Consider the plan. You're based in the Belmont corridor, a clear August morning ahead of you, and you've no intention of spending the day in traffic or making compromises. Four stops, roughly 120 miles of driving across the day, and the 2026 Genesis G70 handling all of it without a single moment of inconvenience. We've sketched this route for Belmont students finishing their final year, recent graduates starting their first real role in Nashville, and transplants who've landed in the 37212 zip code and are still learning what Middle Tennessee offers when you actually drive it. The G70 fits that life well, sharp enough to feel like a reward and composed enough that you don't think about the car at all, which is what you want when the day is the point.
One honest note before we start. The G70's rear seat is tight for three adults on a longer drive, so if your Saturday involves three colleagues or two friends with gear, weigh whether the GV70 fits the crew better, though for two people or a solo run the G70 is the right call, no question.
What's the Route?
The loop maps out as a clockwise arc, with drive times measured from the Belmont neighborhood and a quick note on what each stop asks of the car and of you, so you can see the shape of the whole day before you commit a single mile to it.
| Stop | Drive from Belmont | What to Do | What to Bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro Village | 5 min | Morning coffee, walk the strip | A light jacket (Aug mornings surprise you) |
| Natchez Trace Parkway entry | 20 min via I-65 S | Scenic drive south, no trucks, no billboards | Sunglasses, a playlist |
| Leiper's Fork | ~30 min from Nashville | Galleries, lunch, a slower pace | Cash for a small-batch lunch spot |
| Percy Priest Lake (Long Hunter State Park) | 25 min back north via I-24 | Trail walk, water, a proper exhale | Water bottles, trail shoes |
The loop runs south out of the city in the morning, deeper south to Leiper's Fork for midday, then back north and east to the lake for late afternoon. You're back in Belmont before dark, give or take.
The Four Stops in Detail
Stop 1: Hillsboro Village (Belmont, 7:30 a.m.)
Start two blocks from where you probably already live. Hillsboro Village sits at the seam between Belmont and Vanderbilt, a four-block stretch that manages to feel like a neighborhood even when it's busy. Morning here runs quieter than the evening scene, and that's the point. Pull the G70 off 21st Avenue South, grab your coffee, and let the car sit for a minute.
That first engine start is worth noticing. The 2026 G70's 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder produces 300 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque at just 1,650 rpm, so the power arrives instantly at the bottom of the rev range rather than asking you to chase it. Ease out of the Village and onto I-65 heading south, and there's nothing tentative about the merge.
Stop 2: The Natchez Trace Parkway (roughly 8:15 a.m.)
Twenty minutes south of Belmont, the Natchez Trace Parkway begins, a 444-mile federal scenic byway with no commercial traffic, no billboards, and a 50-mph speed limit that feels deliberate rather than punishing. One of the genuinely underused drives within reach of Nashville, and it suits the G70 in a specific way.
The G70 offers five selectable drive modes (Comfort, Eco, Sport, Sport Plus, and Custom). On the Trace, set it to Comfort. The suspension settles, the throttle softens, and the 8-speed automatic finds a patient rhythm that pairs well with the canopy of trees closing over the road. Brembo brakes are standard across the entire 2026 G70 lineup, which matters here because the Trace has gentle curves that reward a car with stopping confidence you can lean on.
The cabin earns its keep here too. The Natchez Trace in August runs warm, occasionally humid, and the G70's standard 10.25-inch touchscreen controls the climate zone precisely without burying the function in a sub-menu. Small thing. Matters after twenty minutes.
Stop 3: Leiper's Fork (roughly 9:30 a.m. arrival)
Exit the Trace and pull into Leiper's Fork, an unincorporated community in Williamson County about 30 minutes from Nashville. It has artist galleries, a handful of genuinely good small restaurants, and no particular interest in being a tourist attraction, which is exactly its draw. Lunch here is unhurried, the way a Saturday should be. There's a distillery if the afternoon allows.
Parking in Leiper's Fork is straightforward. The G70's 10.5 cubic feet of trunk space swallows a weekend bag and hiking shoes without drama, so if you're combining this stop with an overnight, the car handles the luggage without the sedan penalty you might expect.
The EPA rates the 2026 G70 2.5T in rear-wheel drive at 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. On this stretch, mostly two-lane state road and parkway, you'll land close to the highway figure.
Stop 4: Long Hunter State Park at Percy Priest Lake (roughly 1:30 p.m.)
Head back north on I-65, then east on I-24 toward Hermitage. Long Hunter State Park sits on the western shore of Percy Priest Lake, roughly 15 minutes from downtown Nashville once you're back in the corridor. One of those places people who've lived here for years still underuse. The park has multiple trail lengths, ranging from short paved loops to a 4-mile day loop, and direct lake access.
In August, the lake temperature sits near its seasonal peak, which makes a late-afternoon walk more appealing than a midday one. Get there by 1:30 or 2 p.m., let the trail cool the morning's drive off, and you'll be back in Belmont before the evening crowd fills the Village. The G70 handles the transition back to city traffic cleanly. That 300 horsepower is just as useful navigating the I-24 merge as it was finding pace on the parkway, and the car's standard Highway Driving Assist takes over on the interstate leg so the driver arrives rested rather than spent.
Tweak It to Your Crew
Treat this route as a starting point rather than a fixed script, because the appeal of a G70 Saturday is that you can bend the plan around whoever's riding along, whether that means one friend, a crew of three, or a solo run with nothing but a playlist. If you're going with one other person and want a longer Trace run, continue south past the Leiper's Fork exit and stop at one of the overlooks before turning back. If it's a solo Saturday and you want to skip the village stop entirely, the Trace entry sits within 20 minutes of most Belmont apartments, so an earlier start lengthens the drive without forcing you to rework the back half of the day.
If your crew runs to three or four people, the G70 deserves an honest word. The rear seat accommodates two adults comfortably, three only if everyone stays agreeable about the middle position. For groups, the GV80 changes that calculation without sacrificing the same composed character on a long road.
Whatever the combination, the logic holds. A car that handles the Natchez Trace in the morning and the I-24 merge in the afternoon without a personality change is doing something right, and that's what the G70 is built for. When you're ready to sit in one, our team is here.
