South - Nashville airport BNA to Parthenon museum

I have a 3h20 connection in Nashville. Is it possible to get to and from the Parthenon museum by public transportation, with enough time to see the museum? Anywhere good for vegetarians to eat lunch in/near the museum?

How much would a bus/shuttle cost?

And what about a taxi between BNA and the Parthenon? Can I pick up a taxi for the way back, or would I have to call and prearrange one? Will taxis know where to pick me up?

Google Maps seems to suggest it's a 15 minute drive: is that true in traffic, too? Would there be traffic between 10am and 1pm?

I have a 3h20 connection in Nashville. Is it possible to get to and from the Parthenon museum by public transportation, with enough time to see the museum? Anywhere good for vegetarians to eat lunch in/near the museum?

How much would a bus/shuttle cost?

And what about a taxi between BNA and the Parthenon? Can I pick up a taxi for the way back, or would I have to call and prearrange one? Will taxis know where to pick me up?

Google Maps seems to suggest it's a 15 minute drive: is that true in traffic, too? Would there be traffic between 10am and 1pm?

Looks like it is an hour plus each way by transit. Google Maps has transit schedule info, so you can plug in your exact arrival and departure times to see if it is feasible. Fill in the directions, then click the train icon to get transit directions. There are options to set the date and pick your departure or arrival time.

My guess is that it is just a bit too tight to do this by transit since the museum is on the opposite side of town from the airport. Basically, you would ride all the way out there and have about 10 minutes before needing to return back. Maybe take a taxi outbound and ride the bus back?

As far as traffic goes, midday is usually not too bad. Traffic there is nothing like in the mega cities like LA, Bay Area, NYC, etc.

Dozens of trips to Nasville. The AC is standard and sometimes it has veggies. IF your flights are on time and weather + traffic cooperates you have 30-45 min one way to the west end/Parthenon area. The least expensive way to do it, if you decide to might be to price line a car. I have gotten a car for 14-16 dollars a day in 2010. yMMV. Personally I would just Netflix a movie or two in the AC. If overnighting, I would recommend the Bluebird Cafe.

Taxi would be the fastest way there. At 10 am on a weekday, you shouldn't hit heavy traffic on the highway and it really does take just 15 minutes. Besides the bus, you could also take the Grayline hotel shuttle to the Marriott which is just about across the street from Centennial Park. I believe it is $16 or $20 roundtrip. I think about 3 - 4 shuttles leave per hour, but this also may not be the quickest way depending on how many stops the shuttle will make at other hotels. For the trip back to the airport, I would go across the street and pick up a taxi at the Marriott located behind Flemings/PF Changs. There are too many entrances to the Parthenon, too much potential for confusion. If you hustle and get off the plane and downstairs to the taxi line ASAP, 3h20min would be just enough time for a quick trip to the Parthenon and back.

Gosh I miss the days of leaving Vandy in my car at 6:45 pm, parking in the economy lot, taking the shuttle, printing my boarding pass, going through security and making it to the gate for my 8 pm flight with plenty of time to spare. Going from midtown to LGA/JFK is like an absolute nightmare by comparison

while your at the Panthenon go to Vandy and Pf Changs right across the street

Cab ride from BNA to Parthenon will run you about $40 (did this many times while in undergrad). Takes about 20 minutes depending on the time of day (rush hour can be ridiculous).

There is a great vegan restaurant on campus called Grins. It's about 3 blocks from the Parthenon, and is worth the walk. There is also a place called Bread and Company in the same strip as PF Chang's. It's a local sandwich/salad/bakery that is a little pricey, but great, fresh food.

Just a quick thank you to those who offered advice here. Taxi fare from the airport to a hotel opposite the Parthenon museum was actually $25 flat fare ($30 including tip). And I got the shuttle one way to the hotel which only took about 10 minutes and was $12 one-way, $20 r/t.

The Parthenon is well worth a visit, but I would have liked more detailed information about the historical and artistic decisions made in designing the replica Athena statue -- there were few labels in the museum and no books or pamphlets about this.

Otherwise, BNA's AC seemed like a small but friendly place. And the airport is easy to navigate (although frustratingly, there seemed to be no elite line at the TSA checkpoint: why not?).

All in all, a highly recommended stopover, especially given the triple mileage promotion at the moment...