Nashville gets a walkability score of 29 out of 100 from WalkScore, which classifies it as “car-dependent.” That number is accurate for the city as a whole. It is useless for understanding what a tourist’s actual experience will be.
The relevant question is not whether Nashville the metro area is walkable, but whether the specific places tourists spend time are walkable. The answer there is different.
What Is Walkable for Tourists
Downtown Nashville has a Walk Score of 83-86, which ranks as “Very Walkable.” A 2024 Preply study found Nashville to be the second-most walkable US city for tourists specifically, measuring the walking distance between top five tourist destinations. The Country Music Hall of Fame, Johnny Cash Museum, Ryman Auditorium, and Broadway are within roughly a half-mile of each other. From a downtown hotel on or near Broadway, a tourist can reach all of these without getting in a car.
The practical downtown tourist circuit is compact: Broadway runs from the riverfront (where the pedestrian bridge crosses to East Nashville) to around 7th Avenue. The Gulch is about a 10-minute walk south from the lower end of Broadway. Germantown is about a 15-minute walk north from upper Broadway. The Country Music Hall of Fame sits at the foot of Broadway, steps from most downtown hotels.
Within each neighborhood, walkability is high. The 12 South commercial strip is half a mile of shops and restaurants on one street. Five Points in East Nashville concentrates most of the neighborhood’s bars and restaurants in a walkable cluster. Germantown’s restaurant row along Monroe St is a few blocks long.
What Is Not Walkable
The gap between neighborhoods is where cars become relevant. Broadway to 12 South is about 1.5 miles, a manageable walk for some but not a casual stroll in July heat or rain. East Nashville from downtown requires crossing the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, which is a nice walk itself but then puts you 15-20 minutes on foot from Five Points. The Grand Ole Opry is 6 miles from downtown with no practical walking route. Cheekwood is 8 miles southwest.
The city as a whole scores poorly on walkability because most of Nashville’s residential neighborhoods are car-dependent. As a tourist you are unlikely to encounter those neighborhoods unless you seek them out.
The Honest Assessment
A tourist staying downtown, doing a standard three-day visit, can operate primarily on foot within the core. Broadway to Bridgestone Arena to Country Music Hall of Fame to Ryman is all walkable. Adding the Gulch or Germantown involves longer walks that are feasible but not always comfortable depending on weather and time of day.
Once you want to visit East Nashville properly, go to Cheekwood, hit the Grand Ole Opry, explore 12 South beyond a single walk, or do a day trip, you need rideshares or a car. The city’s public transit (WeGo buses) runs on most major corridors but operates at 30-60 minute intervals, making it functional for budget travel but impractical as a real-time transport option for tourists with schedules.
The honest framing: Nashville is more walkable than its overall score suggests for the tourist experience specifically, but only because tourism concentrates in the most walkable pockets of an otherwise car-dependent city.
Sources:
- WalkScore.com, Nashville neighborhood scores (walkscore.com)
- Redfin, “Best Walkable Neighborhoods in Nashville” (redfin.com)
- WKRN, “Nashville ranks among best walkable cities for tourists,” April 2024 (wkrn.com)
- Felix Homes, “Exploring Nashville’s 9 Most Walkable Neighborhoods” (felixhomes.com)
- Neighborhoods.com, “The 5 Most Walkable Neighborhoods in Nashville” (neighborhoods.com)