Tennessee State, Lipscomb and Western Kentucky in 2 Days: A Nashville and Bowling Green College Road Trip
A parent-first plan for seeing Tennessee State University, Lipscomb University and Western Kentucky University in two days: how each visit works, where to park, three hotels from budget to upscale, drive times between Nashville and Bowling Green, sibling stops and seasonal weather, every fact sourced and checked Oct 29, 2026.
The center of campus at WKU, Bowling Green (Sep 2011). Photo: Bbadgett · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN) · Lipscomb University (Nashville, TN) · Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY)
Days
2 days: Tennessee State and Lipscomb on day 1, about 12 minutes apart; WKU on day 2, about 1 hr 25 min north of the hotel. Arrive the evening before.
Fly into
Nashville International Airport (BNA), about 20 minutes from Green Hills with no traffic.
Best base
Hilton Nashville Green Hills, one of Lipscomb's partner hotels, about 5 minutes by car from Lipscomb and about 10 minutes from Tennessee State.
Car or transit
Rent a car: WKU is about 70 miles north of Nashville on I-65.
Registration
Book a TSU campus tour, a Lipscomb daily visit (at least a week ahead) and a WKU campus tour, each on the school's own registration page.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to compare three very different schools in one short trip: Tennessee State, a public university just off I-40 in Nashville; Lipscomb, a private Christian university in the Green Hills area; and Western Kentucky University, a large public university on a hilltop in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
TSU's undergraduate admissions office is in the Floyd-Payne Campus Center, every Lipscomb prospective student starts at the Welcome Center in the George Shinn Center, and WKU tours begin at the Alumni Center next to the Alumni Square Garage.
Why this order
Day 1, morning: Tennessee State's 90-minute campus experience is a 30-minute information session with an admissions counselor and a one-hour walking tour led by a Tiger Tour Guide, including a residence hall.
Day 1, afternoon: each Lipscomb daily visit includes an information session led by an admission counselor, an hour-long walking tour, a residence hall tour and an optional faculty appointment on request.
Day 2: WKU's campus tour lasts about two hours. It opens with a short admissions presentation, then student guides take you into the student union, a residence hall and the student workout facility.
Plan ahead: registration and timing
Tennessee State: pick a day and time on TSU's undergraduate tours page. If you're more than 15 minutes late, your visit could be cut short or canceled.
Lipscomb: morning and afternoon visits run on most days, and every visit has to be scheduled at least one week ahead.
WKU: tours generally run two to three times a day, Monday through Friday, during the fall and spring semesters, plus select Saturdays. If a tour is full you can join its waiting list, and WKU will also take reservations by phone at 270-745-2551.
Tour availability varies by season.
Lipscomb Fridays are full-day visit events held several times a year, with a campus tour, current students, faculty from your area of interest and admission and enrollment sessions. Check Lipscomb's Fridays page for dates.
WKU runs its tours rain or shine and cancels only if the Bowling Green campus closes for bad weather.
Groups: TSU asks for group tour reservations at least 2 weeks ahead, and Lipscomb and WKU also offer group visits.
2. The suggested 2-day drive
Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, and walking times use OpenStreetMap foot routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Drive times to Tennessee State are to the Floyd-Payne Campus Center, to Lipscomb are to the campus at One University Park Drive, and to WKU are to the Alumni Square Garage.
Bowling Green is on Central time, the same as Nashville, so there's no clock change on the drive north.
Arrival: fly into Nashville and check in at Green Hills
Nashville International Airport (BNA) → Hilton Nashville Green Hills
Driving (no traffic)
~20 min, 10.1 mi
Driving and walking
Rental car
BNA is also about 20 minutes from Hampton Inn & Suites Green Hills and about 21 minutes from the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University with no traffic.
Day 1: Tennessee State in the morning, Lipscomb in the afternoon
Hilton Nashville Green Hills → Tennessee State (Floyd-Payne Campus Center)
Driving (no traffic)
~10 min, 6.1 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Tennessee State → Lipscomb University
Driving (no traffic)
~12 min, 6.6 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Lipscomb University → Hilton Nashville Green Hills
Driving (no traffic)
~5 min, 2.5 mi
Driving and walking
~29 min walk, 1.3 mi
From I-40, take the 28th Avenue exit (Exit 207), turn left at the first light onto John A. Merritt Boulevard and continue to the next stop sign; the Floyd-Payne Campus Center is on your left.
At Lipscomb, the Welcome Center in the George Shinn Center is where prospective students begin.
Day 2: drive north to Western Kentucky University, then fly home
WKU → National Corvette Museum (350 Corvette Dr., Bowling Green)
Driving (no traffic)
~10 min, 5.3 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
WKU → Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 31 min, 72.4 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Coming north on I-65 from Nashville, WKU's parking instructions route you off at exit 20B for I-165, then exit 5 for US-68/80, and onto University Boulevard past the ballpark, stadium and arena to the Alumni Square Garage.
Allow about 1 hr 30 min from the WKU campus back to BNA with no traffic, plus extra time for the rental car return.
Undergraduate Admissions is in the Floyd-Payne Campus Center, 3rd floor, Suite 323.
Visits pair a 30-minute information session with an admissions counselor and a one-hour walking tour that includes a residence hall.
Be on time: guests more than 15 minutes late may have their visit cut short or canceled, though TSU will try to offer another tour time.
Visitor parking
Visitors can park in designated lots across campus, paying by the hour or by the day on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Getting there
The Floyd-Payne Campus Center is about 10 minutes by car from the Green Hills hotels and about 22 minutes from BNA with no traffic.
What to know
The tour, led by a Tiger Tour Guide, covers academic programs and campus facilities, including a residence hall.
Contact
Undergraduate Admissions: 615-963-5101 or admissions@tnstate.edu. Campus tour help: tsucampusvisits@tnstate.edu. Floyd-Payne Campus Center, Suite 323, 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Nashville, TN 37209.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Prospective students start at the Welcome Center on the main floor of the George Shinn Center, which tells the Lipscomb story through exhibits on its history, academics, campus life and careers.
Each daily visit includes an information session with an admission counselor, an hour-long walking tour, a residence hall tour and, on request, a faculty appointment.
Visits must be scheduled at least one week in advance.
Visitor parking
Parking along University Park Drive is reserved for guests and faculty/staff, so use it rather than student areas.
Getting there
Lipscomb is about 5 minutes by car (or about a 29-minute walk) from the Green Hills hotels and about 12 minutes from Tennessee State with no traffic.
What to know
Lipscomb says 80% of classes have fewer than 30 students, and its student-to-faculty ratio is 13:1.
Contact
Lipscomb University, One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204; 800.333.4358.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Tours begin at the Alumni Center next to the Alumni Square Garage with a short admissions presentation; sign in there for your scheduled tour.
An automated confirmation email arrives about 15 minutes after you register, with the starting location and parking information.
Want to meet someone in a particular academic program? Note it in the special-requests section when you register, and WKU will send contact details so you can set it up.
Visitor parking
Park in the Alumni Square Garage, 234 Alumni Ave. Take a white parking ticket at the entrance gate and keep it.
Get a validation ticket from the Admissions staff when you sign in for your tour; you scan it with your white ticket at the exit so you don't have to pay to park.
Getting there
Bowling Green is about 1 hr 25 min by car from the Green Hills hotels with no traffic.
Wear comfortable walking shoes: most or all of the tour is on foot.
What to know
WKU has nearly 15,000 students on its hilltop campus overlooking Bowling Green, and its spirit mascot is Big Red.
For lunch, the Downing Student Union has The Fresh Food Company, an all-you-care-to-eat restaurant, and a food court with Papa John's, Chick-fil-A and Steak 'n Shake.
Can't fit WKU in? Take the 360 virtual tour, or ask about a self-guided visit.
Contact
WKU campus tours: 270-745-2551 or tours@wku.edu. Accessibility accommodations for tours can be arranged through the same contacts.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
4. Where to stay: two nights in Nashville's Green Hills
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickMid-range
Hilton Nashville Green Hills
3801 Cleghorn Ave., Nashville, TN 37215
Why here
One of Lipscomb's partner hotels (ask for the "Lipscomb Discount"), about 5 minutes by car from Lipscomb, about 10 minutes from Tennessee State and about 1 hr 25 min from WKU with no traffic.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3.5-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists 210 rooms, a restaurant, a rooftop terrace, a seasonal outdoor pool and self-parking for a fee. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
A Lipscomb partner hotel on West End Avenue, about 7 minutes by car from Tennessee State and about 10 minutes from Lipscomb with no traffic.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 4-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists 315 rooms, the Central Bar & Kitchen restaurant, a coffee shop, a gym and valet parking for a fee. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Stay both nights in Green Hills: it's minutes from Lipscomb, a short drive to Tennessee State and right off the route north to Bowling Green. Lipscomb's partner hotels offer a "Lipscomb Discount" if you ask.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
At WKU
The Downing Student Union has The Fresh Food Company and a food court with Papa John's, Chick-fil-A and Steak 'n Shake.
Near your hotel
Hilton Nashville Green Hills has an on-site restaurant, and the Marriott at Vanderbilt has Central Bar & Kitchen, per Expedia.
In Bowling Green
The National Corvette Museum has the Stingray Grill, serving classic American food.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
National Corvette Museum
350 Corvette Dr., Bowling Green, KY
About 10 minutes by car from WKU. Open daily March through December (closed Tuesdays in January and February) and closed on major holidays; children 4 and under are free. It also has racing simulators and the Stingray Grill.
About 7 minutes by car from WKU. Underground boat tours tell the cave's history as a Native American hunting ground, a Civil War campground, a Jesse James hideout and a 1930s nightclub.
At WKU, don't leave the tour without your validation ticket from Admissions, or you'll pay to exit the Alumni Square Garage.
At Lipscomb, park on University Park Drive, which is reserved for guests and faculty/staff.
Flying in and out
Lipscomb notes that BNA is just minutes from campus; it's about 20 minutes from the Green Hills hotels and about 1 hr 30 min from WKU with no traffic.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Nashville International Airport)
Spring: April averages about 73°F highs and 49°F lows, with about 4.7 inches of rain.
Summer: July averages about 91°F/71°F, with about 4.2 inches of rain.
Fall: October averages about 74°F/50°F, with about 3.4 inches of rain.
Winter: January averages about 49°F/30°F, with about 4.0 inches of rain and about 2 inches of snow.
Parent checklist
Book a Tennessee State tour on TSU's undergraduate tours page.
Book a Lipscomb daily visit at least one week ahead, and request a faculty appointment if you want one.
Register for a WKU campus tour and watch for the confirmation email with parking details.
Book flights into BNA and a rental car.
Book two nights in Green Hills, and ask about the Lipscomb Discount.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
3 Division I
Athletics
Tennessee State University
NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Tennessee State University, Lipscomb University and Western Kentucky University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: Hilton Nashville Green Hills (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Nashville-Hotels-Hilton-Nashville-Green-Hills.h30473613.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville-Green Hills (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Nashville-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Suites-Nashville-Green-Hills.h424898.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Nashville-Hotels-Nashville-Marriott-At-Vanderbilt-University.h801768.Hotel-Information)
