By Car -- Nashville is a hub city intersected by three interstate highways. I-65 runs north to Louisville, Kentucky, and south to Birmingham, Alabama. I-40 runs west to Memphis and east to Knoxville, Tennessee. I-24 runs northwest toward St. Louis and southeast toward Atlanta. Downtown Nashville is the center of the hub, encircled by Interstates 40, 65, and 265. Briley Parkway on the east, north, and west and I-440 on the south form a larger "wheel" around this hub.

If you're heading into downtown Nashville, follow the signs for I-65/24 and take either Exit 84 or Exit 85. If you're headed to Music Valley (Opryland Hotel), take I-40 east to the Briley Parkway exit and head north. If your destination is the West End/Music Row area, take I-40 around the south side of downtown and get off at the Broadway exit.

Here are some driving distances from selected cities: Atlanta, 250 miles (403km); Chicago, 442 miles (712km); Cincinnati, 291 miles (469km); Memphis, 210 miles (338km); New Orleans, 549 miles (884km); and St. Louis, 327 miles (526km).

If you are a member of the American Automobile Association (AAA) and your car breaks down, call tel. 800/222-4357 for 24-hour emergency road service. The local AAA office in Nashville is at 2501 Hillsboro Rd., Suite 1 (tel. 615/297-7700), and is open Monday to Friday 1:30am to 5:30pm.

By Bus -- Greyhound Lines (tel. 800/231-2222) offers service to Nashville from around the country. These buses operate along interstate corridors or local routes. The fare between New York and Nashville is about $95 one-way and $159 round-trip; the fare between Chicago and Nashville is about $65 one-way and $119 round-trip. The Greyhound bus station is on the south side of downtown Nashville at 200 Eighth Ave. S.