Day Trip to Clarksville, TN: Where to Eat, Shop, and Explore

Clarksville is about a 45-minute drive northwest of Nashville, making it one of the easiest day trips from Nashville for travelers who want to experience a new city without spending the whole day in the car.

Your Clarksville, TN, day trip can be planned around food, shopping, trails, live music, wine, tea or local history. Spring and fall are especially comfortable for walking downtown, exploring trails and browsing local shops, while summer brings outdoor concerts and winery events. Winter is a good time for a cozy food and shopping itinerary.

For downtown logistics, plan ahead for street parking, garages and walking time between stops. Downtown Clarksville, TN, is easy to explore at a relaxed pace, especially if you build your day around a few nearby restaurants, shops and attractions.

Read on for things to do in Clarksville, TN, including where to eat, where to shop and how to plan your day.

Clarksville’s dining scene makes it easy to plan your day around breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack between stops. These restaurants in Clarksville, TN, offer everything from pastries and coffee to rooftop views, Southern-inspired dishes and craft cocktails.

Located in downtown Clarksville, Yada on Franklin is a dinner destination with cocktail-style small plates designed for sharing in a relaxed downtown setting. Plan this stop for later in your itinerary, whether you’re wrapping up a day of shopping and exploring or looking for a dinner spot before heading back to Nashville.

• Signature dishes: Eggs Benedict, breakfast sandwiches, Southwestern quesadilla, mac and cheese, meatball grilled cheese, pizza, pasta and wings
• Hours:
  • Tuesday - Wednesday: 4 - 9 p.m.
  • Thursday - Friday: 4 - 10 p.m.
  • Saturday: 2 - 10 p.m.
  • Happy Hours: 4 - 5:30 p.m.
• Standout offerings: Sharable small plates, curated prix fixe menus & pasta night
• Price point: $$

One of the most interesting places to grab lunch in Clarksville is at Miss Lucille’s Cafe. Order the Smokehouse Nachos as an appetizer then try Fannie’s Chicken Salad Sandwich or Sadie Mae’s Grilled Cheese. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything here so bring an appetite.

• Signature dishes: Baked cantina nachos, chicken salad sandwich, grilled cheese, breakfast plates and cafe classics
• Hours: Daily 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Standout offerings: Cafe dining connected to Miss Lucille’s shopping experience
• Price point: $

Fuel your day the right way at Keke's Breakfast Cafe where delicious chocolate chip waffles, fluffy pancakes and stuffed French toast meet you. Enjoy crispy bacon, omelets full of veggies and yogurt bowls. It's the perfect start to your day.

• Signature dishes: Waffles, pancakes, stuffed French toast, omelets, bacon and yogurt bowls
• Hours: Daily 7 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
• Standout offerings: Hearty breakfast, brunch and family-friendly options
• Price point: $

Head to Shelby's Trio for three floors of made-from-scratch food, views and unique drinks. Joe’s Garage serves burgers, loaded tater tots, steaks and chicken tenders among classic muscle cars. For an upscale dining experience, grab a table at Trattoria di Cat for Italian food. Skyline 500 Bar rounds out the options with shareable dishes like lettuce wraps, ceviche and bruschetta bites, plus spirits by local Leatherwood Distillery and craft cocktails. It’s one of the best restaurants in Clarksville, TN, for visitors who want a memorable downtown dining experience.

• Signature dishes: Burgers, loaded tater tots, steaks, Italian dishes, lettuce wraps, ceviche and bruschetta bites
• Hours: Lunch, dinner and evening bar hours vary by concept
• Standout offerings: Three dining concepts, rooftop views and craft cocktails
• Price point: $$-$$$

Every batch of Tennessee spirits is made from scratch at Old Glory Distilling Co. Take a tour of the distillery to learn every step from mashing to distilling, aging and bottling. Then, enjoy a taste by sipping cocktails and saving slow-smoked brisket in the onsite restaurant. Stay for live music in Silo Park Thursdays-Saturdays.

• Signature dishes: Slow-smoked brisket, Southern-inspired plates and craft cocktails
• Hours: Distillery, restaurant and event hours vary
• Standout offerings: Tours, tastings, onsite dining, Silo Park and live music
• Price point: $$-$$$

Make time for shopping in Clarksville, TN, especially if you enjoy antiques, books, records, handmade goods and locally owned shops.

After having lunch at the cafe, work off your meal by walking around Miss Lucille’s Marketplace, an eclectic marketplace with more than 200 vendors. Browse jewelry, antiques and handmade goods that make great gifts or souvenirs from your time in Clarksville. A furniture design space also occupies the marketplace and may remind you of an affordable Restoration Hardware. You’ll find inspiration for every room of your home as you browse couches, tables, lighting and other wares.

• Signature finds: Antiques, jewelry, handmade goods, furniture, home decor and gifts
• Hours:
  • Monday – Saturday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sunday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Standout offerings: More than 200 vendors, cafe and home inspiration
• Price point: $-$$$

If you love digging around in charming bookstores, you’ll want to stop at HUDUBAM Booktraders. You can easily spend hours discovering authors and reading up on topics like philosophy, women’s issues and more. When you purchase a book, they plant a tree in town for every 75 books they sell.

• Signature finds: Used books, new books, local titles and unexpected discoveries
• Hours:
  • Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday – Friday: 12 p.m. - 7 p.m.
  • Saturday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sunday: 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.
• Standout offerings: Independent bookstore atmosphere and community-minded mission
• Price point: $-$$

Outdoor trails, tea experiences, local wine, vinyl records and craft beer make Clarksville easy to shape around your interests. These Clarksville, Tennessee, attractions can help you build a full day without feeling rushed.

If it’s a beautiful brisk day in Clarksville, get outdoors! The city is home to a variety of trails that give you beautiful views of the city. The trails include open-air exhibits with historical tidbits about Clarksville’s past. Run, bike or walk the sidewalks and crosswalks that tell stories of Clarksville Marble Works, Civil War history and more.

• Signature experience: Walking, running and biking trails with historic elements
• Hours: Trail and park hours vary
• Standout offerings: Outdoor views, local history and self-guided exploring
• Price point: Free

The Mad Herbalist is tucked away in a vine-covered cabin surrounded by trees and greenery. Inside, you’ll find rich wood decor, a wide assortment of teas, lunch and a blending lab. Choose your favorite house-brewed tea hot, iced or sparkling. Build your tea service tiers with items like burrata and peaches, chicken salad sandwiches, egg salad and Italian sando. Create fragrance blends at your table for a variety of bath and body products from the blending lab Thursdays-Saturdays.

• Signature dishes: Tea service, sandwiches, seasonal bites and house-brewed teas
• Hours: Limited weekly hours; check before visiting
  • Monday – Wednesday: Closed
  • Thursday – Sunday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• Standout offerings: Tea lounge, blending lab and cozy cabin setting
• Price point: $

More than 25 local wines are on the menu at Beachaven Vineyards & Winery in Clarksville. Take a tour to see how the local winery produces its award-winning wines and enjoy a tasting guided by one of the onsite sommeliers. Purchase a glass of wine or a flight to enjoy at one of the picnic tables. Enjoy live music and food trucks every weekend April through October.

• Signature sips: Local wines, wine flights and tastings
• Hours:
  • Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
  • Friday – Saturday: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
  • Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Standout offerings: Tours, tastings, picnic seating, live music and food trucks
• Price point: $$

Love music? AndVinyl is the place for you. Here, you’ll find new and used vinyl as well as cool band T-shirts. The vinyl is affordably priced and the store has a wide selection of artists and genres, from Justin Bieber to Childish Gambino. Dig through and find your next favorite album. They also sell turntables, so you can enhance your vinyl sound system or purchase your first one.

• Signature finds: New and used vinyl, band T-shirts and turntables
• Hours:
  • Monday – Thursday: 12 - 6 p.m.
  • Friday – Saturday: 12 - 7 p.m.
  • Sunday: 12 - 4 p.m.
• Standout offerings: Independent record shop with a wide mix of genres
• Price point: $-$$

Strawberry Alley Ale Works is your culinary pitstop when you want local brews, downtown views and great food. Enjoy brunch, lunch, beverages and dinner on the first floor and dinner and beverages upstairs. Hundreds of styles of craft beers are on the menu like these house brews: Class A IPA, Joe B's Brown Ale and the Belgian Golden. Find craft cocktails and Southern inspired dishes like shrimp & grits, bourbon glazed salmon and Creole pasta.

• Signature dishes: Shrimp and grits, bourbon-glazed salmon, Creole pasta, burgers, craft beer and cocktails
• Hours:
  • Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Friday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
  • Sunday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
• Standout offerings: House brews, upstairs dining, downtown views and Southern-inspired dishes
• Price point: $$

If you’re looking for unique things to do in Clarksville, TN, build your day around a mix of tea blending at The Mad Herbalist, wine tasting at Beachaven Winery, vinyl shopping at AndVinyl and a distillery tour at Old Glory Distilling Co. Add a walk along Clarksville’s historic trails or a browse through Miss Lucille’s Marketplace to round out the itinerary.

For travelers searching for things to do in Clarksville this weekend, check local event calendars before you go. Live music, winery events, food trucks, markets and seasonal happenings can turn a simple day trip into a full weekend-worthy outing.