The honest answer is that parking difficulty in Nashville correlates almost perfectly with how much you want to go there. The more restaurants, bars, and things to do in a neighborhood, the harder it is to park. Here is the ranked reality.
Easiest: Sylvan Park
Sylvan Park is the most consistently easy neighborhood to park in Nashville. The residential streets are unmetered, there are no permit zones restricting non-residents, and the commercial strip along Charlotte Avenue has free street parking available most of the time. Even on weekends, you can usually find a free spot within a block or two of wherever you want to be. This neighborhood does not attract the tourist volumes that East Nashville or 12 South do, which keeps parking pressure low.
Easy: Hillsboro Village
Hillsboro Village has metered parking along 21st Avenue South, but the side streets surrounding it (Acklen Avenue, Grand Avenue, the residential blocks off 21st) have free, unmetered parking. On weekdays during business hours the meters on the main corridor are active. Non-CBD meters including these run from 6 AM to midnight, seven days a week, so the window after midnight or before 6 AM is free on any day.
Moderate: East Nashville (Five Points area)
The Five Points corridor has become significantly more congested with parking as the neighborhood grew. Meters exist along several commercial stretches. That said, the residential streets running perpendicular to the commercial areas still have free parking within a 2-3 block walk. The key is not trying to park on the main strip. Go one block perpendicular and you will almost always find something free on weekdays and most weekend afternoons. Weekend evenings get harder.
Moderate: Germantown
Germantown’s compact size means you can park once and walk everywhere. The streets running off the main restaurant corridor (4th Avenue North) have free parking. Weekend evenings at popular dining hours can require a 5-10 minute walk from a free spot.
Hard: 12 South
12 South has meters on 12th Avenue South and the side streets closest to the commercial strip fill up fast on weekends. You can still find free parking by going two blocks into the residential grid, but first-timers often circle the main drag for longer than necessary before realizing the solution is to go wider.
Very Hard: The Gulch
The Gulch was built as a high-density development with parking structures but limited free street options. Expect to pay.
Very Hard: Downtown/Broadway
No free street parking exists in the CBD at any hour (meters now run 24/7). Weekend nights and event nights are the worst. There is no workaround that doesn’t involve either paying for a garage or walking from a free spot in a neighborhood farther out.
The One Time Rule That Actually Helps Everywhere
Non-CBD neighborhood meters enforce from 6 AM to midnight, seven days a week. Parking in Hillsboro Village, Germantown, or East Nashville after midnight or before 6 AM costs nothing, and there are no overnight restrictions. CBD meters, however, run 24/7 with no off window.
The Local Trick That Works Everywhere
For any neighborhood with a commercial strip, ignore the strip itself and find a residential street running perpendicular to it. Nashville’s residential streets are overwhelmingly free and unmetered outside the CBD. Getting one or two blocks off the main drag almost always solves the parking problem.
Sources
- Metro Nashville parking enforcement rules: nashville.gov/departments/transportation/traffic-and-parking/parking
- Metro Nashville paid parking (CBD 24/7, non-CBD 6am-midnight enforcement): nashville.gov/departments/transportation/traffic-and-parking/parking/paid-parking
- WSMV: “Free Sunday, overnight parking eliminated in Downtown Nashville,” February 2023
- Fox17: Nashville new parking rate changes, April 2025
- SpotAngels Nashville parking maps
- Local neighborhood knowledge compiled from Nashville parking forums and resident reports