Destination Downtown

Clarksville is the kind of place that steals your heart before you even realize it’s gone. Southern Hospitality, the tangible presence of innovation, niche amenities, friendly smiles, and overwhelming spirit of creativity combine create a harmonic chorus that your heartsong can’t resist.

Clarksville has one of the most vibrant, charming, walkable downtowns out there. Filled with activities throughout the year, the streets of downtown are accustomed to festivals, concerts, and events. However, during the summer time, the city shines even brighter.

May is upon us and it brings back concerts, festivals, our weekly Clarksville Downtown Market, Art Walk, and other fan favorites.

Historic Downtown Clarksville is a constantly thriving hub for community. Youth and creativity flow through the campus of Austin Peay State University and spill out onto our streets. Young families stationed at Fort Campbell take leisurely Sunday strolls, friends brunch together at Strawberry Alley, and urban explorers dot the sidewalks.

The walkability of downtown is refreshing, and the streets are paved with history. Clarksville has always been a city marked by ingenuity. In a simple jaunt from the Customs House Museum down to Franklin Street there are quiet historical markers all along the way. Notably, there is a marker for the first woman-owned bank in Tennessee.

First Woman’s Bank of Tennessee was founded by Brenda Vineyard Runyon in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1919. Her bank was the first bank

No more than a stone’s throw away, the jewel of Downtown Clarksville, the Downtown Commons made very recent history of its own. Created from a public, private partnership, the Downtown Commons is a magnet drawing people together from across ClarksvilleMontgomery County.

Clarksvillians pull out the picnic blankets for the Downtown at Sundown Summer Concert Series, during the day children splash in the water features and play tag on the turf. Though not our oldest attraction, the Downtown Commons quickly became the pulse of the city.

Surrounding historic downtown, there are phenomenal locally owned restaurants, coffee shops, eateries, and craft breweries like: Wicked Good Sandwiches, Kings Bluff Brewery, Plumb Line Coffee Co., Evill Nash Brewing, Star Spangled Brewing Company, Cole’s Coffee, and so many others. Coming in from Riverside Drive, B’s Cheesecakes are so delicious they could send even the most critical person into lyrical epiphany. Yes, they are that good. From all directions headed into downtown, the best pitstops and temptations line the way.

Unique recreation like Waterdogs SCUBA & Safety, kayaking, pottery painting, and candle making can all be done in the same day. Fort Defiance and Rotary Parks are exceptional standouts for relaxation and recreation nestled just beyond the purview of downtown.

Clarksville provides a one-of-a-kind experience: AndVinyl rivals even the coolest of Seattle style record shops, Fanelli’s Deli is a slice of the Northeast in the most delicious way. The City Market, home to Fanelli’s, is filled with a collection of shops like The Clarksville Collection and City Boy Country Life. The City Market also functions as a connecting breezeway for the city.

Ritchie & Fry, Goble & Yow, Cultivated Co., Hot Pita, Madeliene’s Place, The Copper Petal, each addition to downtown adds to the beautiful complexity of our unique tapestry.

Each business is singular and unique, however there is one tie that binds: each and every business and building owner is deeply, meaningfully, significantly involved and invested in the continued growth and shared legacy of Historic Downtown Clarksville.

Clarksville is the kind of place that steals your heart before you even realize it’s gone. Southern Hospitality, the tangible presence of innovation, niche amenities, friendly smiles, and overwhelming spirit of creativity combine create a harmonic chorus that your heartsong can’t resist.