Nashville Parking Made Easier
One of the most anxiety-producing questions in a major city: “Where should we park?” I can’t promise this will make your world problem-free but it should help.
Parking Downtown
For everyone looking to park downtown while visiting attractions, Nashville Downtown Partnership offers a great interactive parking guide which shows both privately and publicly owned garages and surface parking lots.
The cheapest parking garages I know of are the city-owned Downtown Library and Metro Courthouse. Another affordable option is Music City Center parking garage. where you can park for up to 5 hours for $10 unless a special event (such as a concert at Bridgestone) is scheduled. (Photo above is the Demonbreun Street entrance.)
If you’re willing to walk a bit, there’s FREE parking next to Wasioto (formerly Cumberland) Park. That’s on the East Bank, near the foot of John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. Use this address for directions: 592 S 1st St, Nashville, TN 37213. Personally, I’d feel a bit uncomfortable walking back to a car parked there after dark.
Helpful websites and apps:
- Park Happy They’ve got spots all over town but know that they show no mercy with infractions.
- Parking.com/Nashville Allows you to search by venue, hotel and other landmarks.
- ParkWhiz Gives you the location, price and whether spots are available for booking.
- SpotHero.com Same idea from a different company.
Parking for Tennessee Titans games
Pay parking is at a premium near the stadium so, if you’re not one of those lucky ones, you might want to park near the pedestrian bridge and walk over the river.
Rideshare drivers recommend that you get dropped off or picked up a few blocks from Nissan Stadium. One exit strategy: walk from the stadium, cross over the pedestrian bridge but AVOID going toward Lower Broadway as it’s always a high-density zone for rideshares and cabs.
Parking for Bridgestone events including Nashville Predators
In addition to the hundreds of spaces in the Music City Center parking garage, there are a number of surface lots in the area, albeit often pricey. The farther you get from Bridgestone Arena, the more affordable the parking.
If taking a rideshare or cab, it’s suggested that you walk away from the immediate area–either south toward Korean Veterans Parkway or west toward 8th Avenue or beyond. Why? Because the combination of pedestrian traffic for the honky tonks and hockey fans makes travel a real mess. Cabbies and drivers prefer to stay out of this gridlock.
Parking for Nashville SC matches
Until they mastermind a better traffic flow, getting out of the parking lot after a soccer match is a slow-moving mess. People who have attended multiple games recommend parking across from Fort Negley and walking the 1.7 miles to GEODIS Park. The surface lot, owned by Vanderbilt University, is labeled VU Lot 127.
“What other places can I explore downtown?”
- Museums All these museums are within a few blocks of each other: Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, National Museum of African American Music, Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, Johnny Cash Museum, Patsy Cline Museum, Glen Campbell Museum, Frist Art Museum.
- Shopping In addition to all sorts of souvenirs in the Honky Tonk District, you’ll find more than a dozen boutiques in Fifth and Broadway.
- Cowboy boots You’ll find cowboy boots and related attire all over town but the greatest concentration is downtown.
