DW and I (60s) will be driving from Naples, FL to Boston, MA in June, and have decided to take a detour to visit Nashville for only two nights. Looking for recommendations on where to stay (prefer to be able to walk to restaurants), sights, etc. Not into late nights for clubs. More of what to see during the day. Thank you.

What's your budget? What sites are you interested in?

We love the Hermitage Hotel but it's pricey. It is downtown and near many things to do. Downtown is full of music scenes and event venues.

For more charm and shopping stay in Franklin. The Drury Hotel is nice or Aloft. You kind of have to drive most places in this area but everything is really close. There is a great mall and downtown Franklin is very nearby.

A lot of people like the Gaylord Opryland hotel. I like to visit this hotel - it is giant with many restaurants and shopping within it and beautifully decorated. But I'm not a fan of staying there. Valet/parking can be a nightmare and the hotel is so spread out that it is hard to access things quickly. And you absolutely need reservations for every meal or the wait times are long. At Christmas we always visit but stay next door at the Hampton Inn for the convenience. These are located next to Opry Mills Mall, also very large with some great outlet stores (higher end) and restaurants. The mall is within walking distance or there are shuttles to the hotels. The Grand Old Opryhouse is also located here, which many people like to tour.

Give us an idea of what you want to see and we can help narrow it down.

Yes, I should have given more specifics. Nothing more than $200/nite if possible - and with parking, as we will have a lot of stuff in the car - going to NH for 4 months.

We want to be able to walk to most everything while we are there so prefer to stay downtown. We like Hilton/Hampton and Marriott.

Not interested in shopping. Like to see a show, or just enjoy music and ambiance along Broadway, walk around riverfront - if it's worth it.

We stayed at the Best Western DT. Great location, large rooms, excellent staff.
Loved the Grand Ole Opry show; book the backstage tour in advance.
Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryan Auditorium tour, Hermitage were all interesting.

Downtown is best to stay if you want to be able to walk to attractions, and does have some good places to eat. The best restaurants in town, generally speaking, are not in the downtown tourist core (though there are some solid options), but some could be walkable depending on your comfort level, and many are a quick drive/cab/Uber ride away.

I live here so can't recommend specific hotels based on personal experience. Pretty much any hotel in the area bounded by the river, 8th Avenue/Rosa Parks, Charlotte Avenue and Korean Vets (east/west/north/south respectively) would be fine in terms of location for staying downtown. There are quite a few chain hotels as well as the Hermitage and Union Station (though I'd be shocked if those two had options in your budget).

I would *not* recommend Opryland unless the Opry is your main interest - it's too far away from everything except the Opry and Opry Mills, which really is just a giant shopping mall with a movie theater. If you do want to see the Opry and stay downtown, I believe there's a shuttle between them. Franklin/Cool Springs doesn't seem like a good pick given your interests either - it's at least a 20-25 minute drive downtown from the Cool Springs area, and you'd have to pay for parking (which has gotten really expensive downtown).

abram's list is great for a two-night stay. I really liked the backstage tour at the Ryman. You might check out RCA Studio B as well (especially if the Hermitage isn't appealing to you).

Thank you - checking out attractions and BW hotel.

Keep in mind that CMA Fest is June 9-12 this year. I've got tickets and can't wait to go but I imagine it will draw quite a crowd. enhoy your trip!

Definitely avoid the city during the dates noted by Hobbert! As if you could get a room then anyway...

Your $200/night budget might be tough to meet--Nashville has grown like crazy lately--I was just there a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday night and the downtown Hampton Inn was over $300 for one night.

If you are comfortable with Priceline, you might be able to get a nice hotel within your budget (and way less), but it's too early for that, even if you are willing to try it. I was able to get the downtown Sheraton, a 4*, for $99 ($124 with fees and taxes).

abram has great suggestions--I have done all of those and enjoyed them. If you like music, I will add that on that most recent trip I visited the Musician's Hall of Fame and Museum for the first time and found it very well done and interesting--it's a bit off the beaten path, but still downtown--it surprised me with its many well-done and informative exhibits.

My husband has stayed at the Marriott Vanderbilt, so near the university. He does business all over town, but liked the Vanderbilt area.
One thing is leaving a car filled with stuff for 4 months in it might make me want to be out of the city/parking garage?

NH: We used to go to Lake Winnepasaukee every year as kids for so many years!

Looks like the Marriott has some mediocre ratings on trip advisor. It has been about 2 years so I guess it may not be as great. You mentioned Hilton and the one downtown and the Homewood suites in Vanderbilt are rated much higher.

Oh goodness - I can't believe I forgot about CMA Fest. Yes, if you're not here specifically for the event, avoid downtown that weekend! It's insanity.

musicfan, I didn't realize hotel prices were up that high. That is crazy. The change around down in the last five years especially has been something to see.

girlonthego -Checking out some B&Bs -with private lots.
we're going back to Jackson, where we used to live.

girlonthego - is Vanderbilt area within a two mile walk of downtown - does your husband remember?

He's not home right now, but I did a google maps and it says it is a 2 mile walk from Vanderbilt U to downtown Nashville. There are also buses from that area. Will ask him and get back to you later if he can remember. TN was part of his territory for many years, but not in the last couple.

@jent: Yes--I have friends who live in Nashville and they too could hardly believe it when I told them how expensive hotels had gotten downtown, even with many more being built! For my trip last October, I did an Airbnb in Green Hills and would definitely go that route again for a trip longer than 1 or 2 nights.

musicfan - I know the metro council just had a workshop about short-term rentals. I'm fine with Airbnb in general, but will be interested to see where Nashville goes with it in terms of residents vs. investors/visitors. Meanwhile, several times a week I drive by the huge Kimpton going up in Midtown. It's pretty crazy to be here right now!

golfbuddy - the Vanderbilt/Midtown area would be a decent alternative to downtown if rates are lower. It's walkable if you're OK with a longish walk, and is definitely a quick cab or Uber ride; there are two MTA bus routes straight down West End toward downtown as well. There are a couple of places you'll need to be careful walking (the I-40/65 interchange mainly), but generally speaking it's a sidewalked route and fine to walk. I'm not sure what parking is like at the Vandy area hotels (paid or free with the rooms), so make sure you add that in when you're looking at rates.

appreciate all the advice and suggestions from everyone. What with the price of hotels, we've decided to skip Nashville.Instead, we'll head to the Smokey Nat'l Park (which we never got to the year we rode our motorcycles on the Parkway)and then take a leisurely ride on the Parkway again.