Which Nashville Neighborhoods Are Walkable?
- 3 sections
- 1 table
- 2 sources cited
By Walk Score, the most walkable neighborhoods in Nashville are East End (88), Watkins Park and Hope Gardens (77 each), Sunnyside and Germantown (75), Bellmont-Hillsboro (74), Greenwood and Lockeland Springs (73), and Eastwood and Melrose (72), according to an Apartment Guide ranking built from Walk Score data in March 2024. For a visitor, the walkable area that matters most is the downtown core around Lower Broadway, where the main sights sit within a few blocks of one another. Outside these pockets, Nashville is largely built around the car.
The Walk Score Ranking
| Rank | Neighborhood | Walk Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | East End | 88 |
| 2 | Watkins Park | 77 |
| 3 | Hope Gardens | 77 |
| 4 | Sunnyside | 75 |
| 5 | Germantown | 75 |
| 6 | Bellmont-Hillsboro | 74 |
| 7 | Greenwood | 73 |
| 8 | Lockeland Springs | 73 |
| 9 | Eastwood | 72 |
| 10 | Melrose | 72 |
Source: Apartment Guide, published March 25, 2024, with data from Walk Score, a Redfin company. Walk Score rates a point from 0 to 100 by analyzing walking routes to nearby amenities, population density, block length, and intersection density. It measures how close daily needs are, not how pleasant or safe a walk is, and the scores date from March 2024.
What This Means for a Visit
- Downtown. The Ryman (116 Rep. John Lewis Way North), the Country Music Hall of Fame (222 Rep. John Lewis Way South), and the Johnny Cash Museum (119 3rd Avenue South) are a few blocks apart, and the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge links downtown to the east bank on foot.
- East Nashville. Four of the ten neighborhoods above, East End, Lockeland Springs, Eastwood, and Greenwood, are on the east side; a rideshare or bus gets you there, and then you can walk.
- Germantown. It ranks fifth; the historic district covers about 18 blocks between Jefferson Street, Taylor Street, and 3rd and 8th Avenues North, beside the Nashville Farmers’ Market (Wikipedia).
- Everywhere else. Neighborhoods outside this list scored lower in the same ranking. Parks, the Opry area, and restaurants beyond the core are easier to reach by car, rideshare, or bus.
Before You Walk
Check the route on a map for sidewalks and crossings, especially at night or along major roads, and in summer plan longer walks for the morning or evening, when July highs average about 91°F under NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals. Getting between neighborhoods without a car is covered in how to get around Nashville without a car, and choosing a base is covered in what neighborhood to stay in.