Clarksville is the fifth-largest city in Tennessee, sitting on the Cumberland River about 40 miles northwest of Nashville along Interstate 24. The city grew up as a tobacco-trading hub and has been shaped by its proximity to Fort Campbell, one of the largest military installations in the United States, which straddles the Tennessee-Kentucky border.
The downtown historic district has compact 19th-century brick buildings, a few local restaurants, and the Customs House Museum — one of the largest general-interest museums in Tennessee, housed in a striking Italianate former post office. The Riverwalk along the Cumberland is a pleasant stretch for walking or cycling, passing the remnants of Civil War fortifications at the river bluffs. The Roxy Regional Theatre in a restored 1942 Art Deco cinema is the city's main performing arts venue.
The city is growing fast and feels more suburban than historic, but it works well as a base if you are visiting the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area to the west or passing through on the way between Nashville and western Kentucky.