12 South is the most walkable neighborhood in Nashville, and it’s not particularly close.
Within the neighborhood itself, everything runs along a half-mile stretch of 12th Avenue South. Coffee shop to boutique to restaurant to park takes about 10 minutes on foot at a relaxed pace. Sevier Park anchors the southern end with walking trails. The side streets off 12th Avenue are residential and pleasant to wander. There’s no moment where you need a car once you’re actually there.
The qualification: getting to 12 South from downtown, the Gulch, or most hotels is not walkable. The neighborhood sits 2 to 3 miles south of Broadway. The route involves walking along 8th Avenue or Hillsboro Pike — neither of which offers anything interesting along the way and neither of which is built for pedestrian comfort. The distance isn’t insurmountable, but it’s a 40-to-50-minute walk with no payoff until you arrive.
The practical answer for most visitors: take an Uber or Lyft to 12 South, then walk everything once you’re there. The ride from downtown takes about 10 minutes and costs roughly $10 to $15. Park your car or hotel commitments at home and just be on foot for your time in the neighborhood.
Biking is possible and makes more sense than walking from downtown. Nashville has some connected infrastructure in this corridor and the distance shrinks to a manageable 15-to-20-minute ride.
Within the neighborhood, the WeGo bus #7 Hillsboro Pike/Green Hills line has stops along 12th Avenue South, which means you can use transit to get there and then walk once you arrive. The bus takes roughly 20 to 25 minutes from downtown and costs $2.
One caveat about weekend parking: if you drive yourself, parking on 12th Avenue South fills quickly on weekends and side streets have limited free spaces. Plan to walk several blocks from wherever you park, which extends the effective walkable footprint of the neighborhood anyway.
The homes in 12 South are built for walking culture. Wide sidewalks, tree cover, front porches facing the street — this is a neighborhood where the design assumes you’ll be on foot. It just can’t teleport you there from elsewhere in the city.
Sources
- Nashville Go, 12 South: nashvillego.com/neighborhoods/12-south
- Orlaghclaire.com, 12 South Nashville Ultimate Guide (January 2025): orlaghclaire.com/travel/12-south-nashville/
- Homes.com, 12 South Neighborhood Guide: homes.com/local-guide/nashville-tn/12-south-neighborhood/
- Visit Nashville TN, 12South Neighborhood: visitmusiccity.com/nashville-neighborhoods/12south