Keys to the City

Facts & Fundamentals

Tennessee's state capital, Nashville, is home to around 1.5 million people in the 10 counties that make up the metro area. Known as the "Music City," Nashville is generally thought of as the capital of country music, and it is the music business in general that makes the city unique.

Although the city is renowned for its music industry connections, Nashville also serves as the headquarters for many corporations, who come to the city for its low cost of living and desirable business climate. Major industries include automobile production, finance, health care management, higher education, insurance, printing and publishing, technology manufacturing and tourism.

Tennessee charges a sales tax of 9.25% (there is no separate local tax) and a 5% hotel tax.

Weather

Nashville sees all of the seasons, but the climate is typically mild year round. There can be a little snow in the winter, though it is rare and seldom heavy. The summer can get very hot since humidity is worse then. Summer temperatures are generally in the upper 80s during the day and upper 60s at night, while in the winter the daily temperatures are generally in the mid-40s to mid-50s and in the mid 20s to mid-30s at night. Spring and fall are mild and beautiful, summer offers concert festivals galore, and winter shines with the holiday lights all over the area's attractions, so anytime's a great time to visit!

Holidays & Business Hours

On federal and state holidays, many offices and businesses close or have truncated hours. Naturally, policies vary, but in general, the following holidays are broadly observed:

Coming & Going

For air travel, Nashville International Airport is the main airport to use. It has 16 airlines that offer service to 89 cities, and there are over 400 daily arrivals and departures.

Leaving the airport, you can rent a car, take a hotel shuttle, or take a bus (the Metropolitan Transit Authority, or MTA, runs 4-9 buses a day for $1.25 to downtown). You can also take a taxi: From the airport, the meter starts at $4.50 and the rate is $2 per mile; there is a flat rate of $22 to the downtown and Opryland Hotel areas.

Making Your Way

Your best bet to see everything in the city is to rent a car. There are interstates to get you from one area to the other without too much traffic (although you should avoid the rush hours!). The three major interstate highways are I-40, I-24 and I-65. I-440 is an inner beltway that circles the city, and I-840 is a Southern outer beltway that connects some of the other major interstates.

If you don't have a car, you can get around the city using the MTA busses and trolleys. The Nashville MTA runs from the city center outwards at various times through the day, carrying passengers pretty much anywhere they need to go. An all-day pass is $3.75, but if you're planning on doing a lot of touring, you may be interested in the 7-day unlimited-ride pass for $17.

News & Views

To keep up with what's going on in or outside the Music City, grab a copy of Middle Tennessee's major daily, the Tennessean. Or pick up a copy of one of the alternative papers the Nashville Scene (weekly) or City Paper (daily on weekdays) for more arts and entertainment information. For business news and information, the Nashville Business Journal is the place to look.

Quirks & Curiosities

Because of the allure of major business and music, there are surprisingly few Nashville natives in town. Since all those who move here have done their share of finding their way around town, don't feel embarrassed if you need to ask for directions when you get lost, since the locals will be glad to help you out!

The roads are known for changing names frequently and randomly; be careful to watch out for this. One road that does this often is Old Hickory Boulevard, so don't try to use it to get your bearings!

Another road tip – many street signs will designate a road as a "pike," yet the same road might be called "road" or "avenue" in other places. Don't worry about this; it's left over from the days of turnpikes.

Getting Your Bearings

A new city can be incredibly daunting to navigate and learn. Although getting lost might be a fun way to explore the city, most of the time you will need a little help. The local visitors' centers in Nashville have experts available to assist you, and they offer resources like brochures, maps, and directions to help you get around and make the most of your time in the city with tips and "insiders'" knowledge. The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) operates two locations in downtown Nashville:

Gaylord Entertainment Center
5th Ave S and Broadway
615-259-4747
Mon-Fri 8am-5:30pm

Lower level of the US Bank Building
4th Ave N and Commerce
615-259-4730
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

Necessities - Post Offices

It's usually not too difficult to spot a drop box when you're out and about, but if you need to conduct more serious postal business, it's not always that easy. In downtown Nashville, several locations are convenient to travelers and residents. They include:

Arcade
16 Arcade
Nashville, TN 37219
615-254-7019
Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm

Broadway Retail
901 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37202
615-255-3613
Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm

Capitol Station
312 8th Ave N
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-7004
Mon-Fri 8:30am-3pm

Cummins Station
209 10th Ave S
Ste 235
Nashville, TN 37203
615-259-0999
Mon-Fri 8:30am-3:30pm

Common Courtesies

Although tipping is generally a personal matter, there are some guidelines that prove helpful to travelers. At restaurants, servers typically get 15% of the bill, although 10% acknowledges basic assistance, and 20% awards exceptional service. It is also common now for some restaurants to charge an automatic gratuity of 18% for groups. You should be aware of this possibility before providing an additional tip. Taxi drivers usually fit into similar guidelines by receiving a tip equivalent to 15% of the tab.

Often, a dollar tip covers many situations. Bartenders are customarily given $1 per cocktail, hotel maids are provided $1 for each day of a stay, bellhops get about $1 per bag, and a coat-check clerk typically receives $1 as well. The exception is a concierge, who generally receives $5-$10 for standard service (additional assistance suggests more).