Day trip to Nashville from Springfield
Nashville is forty minutes down I-65 and makes the easiest day trip from Springfield. Here is how to do the honky-tonks, a museum, and a proper dinner and still be home by midnight.
Nashville skyline seen from the Cumberland River
The drive and where to park
Take I-65 south from exit 35 in Springfield. The drive is 32 miles and takes 40 minutes off-peak, 60 to 75 minutes if you leave after 3pm on a weekday. Park at Music City Central at 400 Charlotte Avenue for $18 a day, or at the Nashville Farmers' Market lot for $10 on weekends. Avoid the surface lots on Broadway; they charge $40 to $60 during events. Uber back to your car from anywhere downtown is under $12.
What to do in one day
Morning at the Ryman Auditorium self-guided tour ($27) and lunch at Arnold's Country Kitchen for a $14 meat-and-three (closes at 2:45pm, arrive by 1). Afternoon at either the Country Music Hall of Fame ($28) or the Frist Art Museum ($15). Sunset drink on the rooftop at Acme Feed & Seed on lower Broadway. Dinner at Rolf and Daughters in Germantown ($60 per person with a drink) or the cheaper but excellent Hattie B's Hot Chicken ($16 for a plate).
Frequently asked questions
What people ask before they set off on this one.
About 32 miles or a 40-minute drive on I-65 with no traffic. Rush hour southbound in the morning and northbound at 5pm can push it past an hour.
It is very hard. There is no regular transit between the two. Occasional shared shuttles run to BNA airport but not to downtown Nashville. A round-trip Uber is around $120 including surge.
Leave by 8am to arrive downtown before the morning peak, and start driving home before 4pm or after 7pm to skip the evening jam northbound.
One day covers Broadway plus one museum and a nice dinner. If you want the Grand Ole Opry, a full concert night, or Franklin as well, plan an overnight.
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★
More guides to Springfield
All guides
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Springfield in 3 days on a budget
Three days in Springfield for under $250 per person is realistic if you stay off I-65 and eat where the courthouse workers eat. Here is exactly how to do it.
Same room, same price you would pay anywhere else — with one verified tonne of carbon removed for every booking made through this site.