For Travelers With Disabilities--Almost all hotels and motels in Nashville offer wheelchair-accessible accommodations, but when making reservations be sure to ask. Additionally, the MTA public bus system in Nashville has either wheelchair-accessible regular vehicles or offers special transportation services for travelers with disabilities. To find out more about special services, call Access Ride (tel. 615/880-3970).
The Disability Information Office, 25 Middleton St. (tel. 615/862-6492), provides a referral and information service for visitors with disabilities. The Nashville City Vacation Guide, available either through this office or the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, includes information on accessibility of restaurants, hotels, attractions, shops, and nightlife around Nashville.
In addition, both Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL [872-7245]; www.amtrak.com) and Greyhound (tel. 800/752-4841; www.greyhound.com) offer special fares and services for the disabled. Call at least a week in advance of your trip for details.
Organizations that offer assistance to disabled travelers include MossRehab (www.mossresourcenet.org), which provides a library of accessible-travel resources online; the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org; annual membership fees: $45 adults, $30 seniors and students), which offers a wealth of travel resources for all types of disabilities and informed recommendations on destinations, access guides, travel agents, tour operators, vehicle rentals, and companion services; and the American Foundation for the Blind (tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org), which provides information on traveling with Seeing Eye dogs.
Car Rentals -- Many of the major car rental companies now offer hand-controlled cars for disabled drivers. Avis can provide such a vehicle at any of its locations in the United States with 48-hour advance notice; Hertz requires between 24 and 72 hours of advance reservation at most of its locations. Wheelchair Getaways of Tennessee (tel. 888/245-9944; www.wheelchair-getaways.com) rents specialized vans with wheelchair lifts and other features for the disabled.
