…

Obtaining a BNA passport

The BNA Passport program is limited to 75 nonticketed guests per day. You must fill the online application between seven days and 24 hours of the scheduled visit.

The form asks for your Transportation Security Administration-approved photo ID, your date of birth, your gender, your email address, and your name as it appears on the date you plan to visit. A drop-down menu asks for the reason for your visit. Two options: “greeting a family/friend at the gate” and “shopping/dining at the airport.”

We filed our applications and were on our way as we booked our flights to Nashville. After midnight on the night of our arrival, we received our email approvals to visit the airport.

We showed email and our IDs at the airport information desk in the morning and received cards (our BNA passports) to show at the TSA checkpoint. You can’t use TSA PreCheck with an Airport Visitor Pass, so we made sure to wear shoes that can be easily removed at the airport and only bring a small bag with the essentials for the day.

The guy who checked our IDs and issued our passes told us we were lucky to get them; Apparently, the new BNA passport program is already so popular that 75 passes are claimed to be allotted each day. Almost everyone who has received a pass has shown up to using it.

What to do on vacation at BNA

Once through security, we walked through the terminals to find all the live music stages and stopped to listen to a song or three at each. We perused the menu and noticed how many places served barbecue and Nashville’s signature hot (as spicy) chicken. While we didn’t get any free tastings, we were surprised at how many shops had bottles of premium Tennessee whiskey for sale.

Along the way, we saw some of the remaining sections of BNA’s bold carpet and checked out the art, including terrazzo floor medallions, elaborate murals, suspended sculptures and more.

We stopped at shops selling Tennessee-made moon pies and goo goo cluster candies, as well as souvenirs from the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame, and the Grand Ole Opry.

BNA is one of the few remaining airports with an indoor smoking area, so we peeked into the small, pay-to-enter smoking lounge. Since BNA is the original “Cocktails to Go” airport, we bought drinks to carry on our way back to the airport while listening to live music.

Bonus: meeting Jim Henson’s cartoonist

In the Central Marketplace area of ​​BNA, we stopped by the Nashville Jam Session shop. It sells music-themed souvenirs, musical instruments, Elvis-branded whiskey and other fun goods — many of them locally made.

The store also carries a wide range of art by Guy Gilchrist, an illustrator, cartoonist and lyricist best known as Jim Henson’s cartoonist. When Gilchrist is in town, he spends time in the store creating art and signing prints, posters, ukuleles, guitars and other items that feature illustrations of the Muppets, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Disney characters.

While milling about the store, we met many passengers who were enthusiastic about cartoons. Tourist Stephen Spillman declared it “lucky” that he could get Gilchrist to add a personal message to a print of “The Muppet Christmas Carol” for his son, Austin, who is a huge fan.

While some of the other tourists — Gregory Manning and his 9-year-old daughter, Katherine — picked out prints to get signed (“Muppets” for him, “Alice in Wonderland” for her), it was hard to tell who was more excited.

Bottom line

The on-site Hilton hotel and BNA Passport guest pass program make planning a quick vacation at Nashville Airport easy and fun. It can serve as an introduction to Music City.

Even if you don’t have a flight, you can use the Guest Pass program to meet a friend or family member at the gate, spend more time with someone before they board their flight, or simply enjoy shopping, dining, and planespotting. are you