This Booming Nashville Neighborhood Offers Airport Access, Outdoor Charm, And Small-Town Vibes

Nashville is best known as the home of country music, but there's so much more to this city and its surrounding suburbs. If you're moving to the area and looking for a place to plant roots, Donelson is a charming spot only 6.5 miles from downtown Nashville that boasts a more small-town feel than the city — think less bachelorette parties, more farmer's markets.

Despite its quieter atmosphere, there's plenty going on in this thriving community, so if you're looking for a lively district near Nashville, Donelson could be an ideal choice. Population estimates from 2023 suggest that Donelson is home to just over 30,000 people. However, Nashville has seen a surge in new residents in recent years, and nearby neighborhoods have also experienced significant population growth. In fact, Donelson is predicted to see the kind of growth that neighboring East Nashville previously experienced. An $18.8 million library renovation in 2024 is evidence of investment in the region, alongside a revamp of Donelson Station fueled by a $10 million federal grant.

A major highlight of Donelson is its proximity to Nashville International Airport, which is just a seven-minute drive away. If you don't have a car, the quickest way to reach Donelson is to hail a cab, rent a car, or hop on the CitiValet bus. There are also multiple shuttles from the airport into central Nashville, where you can then take a 10-minute train to Donelson.

Throughout Donelson, there are plenty of green spaces, golf courses, shopping malls, and many more activities to keep you occupied on the outskirts of Music City. Two water parks can be found, with a third located just a 15-minute drive away. Wave Country features flumes and a huge wave pool to replicate being at the beach, and SoundWaves is part of Gaylord Opryland, a lavish Nashville village with restaurants, light shows, and endless entertainment for families. Although it's covered by a glass roof, the gardens and waterfalls provide such a beautiful ambiance that you'll forget you're not outdoors. 

Golfers will fall in love with Donelson thanks to Gaylord Springs Golf Links, a lush green course in the north of the neighborhood that Golf Digest lists as one of the best courses you can play in Tennessee. In south Donelson, you'll find Two Rivers Golf Course and Two Rivers Park. This area has picnic benches, a skate park, and a pedestrian bridge with stunning views over the Cumberland River.A particularly romantic way to see the Nashville skyline from Donelson is to take the lunch or dinner cruise on a paddlewheel showboat called General Jackson. The ride takes passengers from behind Opry Mills Mall into downtown Nashville and back, all the while serving up delicious food and live music as you chug along the river.

Donelson is perhaps most known for being the site of the incredible Grand Ole Opry, one of the top tourist attractions in Tennessee. This stage has hosted some of the biggest names in country music and remains a live radio broadcast to this day, making each show unique and unmissable.

But alongside the rhinestone glitz and glam of Nashville's top-rated destinations (and just 11 minutes away from the Opry by car) is Donelson Plaza on Old Lebanon Pike, the heart of Donelson and the source of its charm. There, you'll find an abundance of locally-loved restaurants. Uncle Bud's Catfish Chicken & Such has all-you-can-eat catfish and other Southern dishes, but if you want something you can tell your friends about, Homegrown offers comfort food that's so good it was featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" series.

While tourists head to the north of Donelson in droves to see the famous Opry, the rest of the suburb is filled with green spaces, outdoor entertainment, and small-town amenities that give this up-and-coming Nashville neighborhood its appeal. As Terri Williams Nutter, executive director of the Donelson-Hermitage Chamber of Commerce, told WKRN, "There's more in the Donelson-Hermitage area than you can find in one place in anywhere else in Nashville."