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One week in Springfield

Seven days lets you use Springfield as a base for Nashville, Clarksville, and the Kentucky line without paying big-city hotel rates. Here is a 7-day plan built around honest $90 to $140 nightly stays.

Guide
Itineraries
Length
9 min read
Region
Springfield
Tobacco barn along a country road outside Springfield Tobacco barn along a country road outside Springfield

Days 1 to 2: settle into the square

Base yourself at the Best Western Plus on Memorial Boulevard, usually around $115 a night, or the Hampton Inn just off I-65 for closer to $135. Spend the first two days walking the courthouse square, eating your way through Java Jacks, 6th & Main, and El Mariachi, and doing the Robertson County Museum on 5th Avenue West. Buy a coffee card at Springfield Coffee Company; you will use it. Pick up trail maps at J. Travis Price Park visitor board for the following days.

Days 3 to 4: day trips north and west

Day three, drive twenty-five minutes to Clarksville for the Customs House Museum ($10) and lunch at Blackhorse Pub on Franklin Street. Day four, head to Adams for the Bell Witch Cave tour (about $22) and the Historic Bell School. Both towns are quick out-and-backs on Highway 41 and 431 respectively. Fuel up in Springfield before you leave; gas on the square typically runs about $0.20 a gallon cheaper than the interstate exits.

Days 5 to 6: Nashville on your own terms

Springfield sits forty minutes north of downtown Nashville on I-65. Drive down midweek, park at the Music City Central garage for $18 a day, and do the Ryman, Broadway, and Centennial Park without paying downtown room rates. Day six, try the Frist Art Museum ($15) and Germantown for dinner. You are back in your Springfield room by 10pm and paying half of what a Nashville hotel would cost.

Day 7: slow morning, tobacco country, and depart

Save the last day for what most visitors skip: a slow biscuit at Springfield Coffee Company, a drive out Highway 49 through Cedar Hill and Orlinda, and lunch at a country meat-and-three. Kilgore's on the way to Cross Plains does a $12 plate that includes cornbread and two sides. If you are flying out of BNA, allow ninety minutes for the drive plus rental return.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask before they set off on this one.

Is Springfield a good base for visiting Nashville?

Yes, if you have a car. It is forty minutes to downtown Nashville and hotel rates run $80 to $150 less per night than comparable Nashville properties.

How much should I budget for a week in Springfield?

Roughly $1,100 to $1,600 for two people including a mid-tier hotel, rental car, gas, and eating out twice a day. Add $200 to $400 if you plan multiple Nashville concert or museum days.

Is a week too long for Springfield itself?

For the town alone, yes. A week works when you use Springfield as a base for Robertson County, Clarksville, southern Kentucky, and Nashville day trips.

Are there weekly hotel rates in Springfield?

A few of the interstate-exit hotels will negotiate a 10 to 15 percent discount for a seven-night stay if you book direct and ask. It is worth a call to the front desk.

Where to stay

Hotels in Springfield

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