Nashville
From the CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.
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Nashville is the largest city in the state of Tennessee (United States) and is often referred to as "Music City USA" or simply "The Music City" and sometimes "Nashvegas." The city has a thriving music scene especially country, folk, and bluegrass styles. Nashville also has many colleges and universities. Many Nashville CouchSurfers are students and/or musicians but the group is very diverse. Nashville is an excellent stopping point between the northeast and the deep south. While friendly and worth the visit Nashville has relatively few registered CouchSurfers. In June 2006 Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine rated Nashville #1 on its list of smart places to live. Many other recent lists relating to relocation list Nashville near the top, largely because of Nashville's relative low cost of living.
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Meetings
Nashville area Couchsurfers get together for irregular meet-ups of all kinds. Come be a part of the action. For information on upcoming meetings check out the Nashville Group.
Tips
- For a list of happenings look for the Nashville Scene or The Rage which are widely available for free.
- Free Internet access (Wifi and terminal) is available at all public Library locations. Most coffee shops also have free wireless internet.
- Free hot meals are available for travelers on Sundays at Nashville Food Not Bombs, Legislative Plaza at 2:30pm
- Many interesting Nashville hosts may have adresses that say Bellevue, Madison, Joelton, Bourdeaux, etc. CouchSearch within a particular radius for best results.
- Many CouchSurfing hosts live in nearby (30mi or 48km away) Murfreesboro, home of MTSU. Nearly all of these hosts are students.
- Do not claim that you can play guitar unless you are willing to back this up.
- Nashville has excellent thrift shopping with many stores in West Nashville on Charlotte Pike.
- Nashville is mostly very friendly and welcoming but if you play the banjo or mandolin you may have an even easier time meeting people and getting around.
- Smoking indoors is generally not permitted except in some 21 years and older establishments
- To drink alcoholic beverages on the street you'll have to drink your beverage out of a brown bag.
- The law now requires vendors to see ID before selling beer to anyone. If you are 75 years old and want to purchase a root beer you will probably have to show a photo ID. I am not kidding.
- Tennessee law requires that one wear a seatbelt, consider doing so to avoid a fine.
- Vegans and vegetarians will have little difficulty finding something to eat either at the grocery store, specialty stores, or restaurants
Guides
JamesTalkCS will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the Nashville area. He is a native son of Nashville and has lived there much of his life.
Transport
Transportation into and within Nashville is dominated by automobile traffic. The city street system is radial (vs. a grid system). Much crosstown traffic also uses the interstate system (I-24, 40, and 65). Traffic jams are moderate and frequent during morning and afternoon rush hours. Public transportation services in Nashville may not be sufficiently convenient for travelers but a city-wide bus system and a new commuter rail line called the Music City Star do exist. There is also a Greyhound bus station downtown. Nashville International Airport (BNA) is relatively small and located about 9 miles (15km) from downtown. Traffic information in Tennessee is available by calling 511.
Bicycles are easy to be had via Craigslist Bikes for Sale. Buy one when you arrive and sell it back when you leave if you wish. All buses have bicycle racks now, so you can ride until you get tired and take a bus back. None of the bicycles have bus racks, so plan accordingly. There is a map of bike trails from the Walk Bike Nashville site.
Cabs are expensive and annoying here. Avoid them.
