The Gulch sits on the southwest edge of downtown Nashville, about 1 mile from Lower Broadway and roughly a 20-minute walk from the honky-tonks. It is bordered by Interstate 40 and Interstate 65 to the south and west, by Broadway to the northwest, and by 8th Avenue South to the east, which separates it from SoBro and the Music City Center. The CSX rail line runs along its eastern flank, a remnant of the industrial history that gave the neighborhood its name.
The two main streets to know are Demonbreun Street, which runs east-west through the northern portion of the neighborhood, and 12th Avenue South (also written 12 Ave S), which cuts through the center. 11th Avenue South runs parallel to 12th and is where the neighborhood’s most famous landmark, the What Lifts You wings mural, is located at 302 11th Avenue South. Division Street forms the southern boundary of the core commercial area.
Getting here from downtown is simple. From Broadway, you can walk south on any of the numbered avenues, or take the WeGo bus Line 17 from the downtown transit center, which makes the trip in about 5 minutes for $2. An Uber from Lower Broadway costs roughly $9 to $12. The Gulch Greenway connects the neighborhood by bike to surrounding areas, and Nashville’s B-cycle bike-share has kiosks throughout the neighborhood.
The Gulch is sandwiched between several important Nashville nodes. Music Row is directly to the northwest, which is why musicians and label employees have historically spent time here. The Frist Art Museum sits on the northern edge of the Gulch at 919 Broadway. Vanderbilt University is roughly a mile to the west. The Country Music Hall of Fame is about a mile to the northeast. Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, is less than a mile north.
One geographic note worth knowing: the neighborhood has expanded conceptually over the years. “North Gulch” refers to an area extending northwest from Broadway toward Charlotte Avenue. “East Gulch” describes a zone bordered by Gleaves Street, 8th Avenue, Division Street, and Magazine Street. When locals or hotel websites say “The Gulch,” they almost always mean the core area around 12th Avenue South and Demonbreun. The zip code for the core neighborhood is 37203.
From Nashville International Airport (BNA), The Gulch is approximately 15 minutes by car with no traffic.
Sources
- Nashville MLS, “Nashville Throwback Thursday: Where Did the Gulch Get Its Name?”, milesrealestateteam.com
- Rome2rio, Downtown Nashville to The Gulch, rome2rio.com
- Nashville Todo, “The Gulch vs Downtown Nashville,” nashvilletodo.com
- Visit Nashville TN, The Gulch neighborhood page, visitmusiccity.com
- explorethegulch.com/getting-here