House 2★
- Holiday Inn Express White House by IHG 2★
- Motel 6 White House TN 2★
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Same room, same price you would pay anywhere else — with one verified tonne of carbon removed for every booking made through this site.