My (completely enjoyable) trip at Nashville Worldwide Airport

The Hilton BNA Nashville Airport Terminal lodge

Our flight from Seattle introduced us to Nashville within the late afternoon. It took all of 5 minutes to depart the terminal, stroll throughout a coated pedestrian bridge and arrive on the foyer of the Hilton BNA Nashville Airport Terminal lodge.

Our nook room on the eighth flooring of the lodge neglected the ramp areas and the swooping terminal constructing. We had splendid views of planes taking off and touchdown. The ninth-floor health middle supplied views of each the airport and downtown Nashville.

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From the pool, hearth pit and bar on the Tenth-floor rooftop, we might see the airport runways, the Nashville skyline and the encompassing panorama. Over cocktails within the night, we even noticed fireworks off within the distance.

Getting a BNA Passport

The BNA Passport program is proscribed to 75 nonticketed company a day. You will need to fill out an utility on-line between seven days and 24 hours previous to a deliberate go to.

The shape asks to your title because it seems in your Transportation Safety Administration-approved picture ID, your delivery date, your gender, your e mail deal with and the date you intend to go to. A drop-down menu asks the explanation to your go to. The 2 choices: “Greeting Household/Pal on the Gate” and “Store/Dine on the Airport.”

We filed our functions as quickly as we booked our flights to Nashville and headed that means. Simply after midnight on the evening of our arrival, we acquired our e mail approvals to go to the airport.

We confirmed the e-mail and our IDs on the airport info desk within the morning and acquired playing cards (our BNA Passports) to indicate on the TSA checkpoint. You possibly can’t use TSA PreCheck with airport customer passes, so we made certain to reach on the airport carrying easy-to-remove sneakers and carrying solely a small bag with the day’s necessities.

The one that checked our IDs and issued our passes instructed us we had been fortunate to get them; apparently, the brand new BNA Passport program is already so standard that every day’s allotment of 75 passes will get claimed. Just about everybody who acquired a cross has proven up to make use of it.

What to do on a daycation at BNA

As soon as by safety, we walked by the terminal to find all of the reside music phases and stopped to hearken to a tune or three at every. We perused menus and famous what number of locations served barbecue and Nashville’s signature scorching (as in spicy) rooster. Whereas we did not come throughout any free tastings, we marveled at what number of outlets had bottles of premium Tennessee whiskey on the market.

Alongside the way in which, we noticed among the remaining sections of BNA’s daring carpet and checked out artwork, together with terrazzo flooring medallions, elaborate murals, suspended sculptures and extra.

We stopped in outlets promoting Tennessee-made Moon Pies and Goo Goo Cluster candies in addition to souvenirs from the Nation Music Corridor of Fame, the Musicians Corridor of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry.

BNA is likely one of the few remaining airports with an indoor smoking space, so we took a peek into the small, pay-to-enter smoking lounge. Since BNA is the unique “cocktails to go” airport, we bought drinks to hold whereas wandering again by the airport listening to reside music.

Bonus: Assembly Jim Henson’s cartoonist

In BNA’s Central Market space, we stopped by the Nashville Jam Session store. It sells music-themed souvenirs, musical devices, Elvis-branded whiskey and different enjoyable items — lots of them regionally made.

The shop additionally carries a large assortment of artwork by Man Gilchrist, a famous illustrator, cartoonist and songwriter generally known as Jim Henson’s cartoonist. When Gilchrist is on the town, he spends time within the retailer making artwork and signing prints, posters, ukeleles, guitars and different objects that includes his drawings of Muppets, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Disney characters.

Whereas had been milling concerning the retailer, we met a number of passengers who had been enthusiastic concerning the cartoons. Traveler Stephen Speelman declared it “kismet” that he might get Gilchrist so as to add a customized message on a print from “The Muppet Christmas Carol” for his son, Austin, who is a big fan.

When another vacationers — Gregory Manning and his 9-year-old daughter, Katharine — picked out prints to get signed (“Muppets” for him, “Alice in Wonderland” for her), it was exhausting to inform who was extra excited.

Backside line

The on-site Hilton lodge and the BNA Passport visitor cross program make it simple and enjoyable to plan a fast trip on the Nashville airport. It might function an introduction to Music Metropolis.

Even when you do not have a flight, you need to use the visitor cross program to fulfill a pal or member of the family on the gate, spend extra time with somebody earlier than they get on their flight, or simply take pleasure in buying, consuming and planespotting.