Williamson County Travelers Have Easy Access to Major Airport

Jeff Adkins

One of Williamson County’s key advantages is its proximity to Nashville International Airport. This sparkling airport near Williamson County is only 20 miles away and is easy to get to. The most recent data from ZIP codes show that Williamson County residents make up about 20% (or almost 4 million of its 19 million) annual passengers. 

New Developments at BNA

Much has been happening lately at BNA to accommodate travelers, including the $1.5 billion BNA Vision expansion and renovation project that started in 2017 and was completed in 2024. Among the improvements made during the BNA Vision initiative was construction of the International Arrivals Facility and the debut of BNA Marketplace, which includes a variety of food and retail concessions. 

“At BNA Marketplace, we wanted to attract local brands with familiar Nashville names that reflect the vibe of the city,” says Stacey Nickens, BNA vice president of corporate communications and marketing. “We brought in businesses like Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Slim & Husky’s Pizza, The Titans Press Box, Parnassus Books, Acme Feed & Seed and more.” 

Also completed during BNA Vision was an extension of Concourse D, the addition of new security areas, the construction of a new pedestrian bridge and the opening of a new hotel – Hilton BNA Nashville Airport Terminal. Major improvements to the airport’s Grand Lobby ticketing area also occurred, including the installation of large multimedia screens above the ticket counters that stream beautiful scenes of Nashville and Tennessee. 

Next Up: New Horizon 

The next construction initiative at BNA is called New Horizon, which is underway and has a targeted completion date of 2028. The $1.5 billion New Horizon project includes improvements to Concourse A and Concourse B, a new air freight building, a new baggage handling system and major road upgrades. 

Nickens says one of the key road projects includes expanding the terminal roadway where motorists drop off and pick up passengers. 

“The roadway currently is three lanes, which has been the case since the 1980s,” she says. “We will be expanding from three lanes to six lanes, and we’ll also increase the roadway from a 1-mile radius loop to a 2-mile radius around the airport.” 

12th Crew Base 

Another piece of airport-related news is that Southwest Airlines has located its newest crew base at BNA, its 12th such crew base in the U.S. 

According to Southwest Airlines officials, a crew base is a designated airport where flight crews often begin and end their trips, and there is convenient on-site access to hotel rooms, offices and restaurants for pilots, flight attendants and maintenance employees. 

Officials add that having BNA as its 12th crew base will create an additional 1,300 jobs for Tennesseans, and there will now be more than 500 Southwest pilots and nearly 700 flight attendants based in the Nashville metro area, which includes Williamson County. 

Helping Travelers Who Visit Franklin

If a visitor stays at a Franklin hotel and asks the front desk about good places to eat and shop, the desk clerk should know what local spots to suggest. 

That’s the idea behind the Visit Franklin Ambassador Program, which is now in its eighth year of operation. The program is backed by the Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), and the City of Franklin contracts with the CVB for the service. 

“People who work for hotels or have other hospitality jobs in Williamson County might not live in this county, so they often don’t know of the tourism attractions,” says Heather Doleshel, Visit Franklin Ambassador Program manager. “We provide a class every month to inform new employees and help them become ambassadors to Franklin and Williamson County.” 

Doleshel says there are currently 51 hotels in Williamson County, and about 40 of them have their new hospitality employees take the Visit Franklin program. The program takes place on the second Tuesday of every month from April through October at The Mockingbird Theater in The Factory at Franklin. 

“The class is a 3.5-hour experience, and we can fit about 30 people into each session,” Doleshel says. “It includes a 45-minute presentation, a 45-minute walking tour of The Factory, a 45-minute trolley tour of Franklin and an ambassador certification ceremony” 

Doleshel says hotel employees learn about the many restaurants and shops in Franklin as well as the city’s main attractions, such as Main Street, Carnton, the Carter House and The Park at Harlinsdale Farm. 

“Latest figures show that visitors spend about $3.3 million a day in Williamson County, which adds up to $1.2 billion annually,” she says. “Tourism here is huge, and this program does its part to make sure the industry remains strong.”