Visiting Clarksville for a Game?

The primary gateway for Clarksville is Nashville International Airport (BNA), located approximately 55 miles southeast of the city — about a one-hour drive via I-24. Rental cars are the most practical option for most visiting fans; Groome Transportation also runs scheduled shuttle service between BNA and multiple Clarksville pickup points, including the Exit 11 Park & Ride and Exit 4 Best Western, with fares starting around $27 per adult when booked online. Uber and Lyft both operate between BNA and Clarksville, though the distance makes the fare notably higher than a typical airport ride.

Clarksville is a car-dependent city, and visiting sports fans will almost certainly want a rental car or consistent rideshare access to move comfortably between hotels, restaurants, and F&M Bank Arena. The Clarksville Transit System (CTS) operates ten local bus routes out of the Transit Center at 200 Legion Street, with fares payable via the Token Transit app, but service is limited in frequency and does not connect to BNA. Uber and Lyft are available throughout the city for shorter trips, and downtown parking — including a garage behind F&M Bank Arena and ParkMobile-monitored street and lot spaces — is manageable for game days.

Downtown Clarksville is the best base for sports fans, putting you within walking distance of F&M Bank Arena at 101 Main Street and the restaurants and bars that line the area near the Cumberland River. The Exit 4 corridor off I-24 is where most of the national hotel brands cluster — think Hampton Inn, Marriott, and Hilton-family properties — with rates typically in the $100–$160 per night range for standard rooms. Downtown boutique options and smaller inns tend to be slightly pricier but offer a far better gameday atmosphere. Book early for rivalry weekends, as Clarksville's hotel inventory is not enormous and demand spikes when Austin Peay hosts high-profile United Athletic Conference matchups.

F&M Bank Arena is a legitimately impressive facility for a mid-major college town — a 250,000-square-foot, $115 million arena opened in 2023, managed by the Nashville Predators organization and capable of converting to an ice surface, giving Clarksville a surprisingly versatile sports venue. Both the Austin Peay men's and women's basketball programs compete in the United Athletic Conference, so a single trip can easily include two games on back-to-back days or a doubleheader weekend. The arena also hosts the Red River Spartans hockey team, meaning the calendar has more sports action than you might expect from a city this size. Austin Peay's college basketball roots run deep — the program dates to 1929 — and the passionate local fanbase in red and white makes for an intimate, loud atmosphere in a 5,500-seat bowl where every seat has a clear sightline.