I want to take a 5 day trip to Nashville. 24; Never been there. How much $ should I bring & where should I go? (Murfreesboro: car rental)

[KELLERINA]

I want to visit Nashville to see if I might want to live there someday. Please keep in mind that I am a 24 year old female (and I don't like to drink or go to bars) when you answer this: what places should I visit within my five days to give me a good feel for what Nashville is like?

Also, I don't have a car. Will I need to rent one? Or can I get by via public transportation?

How much money should I expect to spend during my five days there (hotel/motel, rented car or public transportation fees, minimal food since I'm not a big eater, etc.)?

Please include any relevant information.

Thank you!

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by KELLERINA

I want to visit Nashville to see if I might want to live there someday. Please keep in mind that I am a 24 year old female (and I don't like to drink or go to bars) when you answer this: what places should I visit within my five days to give me a good feel for what Nashville is like?

Also, I don't have a car. Will I need to rent one? Or can I get by via public transportation?

How much money should I expect to spend during my five days there (hotel/motel, rented car or public transportation fees, minimal food since I'm not a big eater, etc.)?

Please include any relevant information.

Thank you!

First things first....you will absolutely, positively have to rent a car.

Yes, public transportation DOES exist, but for someone looking to explore Nashville, it would be nearly impossible to effectively take it all in. Unless you plan on staying downtown and only exploring a few enclaves in the inner city, then buses (and especially taxis, due to expense) are out. Rent. A. Car.

As for money...I would say for 5 days, I would budget around $1,000. That's $75 per night for an inexpensive motel (keep taxes in mind!), around $50 per day for the car (you might be able to do better than that...it really depends on what deals they have going on, and if you are a member of any car rental service), and $25 per day for food (for 3 meals, that's stretching it...but if you're on a budget, you might consider picking up some snacks and supplies at a supermarket to get you by).

That's around $750 right there. At least $50 for a full tank of gas, which you might or might not use all of during your time here. The other $200 should be for admissions fees to anything you want to see, things you might want to buy, or any other random expense that comes along.

You could probably get by on a little less. I would recommend trying Priceline to get the hotel/motel. That way you might be able to stay at a nicer place that isn't in a dangerous area. Otherwise, $75/night after taxes could be difficult (unless you stay outside of town). In fact, it might not be a bad idea to look in the suburbs for a hotel. The Brentwood area has some surprisingly good deals, and you won't have to worry about possibly being in a sketchy area. Definitely check out Priceline if you haven't already. You can also "name your own price" and possibly get a really good place for $60-70. If you're interested, I, or someone else on here could fill you in on where to stay. 'Downtown' will probably be out of your price range for anything without rats or bedbugs. Avoid the Trinity Lane and Murfreesboro Road places. The airport area is pretty good, and not too far. Brentwood is the closest suburb with a good hotel selection.





Now that that's out of the way...what to see.

There are plenty of touristy things to see, but if you're looking at living here, I would suggest only hitting a couple of those. Stroll down Lower Broadway and Second Ave just to get a feel for the atmosphere. Just keep in mind that a large portion of that crowd is visiting, too. Locals have varying opinions on the atmosphere there.

I don't know if you're a history buff (I am!), but I would look into taking some sort of tour downtown (perhaps a walking tour) where you can see and learn a little bit about the city. If you ARE interested in history, we can help you come up with a good list of places to check out. Downtown is full of them. There are also some interesting mansions, plantations, and Civil War battlefields in the area.

As far as areas of town....write these down (you can google them, or we can give you directions later, if you wish).
-Vanderbilt/West End
-East Nashville
-12th South/Belmont
-Sylvan Park
-Germantown
-The Gulch
-Green Hills
-Hillsboro Village

^These would be some of the "cool" places to check out. Some have cool older houses, shops, and restaurants. Some are in a transitional phase and are gentrifying. A lot of those areas attract the younger crowd, both singles and families, though they are not exclusive to that. All of those places are in Nashville, and "in town." You will soon learn that Nashville is a very expansive city (due to city/county consolidation), so many areas that are actually Nashville look quite suburban. These are some of the more urban, older areas.

Speaking of which, the main "suburban, but Nashville" areas are Antioch, Hermitage, Donelson, Madison, and Bellevue, and Bordeaux.

I would also suggest taking a trip to the suburbs (mostly outside of Davidson County) to get a feel of how they are. They range from very blue collar (La Vergne) to the uber wealthy (Belle Meade).

Suburbs I would take a look at:
-Franklin (definitely check out downtown Franklin. Get out and walk around. It's small, but really neat)
-Smyrna
-Mount Juliet
-Hendersonville

Murfreesboro, Lebanon, and Gallatin all have things to offer, but each is 25-30+ miles from town, and if you are considering gas usage and budget, you might leave that for another time.

Belle Meade, Brentwood, Forest Hills, and Oak Hill are also neat to drive through and look at the houses. Very very nice neighborhoods. All on the south and southwest sides of town.



That's kind of a rough overview. Visiting some of those areas should give you a *feel* for what this area is like. You should visit the nice as well as the not-so-nice areas to form a well-rounded opinion. I want you to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Also, I'm sure I left a ton out, but I'm sure someone will pick up where I'm slacking.

[nashvols]

Oh, I left out parks...

I would at least devote a several hours exploring the local parks.

Centennial Park is right in town and easy to access. It's home to a full size replica of the Parthenon.
The Bicentennial Mall is located just north of downtown and provides a great view of the Capitol building.
The Warner Parks (on the Southwest side) are expansive (2,600+ acres combined) and gorgeous.
Shelby Park and Shelby Bottoms have a nice greenway trail.
Radnor Lake State Natural Area will make you forget that you are in the midst of a major city.

[KELLERINA]

Thank you for writing all of that

[airen123]

nashvols is always pretty informative and spot-on.